Faculty Return to Campus Information
Faculty Return to Campus Information
Updated: Aug. 3, 2020 with UNCSA COVID-19 Response Plan for Employees
Information sessions
Recorded sessions:
Note: Access using your UNCSA credentials.
- Q&A with Infectious Prevention Consultant - July 7, 2020
Important Dates
- Faculty will begin returning to campus Aug. 3-7.
- Students will start returning the week Aug. 10. Faculty are asked to limit their time on campus that week.
- The Academic Calendar has been revised and posted. Note: Staff, faculty and students will not have Labor Day off this year. Fall and spring breaks will not occur to accommodate a longer winter break period.
Health and Safety
As part of the UNCSA community, review and familiarize yourself with our community health standards.
Accommodating those with health issues
Faculty requesting a health accommodation should contact Human Resources regarding their return to work. Each request will be reviewed by HR and the Office of the Provost on a case-by-case basis, as governed by applicable laws and policy.
COVID-19 Response Plan for Employees
The COVID-19 Response Plan for Employees (enter your UNCSA credentials to access PDF) explains how the UNCSA will respond if an employee exhibits symptoms of COVID-19 in the workplace, at home and or tests positive/negative for COVID-19. The goal of this plan is to help protect the health and safety of the employee and everyone else in the workplace. Effective execution of the plan requires collaboration, compassion, and attention to details by employees, supervisors/managers, Human Resources, Facilities, Emergency Operations, and University leadership. If you have any questions or concerns about this plan, please contact Human Resources.The State Health Plan is waiving cost of
- copay for in-person and virtual PCP visits to screen for COVID-19,
- COVID-19 test until CARES Act Requirements expires, and
- treatment for members with COVID-19
CVS Pharmacy is offering drive-through COVID-19 testing at select CVS pharmacy locations in N.C. You must register in advance to schedule an appointment. This test is also at no cost to State Health Plan members. Details of State Health Plan changes are on the State Health Plan Coronavirus Updates website.
FAQs
Academic
University and High School graduations will be held in-person separately on Saturday,
May 22, 2021.
Masks or face coverings will be required at all times with a limited number of exceptions,
including for in-person classes. Please review our guidance for acceptable face coverings.
For the 2020-21 academic year only, an adjustment in the ratio of face-to-face and
distance engagement has been made to encompass a broader range of engagement ratios.
Hybrid instruction will encompass a range of online/in-person engagement from 33% (1/3 online and 2/3 in-person) to 66% (1/3 in-person and 2/3 online). These percentages may be shaped by an individual school or division, based on the business need of the unit. Faculty are expected to have regular in-person engagement with their students, spread over the course of a semester, in a hybrid model.
Hybrid instruction will encompass a range of online/in-person engagement from 33% (1/3 online and 2/3 in-person) to 66% (1/3 in-person and 2/3 online). These percentages may be shaped by an individual school or division, based on the business need of the unit. Faculty are expected to have regular in-person engagement with their students, spread over the course of a semester, in a hybrid model.
Campus Resources
While closed due to COVID-19 Phase 2 North Carolina restrictions, the Fitness Center
will be offering virtual and outdoor classes.
Having a robust wireless connection able to handle the demands of remote classroom
sessions from residence halls is a concern. Our chosen platform, Zoom, performs best
over wired connections as does any online meeting platform. For that reason, we are
currently investigating all of our residence halls' wired connectivity with the intention
of ensuring that we have wired connectivity in place for each of the rooms when possible.
Please keep in mind that in order to take advantage of the wired connections, students
will need an RJ-45 Ethernet port on their device or a dongle that converts USB to
RJ-45, as well as an Ethernet patch cable to utilize the port.
Dining
We are working with our vendor and infection prevention specialist to generate a set
of guidelines for safe dining. Self-service will be eliminated and to-go options will
be increased. While the cafeteria, Pickle Jar and the Library Café will be open, we
will be reducing seating, limiting numbers, and using Eisenberg Social Hall and outdoor
spaces as overflow dining areas to allow for social distancing
Health and Safety
The CDC does not recommend entry testing of all students, faculty and staff for COVID-19
before allowing them on campus. It is unknown if entry testing at higher education
institutions provides any additional reduction in person-to-person transmission of
the virus beyond what would be expected with implementation of other infection preventive
measures (e.g., social distancing, cloth face covering, hand washing, enhanced cleaning
and disinfection).
UNCSA will have testing capability on campus for students only in coordination with
local medical partners.
If UNCSA has a positive case, a campuswide notification will be sent, and contact
tracing will be conducted. In Forsyth County, contact tracing will be led by the County
Health Department with assistance from UNCSA. Forsyth County has hired and trained
additional contact tracers to respond to the pandemic. UNCSA continues to be in direct
contact with Forsyth County health officials and will work with them closely to implement
contact tracing on campus, if necessary.
Students who test positive will be immediately isolated. Students who have come in close contact with someone who has tested positive, as determined by county health officials, will be quarantined on campus for 14 days. Single rooms in residence halls have been reserved for quarantine or isolation. Parents are permitted to take their COVID-positive student home. Arts and academic departments will work with students on their absence due to illness.
In Forsyth County, contact tracing will be led by the County Health Department with
assistance from UNCSA. Forsyth County has hired and trained additional contact tracers
to respond to the pandemic.
We expect everyone to uphold our community health standards, whether they are on- or off-campus. Failure to comply with our community health
standards will result in progressive disciplinary actions
The Environmental Services Department will be implementing new CDC and EPA recommended
cleaning protocols for classrooms, offices and common areas on campus. New daily cleaning
methods such as utilizing electrostatic foggers and sprayers will be added to the
morning cleaning rounds. Faculty and staff will be provided with disinfectant wipes
so that individual areas can be further cleaned and disinfected as needed by faculty
and staff throughout the day, which will enable our Environmental Services technicians
to increase cleaning and disinfection in high traffic and high touch areas throughout
the buildings.
Faculty requesting a health accommodation should contact HR regarding their return to work. Each request will be reviewed by HR and the Office of the Provost on a case-by-case basis, as governed by applicable laws and policy.
Social distancing and occupancy restrictions will be put into place in public restrooms
on campus, and it is required that you wear a mask in public restrooms on campus.
Wash your hands for 20 seconds before leaving restrooms.
Air purifiers or scrubbers are only recommended for use when students have to be unmasked
for arts used with other layered barriers when instruction is taking place that can't
be completed with a mask. It is recommended that employees remained masked in the
office, which would eliminate the need for an air purifier or scrubber.
It is required that employees use a mask or face covering when working in shared office or cubicle spaces together, particularly when social distancing is not possible.
Performances
Deans and faculty are developing innovative performance and production plans that
prioritize the health and safety of our students while reflecting the evolution of
the industry as it faces the effects of COVID-19. More information will be announced.
The Schools of Dance, Design & Production, Filmmaking and Music are reimagining how
our students will collaborate on an alternative performance of "The Nutcracker" that
follows health and safety protocols and provides educational opportunities. We will
share the plans for this production as soon as they are finalized.
We will be adding additional information as it becomes available. If you have a question not answered above, please ask.