St. Mary’s College of Maryland continues to implement expert-informed measures to help mitigate the risks of spreading COVID-19 as employees work on campus.
- As of August 2, 2021, all offices are to be open weekdays during core business hours, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Students may not be used to staff an office area or suite alone, unless that was the practice prior to COVID-19.
- All employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to campus. Employees who are covered by a collective bargaining agreement will be treated in accordance with the terms and conditions of the College’s collective bargaining agreement with AFSCME. Anyone receiving a vaccine that requires two doses must receive both doses in order to meet this requirement.
- To request an exemption from vaccination, employees should complete the Employee Exemption Form. To request an exemption from the booster requirement, employees should complete the Employee Booster Exemption Form.
- St. Mary’s College of Maryland has updated its vaccine policy to require all eligible students and employees to receive COVID-19 booster shots.
- Effective Monday, January 17, 2022, all vaccinated students and employees will be required to receive a booster shot within 30 days of becoming eligible.
- Students and employees must upload a copy of their updated vaccination card, reporting the date on which they received their booster shot, to the Wellness Center confidential Medicat Records by January 17, 2022 (or 30 days after becoming eligible for a booster if eligibility is after December 21, 2021). Uploading instructions can be found HERE.
- Employees who have already filed an exemption from COVID-19 vaccination must notify Human Resources to confirm their intention to continue the exemption. Students who have filed an exemption must notify the Wellness Center of their intention to continue the exemption.
- Twice weekly testing for all unvaccinated students and employees will continue. Which will include those who currently are not eligible for a booster and those with exemptions. In addition, a random sample of our community will be subjected to surveillance testing during the first six weeks of the spring semester regardless of vaccination status.
- Students who fail to comply with the vaccine policy will be prohibited from attending classes. Faculty and staff who fail to comply with the vaccine policy will be treated in accordance with terms and conditions outlined by Human Resources.
- Employees can request additional face coverings and hand sanitizer from the Wellness Center.
- If an employee has COVID-19 symptoms, they may utilize the Wellness Center, the St. Mary’s County Hotline, or their primary care physician to access testing. While residential employees are awaiting their test results, they must self-isolate in designated on-campus housing. Testing for any employee will initiate an investigation of direct contacts. Plans have been developed to both support the employee and their direct contacts while awaiting results or should the results be positive for COVID-19. Positive cases will be communicated to the campus in a manner consistent with federal and state guidelines.
- For staff, if your position is eligible for telework based on your job description and assigned duties, your supervisor will advise you and work with you to make the appropriate arrangements. These arrangements will follow the SMCM Telework Policy which will be updated so that it includes both 100% telework and partial telework guidelines.
Supervisor Guidance
- Procure sufficient disinfectant products and cleaning supplies so employees can frequently clean their own workspaces. Specific products desired by a department should be procured through departmental budgets.
- Ensure that employees and all office visitors and contractors comply with the College’s risk mitigation measures.
- Understand and promote the contact tracing protocols of the St. Mary’s County Health Department, which are available in the following “What is Contact Tracing” PDF document. Contact tracing is a tool used by public health workers to stop the spread of disease.
- When someone tests positive for COVID-19, their doctor notifies the Health Department. The Health Department calls the person who tested positive to see who else might have been exposed.
- When the Health Department is contact tracing, they ask where people have been in recent days and the names and contact information of the people they have had close contact with. The individual who tested positive chooses whether or not to give the Health Department permission to reveal their identity to their contacts. The Health Department does not ask for social security numbers, credit cards, or immigration status.
- Once the Health Department knows who else might have been exposed, they contact those people. Everyone contacted by the Health Department is believed to have been in close contact with the individual who tested positive and is asked to self-isolate for at least 10 days to stop the spread of COVID-19. During the self-isolation period, the employee may continue to perform their College responsibilities via telework.
Staff Town Hall Meeting July 16, 2020
Remarks by Vice President of Finance and CFO Paul Pusecker
Welcome.
