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Fort Hays State University Phased Plan Toward Fhsu Employee Return and University Re-Opening Phase Two and Current Elements of Phase Three

General Approach

During Phase Two, we continue to work to position Fort Hays State University for the anticipated re-opening of campus to students in the fall. This phase provides the opportunity to continue to gradually and safely expand campus based operations and complete planning and preparations for Phase Three.

 

Guiding Principles

  • Prioritize the health and safety of faculty, staff, and students
  • Protect the mission of FHSU
  • Maintain critical operations and fiscal footing
  • Be mindful of good governance principles
  • Remain nimble and true to FHSU’s innovative culture
  • Comply with any Kansas Board of Regents directives

 

Public Health Considerations

  • Align with federal, state, and local guidelines
  • Comply with state and local requirements
  • Consult best practices among peers and experts (internal and external)

 

PHASE TWO - Begins July 1, 2020

Employees

While remote work is still encouraged, the continued increase of employees working on campus is anticipated. Decisions concerning remote versus on campus work will continue to be made by supervisors after sharing plans and consulting with the appropriate vice president. Staggered scheduling and remote options continue  to be encouraged. Planning should take into consideration the need for preparations for on campus operations in the fall, including implementation of the various protocols and workspace adjustments set forth herein.

  •  Supervisors can continue to utilize the Operational Area Re-Opening template developed by the Critical Incident Policy Group (CIPG) to develop plans. Vice presidents will continue to communicate the approval of plans to supervisors, and employees will continue to receive advance notice of their expected return from supervisors.

General workplace expectations and guidelines. Employees will be expected to practice personal responsibility and comply with the outlined protocols and guidelines set forth herein, as well as those included in the “Toolkit for Returning to the Workplace” provided by Human Resources. Employee health and safety protocols continue.

  • Pre-arrival health assessment – Employees are to perform a self-evaluation, utilizing the Personal Wellness Check form provided on the COVID-19 resources page, and follow the guidelines set forth therein. Employees who are not feeling well must stay home, and are asked to call their health care provider for medical advice, including advice on testing and related matters. Employees are responsible for following and complying with advice and instructions from medical and public health officials, and are reminded that HaysMed has a hotline to call for COVID-19 questions (1-913-588-1600).
  • Use of Face Coverings in the Workspace –
    • Face coverings continue to be strongly recommended and encouraged. Guidance regarding face coverings can be found on the CDC website. The planning and expectation in classrooms, meeting spaces, work spaces, etc. at FHSU is to follow the six feet social distancing guidelines recommended by the CDC. We recognize that there may be occasions when social distancing cannot be maintained. In those instances, face coverings will be expected. We ask that employees and students provide their own, but we will have a supply per department available and made available to those that do not have one. This is a general guideline and expectation that the University has for faculty, staff, and students.
    • As part of this approach, it is recognized that in some situations the proper wearing of a face covering by all in the space can be required by the responsible faculty and supervisors. Any face covering requirement needs to be communicated clearly, for example in a course syllabus and discussion on the first day of class as a classroom expectation for the entire semester. Individual faculty members and supervisors would be responsible for issuing University provided face coverings to those that did not have one and for holding students or others accountable to this rule.
  • Group sizes and social distancing – Employees are urged to continue to avoid gatherings or faceto-face meetings and discussions in favor of tele-meetings and tele-conferences. Employees are responsible for maintaining social distancing (i.e., 6 feet) whenever possible, and during Phase Two supervisors should ensure that office spaces are reconfigured to enable employees to be located at least 6 feet apart whenever possible.
  • Personal responsibility and hygiene – Employees are expected to be knowledgeable of, and comply with, public health guidelines and directives. This includes, but is not limited to, the various guidelines for individuals set forth in the Governor’s re-opening plan. If symptomatic or otherwise not feeling well, or if the employee has been in close contact with someone who is sick, the employee should stay home, except to get medical care, and should avoid high risk individuals. Additional examples of common public health guidance include the following:
    • Wash hands frequently with soap and water, and sanitizer if soap is not available.
    • Consider using gloves as appropriate.
    • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
    • Distance yourself from others when in public.
    • Use cloth masks or face coverings in public.
    • Cover coughs and sneezes into an elbow or tissue. Throw away used tissue and immediately wash your hands.
    • Be cautious about common touchpoints (use elbow, etc.) and clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at least daily, including phones, keyboards, doorknobs, handles and light switches.
  • High-risk populations – Employees that have underlying health conditions – such as asthma, hypertension, diabetes, chronic lung disease, or weakened immunity – that may put them at higher risk if exposed to the virus can work directly with Human Resources on any accommodation requests. For further information and advice concerning potential high risk factors, including age and underlying medical conditions, employees can refer to the CDC website and should consult with their medical providers. Accommodation requests are determined on an individualized basis. HR will use the same process for COVID-19 as it uses for other ADA accommodation requests. Details and forms are available through HR, including its Guidance for At-Risk Faculty and Staff. Forms should be completed as soon as possible so we can ensure employee work is covered appropriately. Per federal guidelines, employees requesting accommodations should be prepared to provide documentation from their medical provider when they apply. If it is the case that a requesting employee is not eligible for an accommodation, HR will work with the employee to determine what options may be available to meet specific needs.

