Students

We are offering our traditional mix of three pedagogies: face-to-face, hybrid and online. However, face-to-face classes may be modified (relocated to a larger venue, adapted to the hy-flex model where not all students attend every class, etc.) to respect social distancing protocols. Students in face-to-face courses may expect to meet for their classes at least one day per week.

Possibly, depending on your major and the courses you need. Not all courses will be offered online, so it is best to contact your advisor if you are not yet registered. We will do our very best to work with you to facilitate your progress toward graduation.

We will not be creating larger than normal courses or abandon well-established practices about good pedagogy. However, we have been monitoring enrollments and, as usual, open new sections as needed based on student demand.

Yes, although we will still expect students (whenever able) to wear masks.

We will use our well-established protocol when students become ill. Please reach out to the Disabilities office if you become sick or disabled - due to any reason, so that we can help review your options and keep you progressing.

Thankfully, recent changes to previously announced regulations preclude the need for us to have to make these accommodations.

Please visit with Disabilities office so that we may work with you to arrange for any accommodations we can make and keep you on track to progression toward graduation.

Yes. Students who do not have a documented reason to prevent them from doing so will be asked to put on a face covering. If they refuse, class may be cancelled and the student referred to Student Affairs.

Yes. We are carefully monitoring global and local health trends and will be prepared to pivot when we need to ensure continuous learning.

In any given semester, we have faculty having to cease teaching their courses for many health reasons. As always, we will find alternative qualified instructors who will follow the original course syllabus.

Students who do not have a documented reason to prevent them from doing so will be asked to put on a face covering. If they refuse, class may be cancelled and the student referred to Student Affairs.

Faculty and advisors will work with students to enable their progression as much as possible given the course's student learning objectives.

We will follow social distancing guidelines as much as possible, although masks will still be expected.

In some cases, class sessions will have reduced numbers. In other cases, we have relocated classes to larger venues.

In these cases, if off-campus experiences cannot be completed due to COVID related reasons, alternative experiences will be developed and substituted.

We would ask students to work with their advisors to find online solutions for the semester.

As of now, we have not adjusted our calendar nor have we altered any course starting or finishing times - although students may be asked to wait outside until just before their class begin and they may be dismissed from class in small groups.

As of now, we have not adjusted our calendar nor have we altered any course starting or finishing times - although students may be asked to wait outside until just before their class begin and they may be dismissed from class in small groups.

Students will be expected to pay the tuition for the type of course they signed up for. We have made significant investments in online learning platforms that we plan to use to enhance learning in all pedagogies. Further, online sections often have lower enrollment caps than do traditional face-to-face courses. Finally, all facilities which can be safely open will remain so to all students.

If you are having trouble creating a schedule, please reach out to your advisor, department head of ACTS for assistance.

We will take the lead of local, regional and state health experts.

We ask that you please reach out to your advisor or ACTS as soon as possible. We are prepared to welcome international students into face-to-face classes as late as September 8th.

We anticipate our social distancing and mask policy will mitigate spread in the classroom environment. However, when there is a positive diagnosis or exposure, our Student Health Center collaborates with county health departments to determine what needs to happen in each case and for each impacted individual.

Classes will be split into smaller groups or the entire class will be relocated to a larger venue.

We will follow all practices and accommodations afforded to students who become ill or incapacitated in conjunction with the your academic faculty and the Student Disabilities office.

Faculty will have options about face coverings and physical shields - but yes, two masks will be provided to all MSSU students, staff and faculty.

Some classes may utilize audio amplification. Generally, research demonstrates that learning is enhanced when lectures are recorded using professional dedicated instruments and environments. As a result, we will not be encouraging synchronous broadcast for most classes. Instead, we are encouraging a more flipped style approach where any lectures or didactics will usually be delivered in person in face-to-face classes.

We are currently exploring all safe options.

The administration is currently working with Faculty Senate to develop options and flexibility. This decision has not yet been made, although we will be encouraging all stakeholders to take ownership in sanitizing our environment and keeping them as safe as possible.

Rental books can be returned anytime through the book drop on the backside of Billingsly Student Center. Spring 2020 rental books are due back by Friday, August 21.

Of course! You may order your books online at our website, www.mssubookstore.com. You’ll receive an email confirming your order and a second email when your order has been completed.

Below is information from the Bursar's Office to show you how to set up an electronic refund account with Missouri Southern if you are due a refund.  If you have questions, you can email the Bursar's Office (bursar@mssu.edu) for answers. Using the MSSU Payment Portal (https://www.mssu.edu/paymybill), select “Student Login”. Then log in here, just as you would log in to LioNet or your student email: Choose “Electronic Refunds” under “My Profile Setup”. If you haven’t set up two-step verification, you will be asked to do so at this point. (If you have already set up two-step verification, you can skip this step.) Select “Set up Account” Enter your account information in the form. Be sure to enter the account number backward in the “Confirm account number” box. At the bottom of the form under the “Save payment method as” box enter a nickname for your account. Click Continue. Next review the information you entered and read the disclosures. If everything entered is correct and you agree to the disclosures click the box next to “I Agree”. Then click “Continue”. The next screen will show that the eRefund account has been saved. If you ever need to change your eRefund account to a new account or if you entered something incorrectly and it cannot be verified, you can update or remove the account by clicking the settings icon. If you have any questions, contact the Bursar’s Office (417.625.9381) or email bursar@mssu.edu.

We have a physical dropbox on the outside of the first floor of Hearnes Hall. Students can drop off payments (please include student ID number) in the depository there 24/7.

Offices responsible for hosting events are actively seeking ways in which to provide a safe in-person experience, whenever feasible and possible.

