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LARTS Project Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions about the LARTS Restoration Project, moving out of the building, or new office locations? Review the Frequently Asked Questions below. This website will be continuously updated throughout the project. If you have further questions, please contact the Office of Campus Master Planning and Capital Projects at masterplanning@umassd.edu.

Building Access

The building will be closed for approximately 18 months during the construction phase of the LARTS Restoration Project. The building is scheduled to close after Commencement in May 2025 and will reopen in January 2027 for the start of the Spring 2027 semester.

No. In order to complete the renovation most efficiently, all furnishings, equipment, and other items will be removed from the building prior to construction. See below for more information about the move-out process.

No. Day classes will be scheduled on campus as normal.

The provost, registrar, and deans are continuing to identify where specific, individual classes will be held during the Fall 2025, Spring 2026, and Fall 2026 semesters while LARTS is closed for construction. Class locations will be communicated through the normal channels and listed in COIN.

The Provost's and CAS Dean's Offices are working to identify specific locations. Once they are finalized, they will be posted here.

Temporary Locations for Student Support Services

To provide a central location for College of Arts & Sciences students to access key support services, the following student support centers will be located in the Claire T. Carney Library:

  • STAR Center
  • Writing and Multiliteracy Center
  • Language Lab
  • ARC

The College Now program will be housed in the new Centennial Way modular building, right behind LARTS.

The Leduc Center will be located on the second floor of the MacLean Campus Center.

The Provost's and CAS Dean's Offices are working to identify a specific location. Once finalized, it will be posted here.

Temporary Office Space for Faculty

During construction, faculty will have access to shared office space on the first floors of the Balsam and Spruce buildings. For daily use, office space will be booked through an online reservation system. Offices will be available for faculty who need to touchdown for a brief period, i.e., immediately before or between class instruction. More information on how to book shared spaces will be made available as we get closer to moving out.

CAS faculty will be expected to maintain three days a week and four hours of face-to-face office hours on campus throughout construction. All other meetings can be scheduled at the discretion of the individual in a virtual or in-person meeting modality. 

Yes, the shared offices in Balsam and Spruce can be used for these purposes, and there are small meeting rooms and conference rooms across campus that can be booked through 25Live.

All accommodations are requested through and approved by UMassD Human Resources. Please review the Requests for Accommodations website to learn more. 

Temporary Office Space for the Dean's Office, Academic Departments, and Staff

The Dean's Office will be located on the second floor of the MacLean Campus Center. 

They will have workstations where their programs are located, e.g., College Now staff will work in the Centennial Way modular building, while STAR Center staff will work in the Claire T. Carney Library.

Academic department staff will be housed in shared office spaces on the first floors of the Balsam and Spruce buildings. Common area spaces adjacent to the temporary offices will be available for the placement of limited multi-functional devices, mail slots, file cabinets, mini-fridges, microwaves, and coffee makers.

No. Administrative staff will be expected to work on campus as assigned.

Graduate Student Study Room 306 in the Claire T. Carney Library will be available to LARTS graduate students during the restoration. Private spaces in the Claire T. Carney Library can also be reserved for studying and meetings.

Shared Space Logistics

Office supplies, instructional support materials, and administrative materials will be available to faculty and staff in designated departmental office spaces. Shared multi-functional devices will be available to faculty and staff in all designated temporary locations. 

All LARTs faculty and staff will start using Teams when the building closes. The assigned telephone extension and number will ring directly to Teams. CITS will implement the Teams voice systems during the Spring 2025 semester for all LARTS building occupants.

Departmental admins will work in designated offices. There will be limited space for departmental faculty to store materials in those spaces temporarily. Faculty will need to coordinate with Chairs and Admins on storage space in the departmental office.

Card readers are at the entrances to most main campus buildings and will be programmed to allow access to faculty and staff during normal campus operating hours. For the few instances where keys are required to access swing spaces, keys will be issued in May or August of 2025 to those individuals assigned to the spaces.

The UMassD CITS group will roll out an online reservation system for faculty to locate and reserve shared office space. Implementation and training will take place during the Spring 2025 semester.

The campus mailroom and central receiving will deliver items to designated swing space locations for all CAS department offices, student support centers, special interest, and research spaces. Specific information relating to temporary swing space locations will be provided at the beginning of the Spring 2025 semester.

Move Out & Storage Planning

Want to learn more about packing and storage? Review our LARTS Pre-Move Plan and Information Package.

Faculty and staff are responsible for packing the contents of their offices. A move consultant/coordinator has been hired to assist faculty and staff with the moving process and will schedule meetings to review the process with faculty and staff starting in early January. 

Packing materials have been placed throughout LARTS for faculty and staff to pack starting in December 2024. Please refer to emails sent from cas@umassd.edu for further details.

In May 2025, a moving company will move all work-related materials that will not be needed during the construction period out of LARTS and into long-term storage. 

Due to the limited amount of available storage space, all personal items originally brought in from home and or purchased using personal funds must be taken home prior to the May 2025 move-out. Personal items include, but are not limited to artwork, area rugs, award plaques, money, food, beverages, coffee makers, microwaves, mini-refrigerators, electric teapots, plants, pictures, prints, posters, trophies, furnishings like small tables, upholstered or wicker chairs, couches, futons, etc. If assistance is needed with moving personal items to an individual's vehicle prior to May 2025. Please enter a work order request.

Storage for work-related items will be extremely limited during the LARTS Restoration Project. There will be limited storage in departmental shared spaces. All other items must be taken home or stored personally in another location. No storage for personal items will be provided.

All furniture will be removed from the building during construction. Items purchased by the University, College, and Department will be stored or repurposed if they are expected to be replaced. All personal items, as described above, must be taken home.

Boxes, labels, and packing materials will be available to faculty and staff starting in early December 2024. For office contents not needed until January 2027 or later, faculty and staff are encouraged to start packing those items now. Move-out will take place in May 2025.

IRB documents will be placed in a locked storage room in the Foster Administration building. Investigators must place IRB materials in moving boxes and label the boxes with the PI name, protocol numbers, and associated titles. All boxes should be securely taped and closed to ensure confidentiality during transport and storage. 

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