June 29, 2020 - Campuswide Email Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff, I write with what will be my final CV-19 Campus Update as president on our continuing efforts to provide a meaningful Centre experience in the face of the global pandemic. My first message, a statement on the coronavirus outbreak, was sent on February 3, and over the last five months we have documented almost weekly the work being done to assure the health and safety of all members of our campus community as we finished our spring term and then started planning for the fall. Each and every day has been challenging, to be sure, but it is gratifying to look back on all that we have accomplished together. Our success should appro- priately provide confidence as we look ahead. As I pass the baton to Milton Moreland at the end of the day tomorrow, I remain confident that we are in good hands to continue our path forward. He comes to Centre not only with signifi- cant experience dealing with COVID-19 as provost of Rhodes College but also with an under- standing of our efforts through his substantial involvement with our task force and the senior staff over the last many weeks. I would add that he has also been involved in key conversations with our Board of Trustees, including a listening session with our trustees this past Friday involving our senior staff. Dr. Moreland’s first official Zoom meetings with faculty and staff are being scheduled for Thurs- day and Friday, July 9 and 10, when the information included in this campus update (and what will continue to follow) can be addressed by him and the many others closely involved in our efforts. In closing, I would wish there was a bigger, stronger, more emphatic expression than “thank you.” Susie and I remain grateful beyond words for what has been the privilege of our lives to serve Centre for these past 22 years. For this and more, we express our deep appreciation for all that we – together with all of you – have accomplished during our time. What an opportuni- ty. What an adventure. My best, John – P. Roush
Transcript
June 29, 2020 - Campuswide Email
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff, I write with what will be my final CV-19 Campus Update as president on our continuing efforts to provide a meaningful Centre experience in the face of the global pandemic. My first message, a statement on the coronavirus outbreak, was sent on February 3, and over the last five months we have documented almost weekly the work being done to assure the health and safety of all members of our campus community as we finished our spring term and then started planning for the fall. Each and every day has been challenging, to be sure, but it is gratifying to look back on all that we have accomplished together. Our success should appro-priately provide confidence as we look ahead. As I pass the baton to Milton Moreland at the end of the day tomorrow, I remain confident that we are in good hands to continue our path forward. He comes to Centre not only with signifi-cant experience dealing with COVID-19 as provost of Rhodes College but also with an under-standing of our efforts through his substantial involvement with our task force and the senior staff over the last many weeks. I would add that he has also been involved in key conversations with our Board of Trustees, including a listening session with our trustees this past Friday involving our senior staff. Dr. Moreland’s first official Zoom meetings with faculty and staff are being scheduled for Thurs-day and Friday, July 9 and 10, when the information included in this campus update (and what will continue to follow) can be addressed by him and the many others closely involved in our efforts. In closing, I would wish there was a bigger, stronger, more emphatic expression than “thank you.” Susie and I remain grateful beyond words for what has been the privilege of our lives to serve Centre for these past 22 years. For this and more, we express our deep appreciation for all that we – together with all of you – have accomplished during our time. What an opportuni-ty. What an adventure. My best, John – P. Roush
Status Report #11 COVID-19 Crisis Management Task Force
June 29, 2020
Scenario Planning for Fall 2020
The Start of our Decision-Making Stage for Reopening Over the past four months, we have moved from reacting to an unfamiliar crisis, researching and learning from scenario planning, and into planning and action. With these steps complete, and as we look ahead to the fall, we have reformatted the COVID-19 Crisis Management Task Force meetings to focus on our reopening, with a substantial emphasis on issues of health and safety, facilities, equipment, academics, and student life. As part of this current stage, we have:
• Created executive summaries of the scenario planning subcommittee work to date, with a focus on decisions made and decisions needed