We wanted to have this staff forum as soon as the College’s Return to On-Campus Work policy was posted and we apologize that took so long. Rather than have a forum where all we said is “we don’t know,” we wanted to provide you with the best information possible. I hope you have had time to review that policy which has been posted to our Reopening website. This meeting is intended to highlight its key points and answer your questions.
We had to hold meetings with the faculty to make sure that we met critical timelines to address teaching and learning issues. The faculty meetings were tied to a student survey we issued about student decisions to return to campus. Those survey responses are due July 17 and will potentially impact what we do.
Today we want to update you with what we know and to listen to your concerns. I apologize in advance if you felt that we were not inclusive. There are so many details to iron out and now that we have shared the Return to On-Campus Work policy, we look forward to receiving your feedback so that we can all remain safe.
As noted, we published the Return to On-Campus Work policy on the Reopening website and I will cover a lot of it. To ensure that we can best answer your questions, I have asked Shannon Jarboe and Brad Newkirk to join me on this call.
First, I will be going over some key points with you.
Then if you have questions, I ask you to please use the Zoom chat feature to post them and we will try to answer as many as possible.
We will post to the Reopening website answers to key questions asked here so your colleagues who may have missed this forum might benefit.
First, let me review 13 key points about our Reopening the campus for students on August 17. This is what we know:
- Each student, staff, and faculty member will be issued a St. Mary’s College drawstring bag with enough masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer to last the semester along with a thermometer.
- Our faculty member, Dr. Troy Townsend, produced enough face shields via 3-D printing, to issue to all faculty and staff if they so desire.
- We will utilize a Qualtrics App for everyone to report their daily self-monitoring information such as how they are feeling and their temperature.
- Facilities has been working diligently with the marketing unit to provide building signage and posters in academic, administrative and residence hall facilities. These are to remind all to abide by our various safety protocols.
- We are implementing enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocols for all academic, administrative and residence halls.
- Every classroom will be disinfected after each class with support from the students and professors. Each classroom will be deep-cleaned daily.
- Sanitizing stations are being positioned around campus.
- High touch points such as the Campus Center and the library will receive a higher level of cleaning.
- We have engaged third party cleaning firms to augment our outstanding housekeeping staff.
- All customer service areas are being provided with plexiglass protection.
- Offices and suites will all be provided with cleaning and disinfecting materials. Individuals working in these areas will be responsible for disinfecting surfaces, common areas, shared equipment and high touch surfaces.
- Classrooms and labs have all been measured and surveyed, and layouts have been configured to ensure a minimal 6 feet of distance. Facilities has undertaken a massive effort to move excess furniture to campus storage.
- Teaching will be a hybrid mix, which means a mixture of mask-to-mask (face-to-face) instruction and online instruction. For those faculty members with health concerns, they might teach completely online. It is important to note that students attend St. Mary’s College because they want to have important interactions with faculty, peers and staff. That is why the College is encouraging safe on-campus teaching when possible.
- Student housing has been modified as well.
- We are providing enhanced Wi-Fi capacity in all residence halls and academic and administrative buildings.
- We are working hard to assign students, especially freshmen, staying in traditional residence halls to singles instead of doubling them up.
- If students are doubled up, we are providing adequate distance between beds, instructing them to sleep head to toe.
- Facilities is still looking into providing plastic type barriers between sleeping quarters.
- Students will only have OneCard access to the building they live in.
- Faculty and staff will have access to all dining options and should be aware of the following dining modifications:
- The Great Room will open but with social distancing protocols of no more than six people per table and tables will be 6 feet apart. This reduces the total capacity to 90 patrons.
- Hot and grill selections will be available and all service will be provided by the Bon Appetite staff. There will not be any self-service and Bon Appetite will monitor the flow to keep the number of people below the 90-person limit.
- Grab and Go will be provided in the Great Room, Breakfast Nook and Solomon’s Kitchen (formerly known as the Pub). These three locations will have expanded hours.
- We will provide streamlined late-night and weekend snacks at Solomon’s Kitchen.
- Every day all food and service areas will close for deep cleaning and disinfecting.
- We are in constant and active supervision by the County Health Department.
- We will provide continuous reinforcement of social distancing protocols through signage and directional arrows.
