UPDATE: SMU Requires Face Coverings in All Public Spaces for Fall 2020 Semester

Faculty authorized to require students to wear face coverings in fall classrooms

SMU is requiring that everyone on the SMU campus wear a face covering over the mouth and nose in all public indoor spaces. This requirement includes classrooms; building entrances and exits; lobbies and lounges; as well as in hallways, stairwells, restrooms and elevators and also extends to SMU’s Meadows Museum – both for staff and visitors.

The requirement is in line with continued orders by the State of Texas and Dallas County, and strengthens the earlier University policy that stated the University “expects” all students, faculty staff and visitors to wear a face covering in public spaces.

For the fall semester, faculty members are authorized to require face coverings in their classrooms and during faculty-student meetings. All faculty will have access to disposable face coverings to provide to students who forget to bring one to class.

Facial coverings are required public indoor spaces, including the classrooms, or anywhere on campus—including public areas of residential facilities or outdoor spaces— where social distancing cannot be maintained. They are not required in private spaces such as inside an office or partitioned cubicle for employees, or inside an individual residence hall room for students. 

SMU is prepared to maintain or adjust its “face coverings in public spaces” requirement as circumstances evolve.