WORKING LIST OF ISSUES RELATED TO COVID-19 ACROSS MISSOURI
I. Health and Safety
Mask policy and policing
PPE requirements for clinicals
Face Shields
Social distancing in classrooms
Offices
Common areas
Libraries
Testing – what type and how often
Required?
Testing availability
Testing frequency
Who is subject to required testing
What about asymptomatic people
What happens if someone tests positive?
What are arrangements for sanitizing spaces – who does it and how often
Mental health issues
What should a person do if they think they may have been exposed but are
asymptomatic
II. Teaching and Curriculum
Class size
Teaching modalities
Do faculty have choices?
Availability of technology required to go online both for students and faculty
Use of non-teaching spaces
Effects on workload, eg. A/b scheduling
Policies regarding Zoom behavior and etiquette, attendance, etc
Intellectual Property rights
What happens if a faculty member becomes seriously ill – whose responsibility is it
to cover the courses
III. Financial
Contract changes
Program review, possible cuts and/or elimination
Contingent faculty
Conflation of COVID related costs with general financial crises
Pay cuts and other benefit cuts
Are administrators taking any such cuts
IV. Governance
Maintaining usual patterns of decision making
Who exactly determines when or if an institution moves to and then from online
only
Accountability regarding maintaining safety and sanitary conditions
Changes in curricula or its delivery and effects on various disciplines must involves
faculty first and foremost
Use of Ad Hoc committees by upper admin to make important decisions
V. Legal
Waivers
To whom does one report if they test positive.
What are the rights of those who do test positive
What are the rights of faculty to know that someone is positive
ADA issues for those who may require long term recovery
FML policies for those taking care of loved ones or for those who are ill – COVID may
last significantly longer than the legal requirements for paid leave
Faculty handbooks/manuals
VI. Other
Childcare for those with children whose schools have moved to online only
Student activities both on and off campus
CDC GUIDELINES FOR UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES
This is a highly informative and comprehensive set of recommendations directly tailored to higher education.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/colleges-universities/considerations.html
“Guiding Principles to Keep in Mind
The more an individual interacts with others, and the longer that interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread. The risk of COVID-19 spread increases in IHE non-residential and residential (i.e., on-campus housing) settings as follows:
IHE General Settings [IHE = Institutions of Higher Education]
- Lowest Risk: Faculty and students engage in virtual-only learning options, activities, and events.
- More Risk: Small in-person classes, activities, and events. Individuals remain spaced at least 6 feet apart and do not share objects (e.g., hybrid virtual and in-person class structures or staggered/rotated scheduling to accommodate smaller class sizes).
- Highest Risk: Full-sized in-person classes, activities, and events. Students are not spaced apart, share classroom materials or supplies, and mix between classes and activities.
IHE On-Campus Housing Settings
- Lowest Risk: Residence halls are closed, where feasible.
- More Risk: Residence halls are open at lower capacity and shared spaces are closed (e.g., kitchens, common areas).
- Highest Risk: Residence halls are open at full capacity including shared spaces (e.g., kitchens, common areas).”
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/colleges-universities/considerations.html
Cleveland Clinic Guidelines
The Cleveland Clinic has developed guidelines for a range of workplaces, including education. They have a brief booklet, the final pages of which are the most useful.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/-/scassets/files/org/employer-solutions/covid-19-education-guide.ashx
OSHA Guidelines
https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA4045.pdf
ACHA Guidelines
https://www.acha.org/documents/resources/guidelines/ACHA_Preparing_for_COVID-19_March-3-2020.pdf
American Council on Education Policy Statements
https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Statement-Acceptance-of-Credit-Principles-041620.pdf
Ithaka S&R Findings from Ongoing Analysis of 57 Universities and Colleges
MOAAAUP — DEFENDING ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND SHARED GOVERNANCE ACROSS MISSOURI