- The fall athletic and club sports schedule has been suspended. Our new athletic director and our coaches are working on safe alternatives to keep our student-athletes engaged and conditioned.
- The ARC will be open to current students, staff, and faculty for limited hours. The public will not be permitted to use the facility. Masks will be required along with the 6 feet of distancing. A daily deep cleaning will be provided by a third-party vendor.
- We have devised quarantine procedures in partnership with our state and local health authorities.
- If students test positive for COVID-19 they will go to a wing in either Queen Ann or in Dorchester for isolation and monitoring.
- The Health Department will oversee this and provide current guidance of how to manage all positive cases.
- If a staff or faculty member tests positive, they should quarantine at home, notify their supervisors, and not return to work until the Health Department permits.
- Contact tracing is coordinated by the Health Department and it will interview affected individuals and reach out for further testing and quarantine recommendations.
- Due to HIPPA Law (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), we are prohibited from releasing the names of positive individuals.
- The Return to On-Campus Work Policy prioritizes keeping everyone safe and preventing the spread of this virus. It may change with directives from the Federal, State and local governments and our Health Department. Currently it covers:
- Use of face coverings
- General health and hygiene requirements
- COVID-19 specific health reporting
- Social distancing rules
- Personal illness expectations
- Travel limitations
- Meetings, events, visitors
Importantly, the policy addresses remote work for staff as follows: All employees who can work remotely, should continue to do so unless it is decided that this is not feasible. Your supervisors will be working with you on this. We are still following the Governor’s guidance. I encourage you to read the actual policy guidance as posted.
Here are some areas that we are still working on:
- We are creating a COVID-19 mandatory training module that addresses the best hygiene practices to prevent the virus. This will be required of all students, faculty and staff. The online module will be posted to the Reopening website soon and I will alert you when that occurs.
- Testing for COVID-19 is strongly encouraged for all prior to returning to the campus. We are still working on the protocols and procedures now and additional information will follow.
- The College FY21 budget is still a work in progress. Students were asked to report whether they intend to return to campus in the fall, stay remote, or even defer a semester. All options have major financial implications. Like most colleges and universities, we heavily rely on money generated from room and board, in addition to tuition and fees. We also have to take into account any cuts by the state.
- Based on the students’ responses to the survey, we will finalize the budget for the FY21 year and get approval from our Board of Trustees. That meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 28.
- We anticipate this year as being financially challenging. The State slashed our previous allocation by over $2 million and the costs involved in safely reopening the campus are significant.
- We also, if you recall, had to return $3.5 million dollars in prorated room and board to students in March because they could no longer live on campus and attend classes in person.
- We have not made any decisions about temporary salary reductions, furloughs or layoffs. We are aware of the possibility that the Governor might mandate some type of salary reductions or furloughs for all state agencies and we will address this if it occurs.
- Student behavior regarding protocols will be something we all will have to work hard on.
- We are working with Student Life to ensure students understand the requirements to socially distance and mask-wearing protocols. We will ask them to commit to a safety compact that asks them to safely follow recommendations to help prevent the virus.
- Enforcement is a real concern. We intend to repeatedly remind students about the safety expectation, including signs posted everywhere.
- Student Life is determining what behaviors will be sanctions and what are the penalties and sanctions for repeat offenders.
In closing, everything we talk about centers around the premise that all of us at St. Mary’s College care deeply for you and are prioritizing your wellbeing to protect you, as well as our faculty and students. We will be reminded many times this year of the St. Mary’s Way---something very unique to our College—and our pledge to uphold it as a community.
Also, always remember that this is a dynamic situation with fluid changes. Flexibility will be our watchword.
Supervisor Guidance
Supervisors are required to comply with the following instructions for protecting the health of their employees and reducing transmission:
- Inform the Office of Human Resources (HR) by sending an email to the AVP of Human Resources when each employee returns to work on campus. The email should include the employee name and the date they will return. In order to track completion of the required training HR should receive this information prior to the employee’s first day of work on campus.
- Conduct meetings electronically, even while working on campus. If meetings cannot be conducted virtually, keep participation to fewer than 10 participants and enforce appropriate physical distancing and wearing of face coverings.
