Dear Doane Faculty;
As we prepare for classes to start next week, we wanted to follow-up on the July 23 email (included below) with additional information and recommendations.
Doane University Fall 2020 Operations Plans, Policies, and Procedures
Please take some time to review the operations guide shared by University Communications on Aug 10. It offers guidance on our plans for returning to campus.
Recording of Class Sessions
You are NOT required to record your class session (Zoom or other approach). This is potentially one strategy to support students who cannot attend class, but it is not required. Unless you are notified by the Office of Disability Services to accommodate a student, you are welcome to explore other alternatives to support your students. As described in the July 23 email, the expectation is that faculty have plans in place to accommodate any student who cannot attend class. It is best practice that we provide equal access to the information being provided in class for students who are and are not there (i.e., someone who has tested positive for COVID or is ill). That access to information can take many forms like a recording, a transcript, or annotated faculty notes/slides etc. Doane faculty have a long tradition of supporting student-athletes, music and working students who often have absences, and have developed methods that do not rely solely on the recording of classes.
Cleaning Protocols
All public areas will be cleaned and disinfected by the Custodial Services team multiple times per day during periods of use (including weekends if public areas are used). Because of COVID-19, the predominant amount of custodial time will be focused on disinfecting high-touch surfaces manually or by machine spray in all entrances, hallways, elevators, restrooms, classrooms, central office areas, and common spaces such as lounges, dining spaces, athletic facilities, and the library.
There will be a disinfectant spray bottle and paper towels in each classroom. Similar to the “gym model” of wiping down the equipment you use, it will be expected of faculty to sanitize touched areas. Students should be asked to sanitize areas they have touched.
Drinking Fountains
Drinking fountains that have water bottle filling stations will be available for use throughout campuses.
Classroom Mask Policy
As described in the operations guide, masks are required in the classroom space. To support this, a mask policy has been added to the online syllabus addendum. The online syllabus addendum should be referenced on all Doane syllabi.
Please note that last week Doane enhanced the Universal Face Covering policy to require masks in all campus buildings. Details were emailed and are also in the operations guide. When outdoors, it is not required if you can have social distancing. If you are walking with students or colleagues across campus, you should wear a mask unless you are physically separated. We need to be a role model for our students. Additional guidance on what is an acceptable mask will be shared by Human Resources.
Should you have a student attend class without a mask, you are encouraged to speak to the student in private. It is likely you will have some students without masks because of an accommodation. In these cases, the students must have an exemption from the Office of Disability Services (Anita Harkins: anita.harkins@doane.edu or Diane Kaye: diane.kaye@doane.edu). As with other accommodation plans, you will be notified by the Office of Disability Services if a student in your class has an accommodation to not wear a mask. Due to confidentiality, students do not need to inform you of the specific reason for their exemption.
If a student who cannot produce evidence of an exemption turns belligerent, or simply refuses to wear a mask, excuse them from class and report them. On the Crete campus, contact Judicial Affairs at this weblink https://bit.ly/DoaneMask. On the non-residential campuses, report the student to the campus director or the respective program director. Faculty should use their discretion to maintain the educational rights of all the students and may, if needed, cancel class if a student refuses to wear a mask.
Notification Process if a Student has COVID-19
If a student on the Crete campus is diagnosed with COVID-19, they will notify Nurse Kelly. If you are the instructor of such a student, you will be notified by Student Health or Academic Affairs that the student has been excused for medical reasons. On the non-residential campuses, the student will notify their faculty member and the faculty member will notify their respective campus director or program director.
Due to privacy and HIPAA, we are unable to disclose details on why the student is being excused. Just because a student in your class tests positive, that does not warrant the class to be moved to an online modality. Those who may have been directly exposed (been with the person for 15 or more minutes, without masks and less than 6 feet distance) to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will be notified by the student health office, HR and/or the local health department that they may have been exposed and will be provided appropriate guidance.
Attendance and Seating Charts
To aid in potential contact tracing, all faculty are strongly encouraged to keep attendance throughout the semester/term and establish a seating chart.
Plans if a Campus Location Closes
Conditions at all campus locations will continually be monitored during the fall. If Doane makes the decision to go virtual at a campus location, the assessment will include if it is for a limited period (e.g., for a two week period) or for the remainder of the semester/term. If the Crete campus were to completely close for the remainder of the semester, we would encourage students to leave the Crete dormitories and would accommodate those that had no other housing options. We would also evaluate whether to refund some of the students’ housing costs.
Thank you for your collective efforts to help students return safely to our campus locations.
Lorie Cook-Benjamin and Pedro Maligo, Co-chairs of the Academic Operations/Support Working Group
Paul Savory, Provost