When a university employee or student tests positive, the public health department and University shall initiate contact tracing and will get in touch with anyone it identifies as a close contact. Close contact, according to the CDC’s most recent guidance, means prolonged contact (15 minutes or more) and within six feet with an individual with confirmed COVID-19 or direct contact with that individual’s infectious secretions or excretions. If you are not a close contact, you have no special precautions to take at this time, though everyone should follow prevention measures to keep themselves healthy. These measures include practicing good hygiene and social distancing, wearing a face covering, monitoring your health, and staying home if you are sick.

All positive COVID-19 tests are reported to the health department as well as the MSSU Willcoxon Health Center. Both of these offices will work together to notify other health officials, as well as impacted faculty, staff, and students based on contact tracing and local health department guidance of any case of COVID-19 while maintaining confidentiality in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), FERPA or and other applicable laws and regulations.

Our office will be open Mon-Fri from 8:00 am -5:00 pm. We do ask for all patients to book appointments. You can make an appointment by calling 417-625-9323. If you are ill, you may be asked to enter the building using a separate access point and not the front entrance. We are able to test for COVID-19, and we can help determine when a test should be administered and at what point to ensure accuracy from your contact with someone who is positive.

We do have testing available through an appointment. Please call 417-625-9323 to speak with a nurse.

Yes, we will provide access to a computing lab(s), likely the Criminal Justice lab and possibly others in the event that campus is closed during the fall term. Similar to earlier this year, the Criminal Justice computing lab was open and available each day when the campus was closed down.

Room occupancy will operate as normal for Fall 2020.

The primary move-in days will be August 14-16. If you are part of a group that is required to return to campus prior to the official opening day of the residence halls, please contact your coach/sponsor for day and time to move into the residence halls.

Students are assigned specific times to arrive on August 14 based on building to minimize overcrowding.

There will be a limit of 2 persons per resident.

We will do temperature checks on Friday, August 14 in the FEMA/Residence Life Emergency Shelter located diatonically form Blaine Hall.

Yes, we will have Greek and other RSO volunteers. These volunteers will be wearing mask and will only help if students approve.

Yes, testing will be conducted by the MSSU Health Center between 10:00 AM-4:00 PM August 14-16 in the FEMA/Residence Life Emergency Shelter located diagonally across from Blaine Hall. If you move in earlier or later than scheduled testing, you must come to the Residence Life Emergency Shelter the following testing day. Prior to testing, do not eat, drink, chew gum, brush teeth, smoke/vape or chew tobacco 30 minutes prior to testing. Also bring insurance card and know the date of birth of the person listed as the card holder (ex: mother’s DOB if her name is listed on the card). If you do not have insurance, the Health Center will speak with you at time of testing.

Yes, unless a medical condition prohibits wearing of mask.

We recommend all students bring thermometer to do daily self-screenings, over-the-counter medicine for fever and headaches and disinfectant for cleaning the inside of their living space.

The major changes besides wearing masks are no visitation or overnight guests, restructuring of Residence Hall Association events to limit participation or expanding space for event, and limitation of services in the Mayes Student Life Center. All these actions are subject to change based on the campus safety precautions.

Prior to coming to campus, student should:

• • • • Do a self-quarantine at home two weeks before move-in day to reduce potential exposure

• • • • Delay moving onto campus if they’re experiencing a temperature of 100.4 of higher, feeling ill, or have been in recent contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID within 14 days,

• • • • Have an off-campus relocation plan in the event they test positive for COVID or in the event the University closes the residence halls.

Students directed by a health care provider to go on quarantine or isolation are expected to notify the MSSU Health Center and the Residence Life Office within 24 hours of receiving that directive.

We expect students to abide by social distancing anytime outside of their living spaces, and as much as possible inside of their living space.

Occupancy is planned to operate as normal for the Fall 2020 Semester, but we will work to spread students out to reduce density after the housing application deadline. Three major rule changes in the residence halls to reduce student contact is no visitors within living spaces, no overnight guest and reduced services in the Mayes Student Life Center. We define visitors as anyone who is not assigned to the living space. These rules are subject to change.

This is correct. We are defining a visitor as anyone who does not live within that living space. Social distancing and reducing spread within a living space is difficult if other individuals who do not live within that space are permitted inside. This rule is subject to change.

Unfortunately, not at this time. Resident students will still be required to park on the residence hall side of campus until after 3:00pm to minimize the number of students in the parking lots at one time.

Spiva Library has been quarantining returned items for 72 hours since the campus and library reopened on May 4, 2020. It will continue to do so indefinitely. An IMLS study on the viability of the coronavirus determined it took three days for the virus to become undetectable on the paper inside of a book or book jacket.

Currently, there is not an end date for this policy. As long as the pandemic continues, the mask policy will be in place. The COVID-19 Task Force will re-evaluate this policy as necessary and in accordance with CDC and local health authority guidance.

Yes. Two cloth masks will be provided to all students. Masks can be picked up in the Student Activities Office in the Billingsly Student Center during the week prior to classes.

Clubs are allowed to meet face to face as long as University Covid Policies are followed.

Clubs are allowed to go off campus to attend local events and volunteer and are encouraged to follow mask and social distancing guidelines.

No, the campus will work with the Joplin Health Department on what precautions to take. One case would not warrant a closure of campus. Individual students or student groups will be contacted regarding potential exposures and will quarantine or isolate based upon the Health Department recommendations.

There are no special fees for the recreation center, Phelps theatre, and other community events. There is one tuition rate, which includes access to these facilities.

In accordance with CDC travel health notices and the local health authorities, students who have traveled outside the 48 contiguous states should serve a 14-day quarantine prior to being physically present in classrooms and activities/events. Students living on-campus may serve their quarantine in the on-campus residence facilities.