July 17 COVID-19 employee update

Posted: July 16, 2020

Good afternoon everyone,

To keep everyone on the same page with all that is going on and changing so quickly, I am sending a re-cap of some of the things I talked about at the all employee COVID briefing today.

I will send out a more comprehensive update in the next couple of weeks as we get closer to finalizing plans for fall.

Face Coverings

Starting Monday July 20, a face covering is required at all times in all campus buildings. There are two exceptions:

1. Employees who are alone in an enclosed work area
2. Employees who have an approved accommodation through the HR office and

Face covering is required outdoors whenever social distancing of 6 feet cannot be maintained.

July 6 “Soft Opening”

As you know, our steps toward safely opening campus, included a  “soft opening” Monday, July 6. At this time only the Orendorff Building is open.  All other buildings on campus remain locked.

Though the Orendorff Building is open to the public, a staffing rotation pattern has been put into place in order to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19. All other staff continue to telework in conjunction with staffing rotations.

Event cancelations/modifications and travel restrictions remain in place.

Fall Opening Return to Campus Questionnaire

As preparations continue for the fall semester, we need your feedback on options for returning to campus in Fall 2020. Please complete the  questionnaire you received in your email inbox by Wednesday, July 29, 2020.

In the meantime, we are asking faculty to continue to prepare to deliver courses under operating condition 2B.

A final decision on fall opening will be made the first week in August – knowing that conditions may change.

Expenditure Approval

In order to monitor budgets due to changing state budget conditions, safety due to changing COVID conditions, and to consistently implement campus protocols, ALL expenditures regardless of the funding source require approval from your area Vice President and authorization from VP Watson.

Student Questions

If you are contacted by a student and do not know the answer to their question, please refer them to the appropriate office and/or the NWC website. We have recently launched a chat bot on the website that can respond to questions 24/7.

I hope this information helps. Feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns.

Have a good weekend.

Stefani Hicswa, Ph.D.