• Started developing and adapting policies, procedures, and protocols • Designated the role of building manager, with teams to focus on the specific needs
of each building, creating building guidelines, signage, protocols, etc. • Begun reviewing all space utilization, including looking at short-term solutions • Developed Enterprise Risk Management practice runs
Our new policies, procedures, and protocols are being developed on a rolling basis, and the focus of this update is to share what decisions have been made over the last several weeks. Some of these decisions are cross-functional (with the responsible staff person or office listed in parenthesis), while others are specific to a particular program, department, or office. Cross-functional Decisions and Actions
• We will require masks (students, staff/faculty, visitors, and vendors) o Specific written protocols for individuals visiting students (Randy Hays) o Protocols for vendors (Wayne King) o We are ordering masks for those who might not have them and for those
that may have forgotten to bring with them to campus • We will require testing
o An athletics protocol will be developed (Brad Fields) o Students will be required to test before they return or when they return o Faculty/Staff to be tested in August
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• We will require training (Human Resources) • We will conduct contact tracing • Plexiglas shields will be required for all public facing desks and spaces • We will limit events and the size of events
o Norton Center o Athletics o Faculty/Staff meetings will plan to use Zoom and/or Microsoft Teams for
the fall • We will limit travel to business essential only. • A general design process is underway for required signage, which will be
supplemented along the way with more area-specific signs • Building managers will be assigned to develop specific guidelines for each building
based on broader guidelines developed by the Health and Safety Subcommittee • Students will be housed and meals provided for all students, following policies and
procedures being developed • We will have fall sports programs, and these will occur under guidelines from our
leagues and based on Centre’s specific requirements • We will have written policies, procedures, protocols, and guidelines as needed
Open Decisions and Actions
• Still need to determine a total amount for and storage of masks, face shields, and other PPE; note that we have ordered some clear masks
• Finalize a Space Utilization Plan and room repurposing to maximize the number of classrooms (Gary Bugg, Wayne King, and Ellen Goldey)
• Resources have been identified and are being prioritized to determine budgets associated with health and safety for all areas
• Investments in recruiting and retention are still required and need to be reviewed and funded
• Pay and benefit actions beyond what has been announced are being documented Draft Policies and Guidelines Remaining Staff and faculty listed below will be preparing drafts by July 7 to be shared with the COVID-19 Crisis Management Task Force on July 9, with the person whose name is underlined overseeing the respective effort:
• Campus Visitors Policy (Pam Baughman, Gary Bugg, Audrey Clark, Jamey Gay, Michael Lavin)
• Health Guidelines for Return to Campus, Healthy@Centre (Kathe Andrews, Jamey Gay, Kathy Jones, Cheryl Mayes, Peggy Richey)
o Mask requirements o General Symptom Monitoring
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o Testing Policy and Procedures o Social Distancing
• Social Contract for students and others in the campus community (Kendrick Durham, Randy Hays, Kathy Jones)
• Building safety protocols and training (Audrey Clark, Kay Drake, Kendrick Durham, Carrie Frey, Cheryl Mayes, Peggy Kelley,)
o Building manager job duties o Training (Kay for faculty and staff; and Kendrick for students) o Policy for cleaning and sanitizing
• College-Sponsored Travel Policies and Procedures (Kay Drake, Brad Fields, Ellen Goldey, Lori Hartmann, Jamey Leahey, Bob Nesmith)
• Remote Worker Status Policy (Kay Drake and Ellen Goldey) o Policies for allowing faculty and staff to work remotely
• Collection of health data, data privacy, and data usage policies and procedures (Kathe Andrews and Andy Ryan)
• Quarantine and isolation policy (Kathe Andrews, Kathy Jones, Jamey Gay) • Classroom set-up and space management (Gary Bugg and Alex McAllister)
Athletics Below is a list, as of late-June, of major decisions needed within athletics organized by their subsequent deadlines. Decisions needed by July 1:
• Establishing preseason start dates for fall sports: football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, volleyball, cross country, field hockey, and cheerleading
• Bus team travel: If masked, are we okay with sitting two to a seat on road trips, or do we have to go one per seat, marking a significant increase in cost?
• Hotel team stays: Are we okay with student-athletes three to a room, or do we have to reduce to one or two per room, marking a significant increase in cost?