- Encourage those with increased risk of severe illness or over the age of 65 to continue working remotely and avoid gatherings of greater than 10 people, or other situations that potentially increase the likelihood of contracting the virus. Consider multiple options for decreasing the density of your office space(s).
- Encourage those who can work effectively from home to continue to do so.
- Stagger shifts to reduce the number of people in the workplace at the same time.
- Where possible, encourage single occupancy in work rooms.
- Procure sufficient disinfectant products and cleaning supplies so employees can frequently clean their own workspaces. General disinfectants can be obtained through the Physical Plant. Specific products desired by a department should be procured through departmental budgets.
- Ensure that employees and all office visitors and contractors comply with the College’s risk mitigation measures, which are available on the Facilities & Operations web page.
- Report locations or examples of social distancing congestion to the Director of the Physical Plant and the Director of Facilities Planning to assist with identifying potential problem areas.
- Understand and promote the contact tracing protocols of the St. Mary’s County Health Department, which are available in the following “What is Contact Tracing” PDF document. Contact tracing is a tool used by public health workers to stop the spread of disease.
- When someone tests positive for COVID-19, their doctor notifies the Health Department. The Health Department calls the person who tested positive to see who else might have been exposed.
- When the Health Department is contact tracing, they ask where people have been in recent days and the names and contact information of the people they have had close contact with. The individual who tested positive chooses whether or not to give the Health Department permission to reveal their identity to their contacts. The Health Department does not ask for social security numbers, credit cards, or immigration status.
- Once the Health Department knows who else might have been exposed, they contact those people. Everyone contacted by the Health Department is believed to have been in close contact with the individual who tested positive and is asked to self-isolate for at least 10 days to stop the spread of COVID-19. During the self-isolation period, the employee may continue to perform their College responsibilities via telework.
Return to On-Campus Work Policy*
*Approved by the Board of Trustees, July 28, 2020. The Return to On-Campus Work Policy is subject to frequent change with the introduction of additional public health guidelines from local, state, and federal authorities.
Introduction
Purpose
This policy is intended to mitigate the risks of spreading of COVID-19 as employees (faculty, staff, and student employees) begin to return to work on campus. All employees are expected to follow and model compliance with this policy in order to sustain a healthy campus while the community addresses and recovers from the global pandemic. It is important that we all diligently adhere to these health precautions.
This policy is subject to frequent change with the introduction of additional public health guidelines from local, state, and federal authorities. Any policy amendments or updates will be communicated immediately and will take effect as of the date and time of publication. It is expected that this policy, or subsequent versions of it, will be in force through spring semester but may be modified and/or extended at any time.
Audience
This policy applies to all faculty, staff, and student employees who return to work physically on our campus or are planning to do so. The College expects employees who currently work remotely to familiarize themselves with, and abide by, the terms of this policy during any subsequent visit or an eventual return to campus.Policy Implementation
The following conditions apply to all employees instructed to return to campus until otherwise deemed not applicable by the president of the College. Employees knowingly violating any of the requirements of this policy will be subject to disciplinary action and may be removed from campus. In such cases, building access may be restricted or suspended.
Reporting to Campus
- All employees instructed to physically return to campus must complete the mandatory COVID-19 Hygiene Best Practices training prior to returning to campus.
- Employees may physically return to campus if:
- They meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Employees who are deemed essential
- Employees who are identified as research faculty and employees needing to continue their work in on-campus laboratories
- Employees recalled to campus as needed to support preparation for the Campus’s fall 2020 reopening in accordance with approved Task Force recommendations
- Employees recalled to campus when needed on campus to directly support research, instruction, residential living, or other core business functions that cannot be completed remotely
- They are specifically instructed or approved to return to campus, on a continuous or intermittent basis, by unit leadership
- They meet one or more of the following criteria:
- The College and unit leadership are expected to monitor their faculty and staff who return to campus and ensure compliance with return to campus policies.
- Employees may be required to return to remote work at any time and are required to cooperate if directed to do so. In any such situations, unit and College leadership will take appropriate measures to ensure ongoing participation of such employees in their core professional and teaching activities, respectively.
