Mitchell Hamline’s Burger Library to reopen for students, faculty, staff on Monday, July 13

Opening is part of gradual reopening of the law school

Like the bust of Justice Burger inside the library, all patrons must wear masks.

The Warren E. Burger Library at Mitchell Hamline School of Law will reopen on Monday, July 13 with several protocols in place to ensure patrons’ safety. This is a first step in a gradual reopening of the school and is in anticipation of offering a limited number of classes on campus this fall, subject to the ongoing pandemic.

A COVID-19 response team has been meeting since mid-March to coordinate school operations in response to executive orders issued by Governor Walz and guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The school’s preference is that people continue to work from home.

But in cases where access to the library is needed, library users must follow new health protocols. These include entering the building only through the main entrance; self-screening and staying away if any symptoms are present; wearing a mask at all times inside the building (including the entire time inside the library); social distancing; and using ID cards to access to the library. The library will be open from 9 am to 5 pm seven days a week.

These protocols will continue to be updated as more is learned about COVID-19 transmission.

Here are some important details to know about the current changes in building access:

• Entering the building. Students must enter the building at the main entrance (near the flag pole) and must have a student ID to enter.
• Health screening. At this time, the law school will rely on self-screening.
• Students should stay home when sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19:
  • Fever
    (100.0 degrees F or over) without having taken any fever reducing medications
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Cough not attributable to another health condition
  • Shortness of breath not attributable to another health condition
  • Chills not attributable to another health condition
  • Headache not attributable to another health condition
  • Muscle pain not attributable to exercise or another health condition
  • Sore throat not attributable to another health condition
  • Any gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite
• Students should stay home if they or anyone they have been in close contact with have been diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 14 days.
• Students should stay home if they or anyone they have been in close contact with have been placed on quarantine for possible contact with COVID-19 within the last 14 days.
• Masks must be worn in the building and in the library at all times. Students should bring their own masks. If you have concerns about wearing a facemask due to health reasons or a documented disability, please contact disability services for assistance.
• It is expected that members of the Mitchell Hamline community will comply with these school policies. Widespread failure to adhere to these protocols may lead to a closure of the library or disciplinary action for students under the Student Code of Conduct.

Health status reporting. If students or anyone they have been in close contact with have been diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 14 days, or if students or anyone they have been in close contact with have been placed on quarantine for possible contact with COVID-19 within the last 14 days, they should notify Dean of Students Lynn LeMoine at lynn.lemoine @mitchellhamline.edu. We respect the privacy of our faculty, staff, and students. The information gathered will be used in the event that we have a confirmed case reported by a member of our community. The sharing of information will be limited to those individuals that have a business need to know and would include the Minnesota State Health Department.

More information

For current health-related information, we encourage you to visit the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Minnesota Department of Health websites. We will also update school information on the website.

State officials are posting updated information on the spread of COVID-19 in Minnesota here.

Contacts for questions

• On-campus students: student.services @mitchellhamline.edu
• Blended-learning students: blendedlearning @mitchellhamline.edu
• Employees should contact their manager or Andrea.Bien @mitchellhamline.edu
• Media: Doug.Belden @mitchellhamline.edu