July 28, 2020: COVID-19 Update
People Center Update: Return to On-Campus Work
Please note: The message below is an updated version of the message originally sent to Faculty & Staff on July 28.
Dear Faculty & Staff:
As a follow-up to Dr Akande’s messages to staff, faculty and students in May, we wanted to take this opportunity to outline the next steps in bringing our campus back to in person operations for the upcoming semester. As we have been preparing the campus for the return of our students, we have also been developing plans for our faculty and staff. Our workforce planning is guided by the need to offer direct support of the student experience while maintaining a safe and healthy environment. Since our staff and faculty support our students in different ways, the guidelines do vary based on the work needed to assist, teach, and care for our students.
Please review the guidelines and expectations carefully below for the essential role you play in making the upcoming semester a success.
Faculty
As President Akande has already shared, faculty have the choice to return to campus and the classroom in whatever way is appropriate for each of you. While not all faculty will be returning to the classroom, we know you may need to come to campus to access and scan course materials, conduct office hours, use technology resources to conduct synchronous class sessions and record asynchronous videos, and other activities in support of your teaching. In this context, all faculty will be able to return to campus starting on Monday, August 3. All campus buildings will remain locked and you will need your Champlain ID to access the buildings you need to utilize.
The College has developed workplace guidelines based on the CDC guidelines, Vermont Mandatory Health and Safety Requirements for All Business, Non-Profits and Government Agencies, as well as Reopening Requirements for Higher Education, that will be shared with Division Deans to develop plans for their teams. While there is one set of guidance and expectations for the institution, each Division will develop specific plans around things like shared offices and common spaces.
Staff
As you know, limited staff have been working on campus throughout the spring and summer to maintain our campus and ensure its safety. We recognize that as we start the academic year and deliver on our commitment to bringing students back to campus, we will need to increase staff presence on campus. Mission critical-essential staff who support campus operations and whose work must be performed on-site will begin returning to campus the week of August 3. Staff members will be notified by their manager regarding the status of their role and plans for a return to campus. These mission critical-essential staff are in roles that support operational needs of the College associated with the physical campus or in-person support of students, including on-campus instruction and academic success, student health and safety, and residential life. Team members who can continue to do their job remotely will work from home through the end of the year. No decisions have been made for 2021 at this time. Staff who are not returning to campus, but need one-time access to campus to gather materials should continue to work with their manager who will schedule access through CPS.
All
The following required individual actions will protect ourselves and those around us, and apply to our entire community whenever they are on campus:
Health & Safety
The People Center is actively engaged with VPs, Deans, and managers to develop departmental plans, as required by the State of Vermont, for staffing as well as identifying mitigation measures to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19. This work is essential and requires changes to how we work together on campus.
For those returning to campus, there are also new health and safety requirements we must follow before resuming work. Our essential staff who have been working on campus since March have been following all of these health and safety requirements, and we appreciate their adherence to these important measures. Please review the Health and Safety requirements as outlined in the Champlain College COVID-19 Safe Work Practices Policy
Vermont Occupation Health Administration (VOSHA)
As part of the resumption of in person business operations, the State of Vermont is requiring all employers mandate COVID-19 specific training. Prior to your arrival on campus, you must take the VOSHA Training: Protecting the Health and Safety of Workers. Once complete, upload and submit your certificate to the People Center via this form. The VOSHA training only needs to be completed once.
Daily Health Checks: Faculty, and staff are required to complete a daily health check prior to their arrival on campus. Currently the daily health check must be completed via this form COVID-19 Health Tracking Form. Once the form is completed it will be sent directly to the People Center and maintained in a secure/confidential file. As we approach the return of students, the health check will shift from this Google form to a mobile app that will be used by students, faculty and staff.
Health & Safety Pledge: All students, faculty and staff will be required to sign and agree to a Health Safety Pledge before students return to campus. The pledge will define our expectations of Champlain community members in areas such as testing expectations, participation in the daily health survey and contact tracing efforts, the mandatory use of masks, physical distancing and proper hand hygiene. The goal of this commitment is to maintain the level of safety and public health that Vermont has earned over the last several months. All members of our community are expected to adhere to the expectations outlined in the pledge as a requirement of working and learning at Champlain during this time.
Additional COVID-19 policies, including details on the faculty and staff testing program, the health pledge, and the COVID-19 Leave of Absence (Families First Coronavirus Response Act) policy referred to at Town Hall, will be shared in the coming days.
With appreciation,
Jennifer Archambault and your People Center Colleagues
