Campus News

This group has been comprised of faculty and staff from Human Resources, Admissions, Lang Health Center, Library and Operations.  The group was responsible for recommending and implementing a phased return to work plan under guidance given by CDC, OSHA, WCHD, IDPH, and CUPA-HR.

The group finalized a return-to-the-workplace under phases III, which went into effect on June 1, 2020.  The highlights of the plan is as follows:

• Intro to returning to the workplace: Prior to coming back to work all employees should take the brief training from Safe Colleges that was sent out today called Corona Awareness.  There will be more trainings that might be required at a future date.
• Phased staffing: VP’s and supervisors will discuss the below phased staffing plan for their departments.  This will include staff and graduate assistants.  Student employees will only be allowed to work in a very limited capacity in key areas.  Faculty can start to return to their offices, but should follow the guidelines attached.
• Alternating Days/Shifts: In  order  to   limit   the  number  of  individuals  and  interactions  among  those  on campus, departments  should   schedule   partial   staffing  on  alternating  Such   schedules will help enable social distancing, especially in areas with large common workspaces.
• Staggered Hours: Supervisors will have the availability to staff hours so that employees report to work at different times.
• Remote Work: Those  who can  work  remotely  to  fulfill   some of their  work  responsibilities may continue to do so to reduce the number of individuals on campus and the potential spread of the  COVID-19    These arrangements, which should be approved by the immediate supervisors, can be done on a full or partial day/week schedule as appropriate.
• Safety practices that are required: Any employee who is reporting to work will need to complete a self-assessment to ensure they do not have any symptoms.  This self-assessment is referenced in the guide. Employees will also need to take their temperature prior to reporting to work.  Any fever great than 100.4 would indicate an employee should not report to work. Face masks must be worn by all employees working on campus when in the presence of others and in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to       maintain (e.g., common workspaces,  meeting  rooms, classrooms, ).  Appropriate use of face masks    is critical in   minimizing risks to others near you.
• Reference handouts: There are many reference materials in the attached guide (pdf).  All employees will be required to read each of these prior to coming back to work.
• Meeting guidelines: All meetings should continue to be held via zoom, if at all possible.  Smaller meetings will be allowed with no more than 4 employees social distancing and wearing masks. Employees should not be congregating in a small space, at any time, without wearing masks.
• Visitors: The University will be open to visitors but in a very limited capacity.  This will include the Athletics and Admissions Departments.  In order to be able to have visitors come to campus, they will need to follow very strict guidelines that will include scheduling (by appointment only) one visitor at a time, having the visitor sign in and out on a log with a telephone number, visitors have to be accompanied by an employee at all times, and each visitor must follow all guidelines, including wearing a face mask and social distancing.
• The campus will remain closed to the public until further notice:  Frisbee golf will remain closed.  The only visitors allowed are those who have scheduled an appointment with the department they will be meeting with.

As phase IV approaches, these guidelines will be updated and communicated to the campus community. Please continue to visit this site for further updates.