Statement from the Executive Board

Statement 15 March 2020

Dear members of the UM community,

The Dutch government has just decided to close all schools and day-care centres. The Executive Board is well aware that this decision has far-reaching consequences for many of our employees.

Providing distance education with such a short preparation time is already quite a task, and it certainly doesn't get any easier if it needs to be combined with the care for small children. In some cases, employees will be called upon to be present in the workplace in order to ensure the continuity of our university. Naturally, we intend to do this as responsibly as possible.

In this new situation, we ask you to find suitable solutions to practical issues in consultation with colleagues, managers and your partners at home, so that work can continue as normal as possible. You may consider, for example, working different hours or taking over an assignment from a colleague.

If you run into any problems due to the school closure or because of changing circumstances, please consult with your head of department or manager.

We would like to emphasise that in principle everyone will now be working from home. However, if you do have to come to work for urgent reasons, you can do so by car if you wish in view of the need for 'social distancing'. All staff can temporarily park for free: the entrance barrier gates are open and/or can be opened by any employee with a UM card.

FOR STUDENTS: UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AND UM BUILDINGS ARE CLOSED

All UM buildings will be closed to students as of tomorrow, 16 March.

From tomorrow, all locations of the University Library will also be closed to students, researchers, tutors/teachers and UM/MUMC+ staff. Its services will be offered online. Staff who run into problems with their research or education may request offline services, where possible, via Ask your Librarian (umlib.nl/ayl). This is also the place for students to turn to with questions. Check the Online Library with updates about services: https://library.maastrichtuniversity.nl/.

Distance education

As of Monday, our teaching activities will be offered online. The preparations for this distance learning are in full swing and it is expected that our facilities will be increasingly ready for this. At the moment, rooms are being specially set up for online education. In addition, technical provisions are being made at a central level. More information can be found at: https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/online-education-um.

It is clear that the international crisis surrounding the coronavirus is putting us all to the test. In recent days and weeks, we have been impressed by the extent to which the UM community is assuming its responsibility across the board and is showing great flexibility.

We are very grateful for that.

We wish everyone a great deal of strength, now and in the coming period.

Take good care of yourself, your loved ones and each other.

The Executive Board, the faculty boards and the Crisis Management Team