• Set an opening date for campus community and general public use of the Buck Fitness Center, Boles Natatorium, Seabury Family Tennis Center, and the remainder of Sutcliffe Hall
Decisions needed by July 7:
• Determination of fall sports (plus golf and tennis) schedules and if non-conference games are allowed to occur, including scrimmages
• Will flights be allowed for team travel in fall 2020? What about spring 2021? Decisions needed by July 15:
• Is Hazelrigg off-line for athletics and recreation through fall 2020 and maybe beyond into the rest of the 2020-2021 year?
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• Testing of student-athletes: Who is paying for it? How often will it be done? • Class miss policy discussion between athletics and academics, establishing new
guardrails for the fall 2020 semester • Determination of additional times outside the 4-7 p.m. block that can be used
consistently for team practices due to COVID-19 requirements of spacing • Will we allow spectators of any kind at athletic events (and if so, what is the
priority order, capacity limits, how are pass lists / visitors handled, etc.?) Center for Global Citizenship (CGC) CGC is watching closely the health and safety situation in our study abroad and away destinations in addition to global travel restrictions. Moreover, we are in touch with partners (exchange and third-party providers) and professional organizations as we consider the potential for study abroad and away in the 2020-2021 academic year. We have more control and flexibility with our three Centre College programs (Merida, Mexico; Strasbourg, France; and London, England) than we do with exchanges and third-party providers, so our own programs have a better chance of going. We remain fully aware of the Centre Commitment that includes a study abroad experience, which is a factor in our decision-making. With regard to our inbound students (international students), Jessica Leonard is working with colleagues in Admission and Student Life to respond to their needs, whether they are seeking visas or other travel documents, staying on-campus during the summer, or in the case that they would need emergency housing if we sent students home in the fall. Jessica is also in contact with current and incoming international students. CGC staff are working together in managing our exchange agreements. Decisions already made:
• Cancelation or postponement of nine of our 12 fall 2020 study abroad and away programs (Shanghai, China; Akita, Japan; Reading, UK; Northern Ireland, UK; Marista, Mexico; Nantes, France; Bhutan; Washington, DC; and New York City)
• In each case, we have met with students as a group and offered them options (spring 2021 or the 2021-2022 academic year); Karen Ryan and Lori Hartmann have been advising students as they make decisions about alternatives
• We have advised all students who are scheduled to be abroad in the fall to register for classes on campus and to participate in the housing room draw process at Centre
• We have re-written our health form and liability form to make them more specific and robust, and to include specific reference to COVID19; we have also made it clearer that by signing the liability form the student/parent is willing to assume some risk
• In the case that we do send students abroad in the fall, we will add a pre-departure meeting with parents to discuss potential risks and how we are mitigating those
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risks, and we anticipate adding this meeting to ALL future study abroad pre-departure schedules.
Decisions in-process:
• Status of the fall programs in Merida, Mexico; Strasbourg, France; and Yamaguchi, Japan will be made by July 15.
• Lori is meeting with all faculty directors of our CentreTerm 2021 courses abroad (12 in total) in order to discuss the feasibility of those courses.
o The CGC and faculty directors will communicate with all students scheduled to go abroad during CentreTerm about those decisions by July 1.
o If we decide to cancel a CT2021 course, faculty directors will decide whether to postpone to the summer, to CT2022, or to cancel outright.
• We continue to be in touch with our partners as we plan for the spring of 2021 and for next year
o Each exchange partnership or third-party provider program is different in terms of courses offered, calendar, interchangeability of fall and spring, etc.
o We will make decisions about the spring semester-long programs by mid-October.
Decisions that need to be made in the future:
• We may need to re-imagine study abroad and away so that it has a virtual component or is more flexible in terms of mobility
o Karen and Lori are attending webinars given by our professional organizations and we remain in touch with third-party providers that have examples of these options
• We are re-working our emergency protocols so that we can respond more effectively to crises and sudden changes in our study abroad and away programs
Triggers for decision-making:
• As long as there is a Level 3 CDC travel warning and a Level 4 U.S. State Department travel warning (no non-essential travel), we cannot send students abroad
• If our insurance company, EIIA, will not cover our students, then we cannot send them abroad
• Washington, DC is feasible since domestic travel restrictions are being lifted, but we would have to monitor the COVID-19 situation carefully in that city
o Factors such as monument and museum access, opening of offices and other public places, and whether or not our housing partner adheres to a high level of health, safety, and cleaning requirements will figure into that decision-making process
o We will also collaborate closely with our partner for the Washington, DC program, Butler University
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• When we do feel that it is safe enough to send students abroad, we will have to identify triggers that would push us to make the decision to bring students home.