 

Facilities

Enhanced cleaning/sanitizing protocols. Employees will continue to be responsible for disinfecting their own work space during the day, and supplies will be provided for this purpose. Custodial staff will thoroughly clean and disinfect common touch points during their normal assigned schedule, and will thoroughly disinfect offices and restrooms.

Offices and Workspace. Supervisors, directors and department heads remain ultimately responsible for evaluating their physical workspace and workplace environment to implement the measures that rioritize the health and safety of faculty, staff, students, and visitors, including social distancing requirements, physical barriers, reconfigured space, entry/exit flow, signage, etc. Such measures should be included in the planning and consultation between supervisors and the appropriate vicepresidents, and will be subject to further vetting by the Critical Incident Policy Group or designees. Requests for equipment, supplies and workspace redesign should continue to be routed through the appropriate channels within each division.

Building access restrictions. Campus buildings will continue to be locked with public access by appointment only during Phase Two. Access for returning employees will be managed at the department level, based on approved plans. Off campus buildings, and all on campus facilities involved in approved departmental plans for expanded employee, student, or visitor access during Phases One and Two, will continue to operate in accordance with those plans.

 

Travel

University-sponsored travel is not allowed during Phase Two, with the possibility of some exceptions for limited and mission critical travel approved in advance by vice presidents. Employees will continue to be expected to minimize non-essential travel and to follow CDC, KDHE, and local health travel/quarantine guidelines and mandates, including in their personal travel. Employees are responsible for checking the latest guidelines and mandates issued by KDHE, which are posted on the KDHE website.

 

On-Campus Events/Activities

University events and activities continue to be suspended. On campus activities, including most camps, conferences, and performances, continue to be suspended through the end of July. Some day camps or other activities, if part of approved operational area plans, may be allowed during Phase Two. CIPG has developed an Event Planning Guide that can also be utilized for planning events.

 

PHASE THREE - Anticipated to Begin August 1, 2020

Employees and Facilities

While remote working and/or staggered scheduling may continue for some employees, and could be re-implemented more broadly or within certain areas of operation in the event warranted by the local health situation, the current goal is for the vast majority of employees to return to campus based operations and for a full return to routine building access during Phase Three. Doing so will involve continued implementation of the various types of planning processes, health and safety protocols, enhanced cleaning and disinfections practices, and reconfigured workspaces and operational areas referenced above and utilized during Phase One and Phase Two.

 

Travel and on Campus Events/Activities

The University will continue to explore the appropriate travel policies and restrictions for Phase Three, as well as the appropriate approach for a multitude of University-sponsored events and activities, including such major events as Homecoming and Tiger Auction. Event organizers are encouraged to start planning now for various contingencies and health and safety protocols within their programs, and can utilize the Event Planning Guide developed by CIPG.

 

Academic Affairs Plan

The current version of the Academic Affairs reopening plan is accessible here. Key highlights include the following:

Framework
The Academic Affairs plan for Fall 2020 is divided into the following sections:

  • Fall On Campus Course Scheduling
  • Classroom Protocols
  • Hands-On Experiences/Labs/Clinicals/Practicums/Internships
  • China programs
  • Faculty and Staff Support
  • Public/constituent facing services and facilities

 

Fall on-Campus Course Scheduling

Plan for Fall 2020

Courses will be offered three different ways in the fall semester:

  • Total On-Campus (TOC) — any course that must have campus access to complete all learning outcomes and/or cannot be delivered, even in part, via online media
  • Hybrid Course (HC) — any course that will utilize campus access and meeting time to complete or supplement some learning outcomes but uses online media to complete other learning outcomes
  • Total Online (TOL) — any course that will be completed with no campus access or in-person interactions

 

Descriptions:

Total On-Campus (TOC) Courses will be offered in a concentrated eight-week timeframe and must be completed by Friday, October 9th.