Face Coverings
Per guidance from the state and local health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the use of a face covering can potentially slow the spread of COVID-19 by preventing people who may have the virus but are asymptomatic from transmitting it to others. Therefore,
- All employees must wear face coverings, this includes in buildings, grounds, classrooms, shared laboratory areas, conference rooms, elevators, hallways, etc. Face coverings must cover the mouth and nose at all times, except when eating, or alone in a private room or private vehicle.
- Individuals who cannot wear a protective mask due to a medical issue, like trouble breathing or the inability to remove the cover without assistance, should contact the Office of Human Resources (faculty and staff) or Accessibility Services (students) for accommodations.
- Individuals whose job duties performed while wearing a face covering or mask present a hazard (e.g. caught-in/ entanglement hazards), should speak to their supervisors. The supervisor will advise on whether a face covering, or mask is permissible while performing such work and may determine that additional instruction is needed to ensure the safe use of a face covering or mask while performing work tasks.
General Health and Hygiene Requirements
- All employees shall refrain from visiting campus or facilities whenever they are sick or have symptoms of respiratory illness (see below).
- Employees must follow these health guidelines as part of returning to campus:
- Monitor temperature and health daily at home using the SMCM daily attestation tool through Qualtrics. If experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, or other respiratory illness, do not report to work in person until such symptoms are no longer present and as directed by the St. Mary’s County Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance. The CDC maintains a current list of symptoms associated with COVID-19.
- Wash hands frequently for at least 20 seconds, preferably with soap and warm water, particularly after coming into contact with high-touch surfaces, such as doorknobs, handrails, and commonly used equipment. When soap and warm water are not immediately available, use hand sanitizer containing ethanol (ethyl alcohol) or isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol) not methanol (methyl alcohol) or use sanitizing wipes.
- Cough/sneeze into sleeves, preferably into the elbow. When using a tissue, discard it properly into a wastebasket or plastic bag and clean/sanitize hands immediately.
- Avoid touching your face — particularly your eyes, nose, and mouth — with your hands to prevent infection.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in personal workspaces.
- Prior to leaving work each day, clear work surfaces of paper and other materials to allow for proper cleaning by facilities staff.
- Monitor temperature and health daily at home using the SMCM daily attestation tool through Qualtrics. If experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, or other respiratory illness, do not report to work in person until such symptoms are no longer present and as directed by the St. Mary’s County Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance. The CDC maintains a current list of symptoms associated with COVID-19.
COVID-19 Specific Health Reporting Requirements
- All employees are required to report the following to their department chair/coordinator or supervisor:
- Any positive tests for COVID-19
- Voluntary self-isolation due to a suspected exposure to COVID-19, or the presence of symptoms of respiratory illness
- Testing is available for symptomatic faculty, staff, and students through the Wellness Center during regular business hours (call 240-895-4289 during business hours or 24/7 helpline at 240-895-4200 after hours to arrange). Employees can also coordinate testing through their own health providers or through public health testing facilities.
- In the event of a positive or suspected COVID-19 diagnosis, employees are required to cooperate fully with the College’s self-isolation, contact tracing, and notification protocols, in alignment with St. Mary’s County Public Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- Employee health information reported pursuant to this policy will be shared only with those who need to know to assist with contact tracing requirements.
Social Distancing Rules
- Employees must maintain at least six feet of social distance from others whenever possible.
- All managers and supervisors must develop a plan for facilitating and implementing the social distancing of employees, utilizing resources and guidance provided by the College.
- Managers, supervisors, staff, and faculty are required to follow any capacity and space restrictions outlined by the Fall 2020 Task Force.
- Employees are required to follow any signage or instruction regarding the use of common spaces, hallways, or pathways.
- Employees are expected to report to public safety locations or examples of social distancing congestion to assist with identifying potential problem areas.
Personal Illness
- Employees may not report or return to campus while they are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 (or other respiratory illnesses), such as cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, muscle pain or body aches, headache, or chills.
- Employees who experience these symptoms or receive a positive test result should report their case to the Wellness Center.