o Certainly, a heightened travel advisory would be such a trigger; however, we need guidance in how to respond if a student(s) falls sick or tests positive for COVID-19
o We are identifying clinics and hospitals in the locations of our programs, and we are securing quarantine areas; the protocol will vary according to location.
As a final note, the Health and Safety Subcommittee asked an important question of us: How can we ensure that health and safety protocols are being followed in our abroad locations? The answer is that students will be responsible for following the protocol that is in-place at the location. In other words, we cannot enforce Centre College guidelines abroad. However, in many cases, abroad locations have more strict guidelines than we have in Danville, Kentucky. Moreover, with Centre’s own programs, we can enforce a high level of adherence to strict protocols. Our faculty directors and coordinators in Strasbourg and Merida are already working on that. We will monitor and limit students’ travel (either faculty-led or students’ independent travel) according to global safety and travel guidelines. Residential Life and Student Engagement Decisions made:
• Residence halls will be open this fall and will include double rooms • Community bathrooms will be cleaned and sanitized daily • Common spaces will be set up to follow appropriate social distance guidelines • Other spaces across campus will be set up for social distance expectations as well • In Cowan, the servery will be expanded into the current dining hall (table and
chairs area) to allow all members of the community to be able to be fed during “normal” dining hours; students will be assigned a time to eat lunch due to the limited block of time for that specific meal
• Orientation events will also be appropriately socially distanced, utilizing some online sessions and small group work
Pending decisions:
• Community bathrooms: Are there any other steps we should take to maximize their safety?
• Will communal spaces like kitchens and lobbies be open? If so, we must figure maximum capacity and post signage.
• Is there advice we should be giving roommates (especially thinking of those who
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may not know/like/trust each other)? CDC mentions flexible plastic between beds. Is this a good idea?
• How will meal times for lunch be assigned? • Until we know more about the number of people who will be allowed to assemble
for “public” gatherings, our planning for Orientation and other large event gatherings is limited to online sessions and small group work. Thus, we are continuing to work with contingency plans, but this unknown could change things dramatically.
Pay and Benefits Decision and actions taken:
• Communicated opportunity for voluntary furlough, with a deadline of June 26; will let people know no later than July 15
o Need to track savings • Communicated opportunity for voluntary retirement, with a deadline of June 26;
will let people know no later than July 15 o Need to track savings and determine which positions must be back filled
and which ones will be left open • Review any open positions (vacancies) on the list after July 1 to determine if they
are to be filled or left vacant o Will need to determine next date of review and track savings from these
vacancies • By August 20 (?) assess what the fall budget is looking like based on class
enrollment, retention of current students, and room and board revenue or shortfall o We will need to make a determination if we have enough information at that
point in time to move to any other levers o If so, make assessment on what/how many levers need to be pulled and
communicate first to senior staff, then to campus by “x” date to be effective “y”; these levers could include reduce retirement contribution, involuntary furloughs, or layoffs.
• For any initiative taken, the subcommittee will need to develop program guidelines, FAQs, and communications; plans would be to work on the involuntary furloughs and layoff documents immediately and create a process for senior staff members to evaluate their teams.
The subcommittee is continuing to recommend the College’s measured response be rolled out in “waves” or “phases” using different options over time as required. This phased approach is an attempt to balance the College’s need for agility to counter the pandemic’s impact, while trying to not react too severely too soon. The subcommittee will next closely monitor the results of those initial actions and determine what additional actions may be required. If, as some forecast, this pandemic’s impact is going to be longer term, the subcommittee recognizes the potential of creating irreparable harm to Centre’s cultural health by “a death of a thousand cuts” and will strive
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to avoid that. Facilities Management and Cleaning Protocols Custodians will continue to conduct regular cleaning, using disinfectant cleaners for all surfaces. In addition to the regular cleaning routine, all high-contact surfaces not already included in the regular cleaning routine should be cleaned with disinfectant daily. These types of surfaces include, but are not limited to, handles, doorknobs (both sides of doors), panic bars/push plates, counters, light switches, desks, chairs, tables, control pads/keypads, card swipes, etc. For example, high-contact surfaces to be disinfected daily would include:
• Entrances to Buildings: Wipe down door handles (on both sides), panic bars, door opener push-plates, card swipes, elevator buttons, etc.