Hybrid Courses (HC) will remain scheduled as 16-week courses, and they will be a blended course with both online and on-campus meeting components. If campus access is restricted at any time during the semester, these hybrid courses would move to a total online course (TOL). However, the on-campus element will remain the primary delivery mode for Hybrid courses this academic year, and students taking Hybrid courses will retain access to on-campus resources and services.

Total Online (TOL) courses will be delivered entirely online as 16-week courses (except for those previously scheduled for shorter periods). Students taking TOL courses will retain access to on-campus resources and services.

Exceptions

Some programs will need to be exceptions to almost any proposed model. Many of these concerns or exceptions will need to be addressed by each department, using guidelines articulated in section three of this plan.

 

Classroom Health and Safety Protocols

These recommended protocols would apply to all classrooms, labs, or studios on the FHSU campus and are developed to follow the CDC recommendations for institutions of higher education and are also informed by the American College Health Association. Adherence to and reinforcement of these protocols is important to reduce coronavirus community spread and improve outcomes in the event of active cases. Diagrams of classroom spaces and flow through buildings are available as additions to this plan.

  • Classroom Physical Distancing and Practice – Coordination with Administration and Finance will be essential for this component of the planning.
    • Only students and instructors of any particular class are allowed in the classroom space dedicated to that course section.
    • Classroom seating should be set and maintained for social distancing. Classroom diagrams to assist with this are available upon request.
    • Avoid having students face one another.
    • Breaks should be planned to ensure maintenance of social distancing (i.e. staggered breaktimes, small groups, hand washing after station work).
    • Assigned seats are recommended, to assure proper social distancing, when a class does meet face-to-face.
    • Cleaning of desks, tables, chairs, and doors will be completed after each class meeting. Collaboration with custodial staff will need to take place to better articulate who is responsible for the cleaning protocol after class meetings.
    • Increased surface and facility cleaning should be done with appropriate equipment and materials by learners, resident advisors and/or the environmental services personnel who are specifically trained and protected in all common areas and residential facilities.
    • Planned university signage will assist with hallways, elevators, and stairwells.
    • Use the dedicated entry and exit designated for each classroom and building.
    • Avoid contact with high-touch surfaces (e.g., keep doors open to allow movement without touching knobs when possible and when it does not impact fire and other safety zoning).
    • Restrict as much as possible, limit if necessary, the sharing of materials such as papers, pens, equipment etc. Have enough supplies to minimize the sharing of high-touch materials to the extent possible (art supplies, math manipulatives, science equipment, etc.), or limit the use of supplies and equipment to one group of students at a time and clean and disinfect these items between uses.
    • Avoid sharing electronic devices, books, games, and other learning aids. Students might need their own bin of materials that they use for learning — and these materials will need to be cleaned regularly.
    • Establish and maintain a static seating chart to support contact-tracing efforts, should they
      be needed.
  • Gathering, Personnel Workflow, and Movement Practices
    • Cohorts should be small and consistent. They should not be changed during class, or from
      class meeting to class meeting, to support the goal of reducing the amount of contact
      between people. Seating, lab stations, lockers, breaks, or other rotational activities should
      be by cohort.
  • Use of Face Coverings in Classrooms and Meeting Spaces
    • Face coverings continue to be strongly recommended and encouraged. Guidance regarding face coverings can be found on the CDC website. The planning and expectation in classrooms, meeting spaces, work spaces, etc. at FHSU is to follow the six feet social distancing guidelines recommended by the CDC. We recognize that there may be occasions when social distancing cannot be maintained. In those instances, face coverings will be expected. We ask that employees and students provide their own, but we will have a supply per department available and made available to those that do not have one. This is a general guideline and expectation that the University has for faculty, staff, and students.
    • As part of this approach, it is recognized that in some situations the proper wearing of a face covering by all in the space can be required by the responsible faculty and supervisors. Any face covering requirement needs to be communicated clearly, for example in a course syllabus and discussion on the first day of class as a classroom expectation for the entire semester. Individual faculty members and supervisors would be responsible for issuing University provided face coverings to those that did not have one and for holding students or others accountable to this rule.

 

Hands-on Experiences/Labs/Clinicals/Practicums/Internships

Guidelines for these experiences have been developed for four different fall scenarios: a traditional 16-week semester, a late semester start, a mid-semester interruption, and a fully online option (which is not possible in all labs). Using the FHSU guidelines for classroom and health protocols, departments will work with their students and partners to determine the best path forward and plan for varied scenarios and contingencies.