- Employees who experience an onset of symptoms while at work must leave campus immediately. Staff should contact their manager and the Office of Human Resources to request leave. Faculty should contact their department chair or coordinator. Students should contact their work supervisors.
- Employees who are unable to work due to personal illness should use available sick time. If an employee’s available sick time has already been exhausted, they should contact the Office of Human Resources to discuss available leave options.
- Employees who are unable to work due to COVID-19 should review the College’s Families First Coronavirus Response Family Medical Leave and Sick Leave Policy. Submission of documentation for leave under the policy and questions regarding the policy should be directed to the Office of Human Resources.
Remote Work
- All employees who can work remotely should continue to do so unless whenever operationally unfeasible.
- Managers should err on the side of flexibility with requests by employees to work remotely. When working remotely, employees are expected to work their regular number of work hours and complete their expected job tasks.
- Managers must allow for the continuation of remote work when an employee (1) can perform the essential functions of the position remotely; and (2) satisfies one or more of the following conditions:
- The employee is at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 because:
- They are 65 years of age or older; or
- They have a serious underlying medical condition as defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Employees seeking to work remotely due to a serious underlying medical condition must submit their request to the Office of Human Resources. Employees are not required or expected to disclose their personal medical conditions to their supervisors/department heads.
- The employee is facing childcare concerns and challenges. Supervisors/department heads must make every effort to be supportive and as reasonably flexible as possible in accommodating the needs of these employees. Supportive measures may include the following:
- Frequent well-being check-ins.
- Temporary modified work schedules.
- Leave-specific accommodations (accrued leave, Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), etc.). Regardless of the approach, supervisors/department heads are asked to ensure the lines of communication to the employee are always open and consistent.
- The employee co-habits with or serves as a primary caregiver for an increased risk individual.
- The employee is at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 because:
- Employees who do not meet the criteria above may still be permitted to work remotely, subject to the individual discretion of their manager (staff) or chair/coordinator or provost’s office (faculty). In making such decisions, managers or chairs/coordinators should partner and consult with the Office of Human Resources or the Office of the Provost. Again, flexibility is strongly encouraged in the current environment.
- Staff and student employees who do not meet the criteria above and have not otherwise been permitted to work remotely, but who still wish not to return to campus, may elect to use accrued personal floating holidays or vacation to cover their time off. Such requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may or may not be approved. In making such decisions, managers should partner and consult with the Office of Human Resources. Faculty who do not wish to return to campus must consult with the Office of the Provost to discuss leave.
- Individuals who are at an increased risk because of a serious underlying medical condition, but are unable to work remotely due to the nature of their position, are encouraged to explore their accommodation options by contacting the Office of Human Resources. The College’s Policy on Non-Retaliation applies to requests for accommodation.
Travel
- Until further notice, no College-sponsored international travel is allowed.
- Until further notice, no College-sponsored domestic travel is allowed, unless it is to states that do not have an active shelter-in-place requirement and the travel is for COVID-19-related research and/or approved by the Provost and Dean of Faculty or Vice President of Business and Finance.
- The College does not regulate the personal travel of employees but will inform faculty and staff about government requirements regarding travel where applicable.
Meetings, Events and Visitors
- Meetings should continue to take place in a virtual setting whenever possible, even when employees are in the office.
- When in-person meetings are essential to business operations, a minimum of 6 feet of distance must be maintained between attendees.
- No events are allowed until further notice. “Events” refer to one-off or recurring programming or social activities primarily targeted towards visitors or larger cross-sections of the campus community. “Events” are not intended to cover internal, unit/department-level meetings.
- All external visitors to campus must comply with the College’s risk mitigation measures. This includes:
- Visiting students enrolled in courses, or prospective students on individual campus visits;
- Visiting faculty teaching courses;
- Visiting scholars, volunteers, researchers, or human research participants;
- Contractors delivering goods or services to campus.
- As a condition for continuous or intermittent access to the campus or facilities, contractors must have their own COVID-19 risk mitigation policies or procedures. Such policies and procedures must be provided to, and receive approval from, the Vice President of Business and Finance prior to their phased return to campus for the delivery of goods and/or services.
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Community Health & Safety
