Dr. Rudin announces COVID-19 mitigation strategy

Social distancing required

Dear Lion Family,

Many have asked about our mitigation strategy related to COVID-19. Daily and weekly meetings are held with the Emergency Operations Center and the Executive Team, the COVID-19 Task Force, local and state Emergency Management agencies, and health care providers to discuss the current status of our response plan and efforts. We are monitoring several indicators to help make decisions of when we need to make adjustments to campus operations. This includes monitoring our campus health through a strategic and deliberate testing strategy for students, faculty and staff, monitoring cases on and off campus (including our ability to quarantine anyone who needs a room), and monitoring local and regional hospital capacities and operations and local school districts.

There are four phases that we use to scale back specific aspects of how we think about university operations. This can include reducing class sizes even more or specifically targeting more courses to offer remotely. The phases of operations include:

1. Actively Monitoring (precautionary measures in place at the beginning of Fall 2020 semester including face coverings, physical distancing, enhanced cleaning)

2. Heightened Awareness:

  • Up to 100% of the faculty and staff in any particular unit may work on-campus, in accordance with the needs of the relevant unit supervisor and the determination of the respective Vice President of any employee's needs for Alternate Work Location accommodation
  • Face to face instruction, co-curricular activities, research, and athletics may or may not be scaled back depending on need
  • Residential living continues with precautions
  • Athletics status to be determined by state, conference, and athletic association

2. Extreme Caution:

  • Up to 50% of the faculty and staff in any particular unit may work on-campus, in accordance with the needs of the relevant unit supervisor and the determination of the respective Vice President of any employee's needs for Alternate Work Location accommodation
  • Face to face instruction, co-curricular activities, research, and athletics should be limited, but may continue under additional limitations the institution may implement
  • Residential living continues with heightened precautions
  • Athletics status to be determined by state, conference, and athletic association

3. Remote Operations:

  • On-site work limited to personnel essential to support functions such as maintenance, food service, public safety, residential living, IT, etc.
  • Face to face instruction temporarily suspended; all instruction offered remotely, exceptions may be granted by the President/CEO
  • Co-curricular activities may continue virtually
  • Research suspended except as needed for animal care and those projects excepted by the Vice President for Research
  • Athletics status to be determined by state, conference, and athletic association
  • Students living in residence halls may be encouraged to return to their permanent residence. Residence halls, food service, computer labs, and library remain open to support students who choose to remain on campus
Click here to see what metrics we use for COVID-19 monitoringDownload

Please feel free to reach out to the EOC or me with any questions you may have.

The president signature.
Mark Rudin
President