 

The China Program

The plan for Fall 2020 is to continue with online-only instruction utilizing Blackboard and other learning technologies. Additionally, a decision regarding possible face-to-face teaching options should be made between FHSU and the partner schools by October 1, 2020, for the remainder of the Fall semester.

 

Faculty and Staff Support

Three initiatives are identified as priorities for faculty and staff support: 1) Care teams for faculty and staff; 2) Regularly update and provide additional staff technology training and university processes during remote work; and 3) Utilizing university mentors to assist with faculty in teaching transitions.

 

Public/Constituent-Facing Services and Facilities

Each public/constituent facing service at FHSU has unique space, staffing, and other factors that limit the ability to have a one-size-fits-all plan. For some services and facilities, the fall will be an extension of stages of reopening that begin before the fall semester. Each of the individual plans and the specific dates for each re-opening stage are nuanced for each service/facility. The Academic Affairs leadership team is still working through massive amounts of detail for consideration under Phase Two and Three of the university’s reopening plan, and more information and specifics about the implementation of this plan will be shared as soon as possible.

 

Residential Life Plan

The current version of the Residential Life reopening plan is accessible here. Key highlights include the following:

 

Approach

Fort Hays State University will open the Residence Halls and affiliated dining options to welcome the Tiger nation back to campus for the 2020-2021 academic year. Updates reflected in this plan to housing and on-campus dining operations focus on enhancing student success and mitigating the potential spread of COVID-19, while still providing our students with an engaging on-campus living experience. Trained student staff will be readily available to answer student questions and provide support.

 

On-Campus Housing at a Glance

  • Students will still have the choice to live with their selected roommates/suitemates whenever possible.
  • Residents will occupy Stadium Place and Wooster apartments as normal with minimal adjustments.
  • Occupancy numbers in McMindes Hall will be reduced.
  • Students will still have the choice to live with their selected roommates/suitemates whenever possible.
  • Assignments may be adjusted to other floors or buildings to reduce the number of students using community restrooms.
  • Furniture in double occupancy rooms will be arranged before move-in placing the beds approximately six feet apart.
  • Move-in dates and processes will be modified to reduce the number of people gathered in our buildings at the same time.

Students who have submitted housing contracts will be housed under the new plan. The Office of Residential Life will notify students with contracts later in June regarding assignment confirmations or potential changes to their housing assignments. Additionally, throughout the summer students will receive information about updated terms, policies, and behavior expectations related to COVID-19.

 

Dining at a Glance

Details regarding modifications to dining operations will be sent to students later this summer. In order to accommodate social distancing requirements, there will be a decrease in available seating in the McMindes Café.

 

Contingency Planning

This plan focuses on providing a positive on-campus experience while adhering to local, state, and federal health protocols. Contingency plans are in place in the event circumstances require the university to introduce additional health and safety measures. We will continue to monitor and respond to new guidelines and recommendations from appropriate authorities.

  • Similar to the Spring Semester, if move-outs are required, prorated refunds will be provided to students.
  • Housing will continue to be available for any students whose circumstances require them to remain on campus.
  • We have reserved spaces for quarantine or isolation needs.

Details and updates will continue to be provided directly to students throughout the summer via their FHSU email accounts.

 

The Path Forward

Many details of these and other plans continue to be developed. Critical exploration and planning continues at various levels of the University, and in consultation with our state and local partners and officials. Work on important matters like testing and contact tracing, and the further development of policies, procedures, protocols, guidelines, and/or guidance material, will continue, with additional details to be provided in the coming weeks.

Moving forward, students, faculty, staff, and guests on campus should be prepared to continue implementing various health and safety protocols and measures set forth herein. It will be important for everyone to acknowledge the ongoing risks associated with the pandemic and the need for everyone to make the individual choice to protect themselves and others, remain diligent in social distancing, basic precautions like washing hands, covering coughs, and staying home when ill, and being personally responsible for following and understanding guidance provided by the CDC, KDHE, and ECHD.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a very complex, dangerous, and fluid global health crisis that continues to evolve in very rapid and unpredictable ways. All information on these pages is subject to change as deemed necessary by university leadership in accordance with guidance and recommendations issued by federal, state and local public health and government officials.

More information about the university’s COVID-19 response and planning efforts may be found on the university’s COVID-19 Response website.