The State System of Higher Education will move forward with preparations for students to return to their campuses for the fall semester, but there is a lot of work to do in order for that to happen.
The Board of Governors yesterday approved a framework that the fourteen universities will follow as each develops its fall plan for in-person classes.
Chancellor Dan Greenstein said it is important that each school come up with its own plan because all of them have unique circumstances.
The board discussed a number of questions that are sure to crop up, such as liability should someone get sick or die from Covid-19, the health and safety of at-risk individuals and those who have vulnerable people at home, the availability of on-campus testing, and the financial stakes should students not get back to campus.
Here are the key aspects of the framework each university’s plan must adhere:
- Expectations for students, faculty, and staff with respect of their roles in helping to mitigate health and safety risks;
- Curtailment of institutionally sponsored travel unless deemed essential;
- Support for employee readiness for engagement in telework including remote instruction if needed;
- Standardized processes for meeting requests from employees for flexible work arrangements;
- Steps to be taken in the event of a confirmed case of COVID-19; and
- Circumstances requiring a university to curtail or suspend face-to-face instruction independently of any action taken by a local, state or federal government agency.
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