• Bathrooms: Wipe down light switches, faucets, counters, door handles (both sides of doors), stall latches, toilet handles, toilet seats, etc.
• Meeting Rooms: Wipe down any tables, chairs, counters, desks, keyboard, mouse, light switches, door handles (both sides of door), etc.
• Classrooms: Wipe down same as above, plus any other high-touch items or surfaces in the room
• Study Areas: Wipe down same as above, plus any other high-touch items or surfaces in the room
• Lounges and other public spaces: Wipe down same as above, plus side tables, lamp switches, remote controls, vinyl furniture, refrigerator and microwave handles, vending machine control pads, lightly mist soft surfaces such as couches and chairs, etc.
• Library: Same as above, plus circulation desk, study booth, vinyl seating, study tables & chairs, finely mist soft-surface seating, etc.
• Laundry rooms: Wipe down washer/dryer controls, handles, folding tables, counters, etc.
• Locker rooms: Disinfect all surfaces, handles, counters, bench tops, etc. o Clean using a cloth damp with disinfectant; leave the disinfectant to dry on
the surface; do not use spray disinfectant or use heavily saturated cloths on switches, keyboards, or other electronic equipment (lightly damp cloth)
o Place a spray bottle of ready-to-use disinfectant and roll of paper towels for use by occupants throughout the day in areas such as meeting rooms, classrooms, study areas, library spaces, public lounges, and laundry rooms.
o Provide disinfecting wipes to receptionists and office coordinators as office staff returns to campus to wipe down shared printer/copier keypads, doorknobs, light switches and other high-contact surfaces as needed.
o Two sprayers and additional disinfectant has been ordered for use in quarantine/isolation areas or areas that were occupied by known positive individuals.
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Additional staff or contractors may or may not be hired to assist with cleaning. We are in the process of fielding potential contractors for cleaning and sanitizing options in addition to cleaning performed by custodial staff listed above. Custodial groups may be split between buildings to make sure all buildings are cleaned daily (where “skip cleaning” is an issue). If/when that is finalized, it will be added to this list. Information Technology Services (ITS) The following technology-related action items are intended to support student learning.
• Action Item 1: Purchase video cameras for classrooms o ITS purchase(d) 60 webcams, 40 wall mounts, 20 tripods, and assorted
cables o Remaining webcams (~35) will be purchased after Faculty Survey
• Action Item 2: Recommend purchase of additional 35 laptops for faculty use to support dual system configuration in classrooms.
o Number is based upon faculty with desktop systems (Mac and PC) o Post-COVID, systems could be used to reduce next year’s technology
refresh, go into general laptop pool, or build out an additional laptop cart • Action Item 3: To follow approved use of COVID tracker for on-site personnel
effective June 29, 2020 • Action Item 4: To follow approval of bookable, outside study areas.
o In addition to tents (see item 5 below), there are several areas we could consider using, such as the seating areas outside Northside and Pearl, and there is also a Gazebo behind Greek row. All could be added as bookable areas, along with the two existing areas we have outside Young. If we used all of these, we would have 12 bookable areas.
• Action Item 5: Technology needs to follow approval of tent locations for outdoor study
o Criteria avoided use of athletics fields, parking lots, or sloped areas; no technology will be provided with the tent, although some areas are within external WIFI areas
o Recommended tent size is 20’x30’ to accommodate 25-30 people, which equates to 600 square feet of space under the canvas; since this will be a good-weather-only option, it shouldn’t be an issue if people spread out
o Seven areas have been identified for tents (see below)
