To all Faculty and Staff,
I want to thank you for your continued dedication and resilience as we’ve worked together over the past year navigating the challenges of COVID-19. Your commitment, ingenuity, and focus have been exemplary.
As we head into the summer, I hope you will find some time to rest and recharge. I am pleased to share that, in recognition and appreciation of your incredible efforts, Friday, July 2 will be a University holiday. Summer courses scheduled on this day, as well as fall registration, will be proceeding as planned. Employees who need to work on this day to ensure our continued operations should discuss an alternative date off with their managers. Specifically, to our colleagues in 24/7 operations who are required to be here to ensure the security of our campus and keep our buildings and their systems operational, we thank you, we acknowledge you, and we will ensure that you each will have an opportunity to take the day off at another time.
I know you all have questions about what the fall will look like. What follows is an update on our plans for how and when we will all return to campus.
Employee Return to Campus
For the many faculty who have been undertaking research on campus or who have been teaching face-to-face on campus, as well as essential workers, this fall will be to a large extent a continuation of the practices they have been following throughout the pandemic. We are grateful to this group for their commitment and on-campus presence throughout these challenging times. We have learned a great deal about operating safely through their daily engagement on campus, and these lessons are being put to good use as we move forward.
As you are aware, since last spring, teams from across campus, involving students, faculty, and staff, have been developing and implementing safe and thoughtful protocols to guide our safe return to campus. Currently the Action Group for Fall Return is guiding the implementation of the gradual and measured return of faculty, staff and students for the fall 2021 semester.
Health and safety remain our number one priority.
We are optimistic for the fall, and our decision-making and actions will always be guided by public health authorities to ensure the health and safety of our campus community.
Using a multi-faceted approach our robust safety plan includes social distancing, wearing masks and other PPE indoors, mandatory daily COVID-19 self-assessment screening through the Safe Lancer app, and the installation of QR code scanners, which will be used in combination with the Safe Lancer app in facilities across campus to facilitate contact tracing. Additionally, each department has undergone evaluations for capacity, zone and flow, and adaptations to workstations. Hand sanitizer stations have been installed across campus, and installation of barriers and other physical mitigations is continuing. You can learn more about some of these initiatives
here.
Departmental Safety Plan Checklists will be completed before employees return to their offices.
- The Health and Safety Office has formulated a campus-wide COVID-19 Safety Plan consistent with all health authority guidelines, that will form the basis for how all of us will operate on campus once we return.
- The Health and Safety Office will be rolling out – by the week of June 21 - a COVID-19 Safety Plan Checklist for department heads and managers that will help to streamline planning for specific needs and protocols in their areas. These Checklists must be completed by department heads/managers and shared with faculty/staff prior to them returning to campus as they will describe the actions to be taken to ensure everyone’s safety. If a unit already has an approved safety plan, Health and Safety will reach out to you, and any further changes will be completed through the more streamlined Safety Plan Checklist process.
- Once completed these Checklists will be reviewed and approved by Health & Safety and the Vice Presidents overseeing each respective department.
- These Checklists are presently being tested by a number of offices to ensure their clarity and usability. It is our goal that the process of completing the checklist be as streamlined as possible.
- The process of completing these checklists and making decisions on campus return will be supported through drop-in sessions, online resources, and other working sessions, and there will be many opportunities to ask questions, seek training, and obtain additional resources.
The return to campus will be gradual.
- The University is currently planning a return to campus at a maximum initial capacity of 50% total occupancy.
- The Safety Plan Checklist will identify the return to campus of faculty/staff in each department. This may take on different forms, for example, return of some team members before others, members of an area returning to work on a rotational basis, or by using staggered workdays.
- These decisions will be made based on the operational needs and responsibilities of departments and the functionality of office spaces, while maintaining health and safety protocols. In most offices, reaching 50% capacity will be a gradual process.
The university recognizes that some employees may require accommodations due to family and / or medical reasons as they begin the return to campus. Employees should speak to their managers and contact the Labour Relations or Human Resources Manager in the Human Resources Department as soon as possible. More information about University of Windsor Workplace Accommodations Guidelines can be found
here.
The plans to return to campus are based on current information, but will be adapted as needed, depending on the progress of the pandemic, the vaccination rollout and the evolution of public health guidelines.
The return to campus will occur in stages.
- Return to campus will begin with staff from the President and Vice Presidents' Offices in early to mid-June (beginning the week of June 7).
- This will be followed by the offices of the Deans, AVPs, Executive Directors, and other management positions in mid-June, based on the principles mentioned above. Respective VPs will be in contact with respect to planning in specific areas.
- In late June / early July, AAU Heads will also have a presence on campus as needed, to support AAU activities and to ensure that all academic areas are prepared for a smooth return of faculty and staff. The completion of Safety Plan Checklists for units without a previously approved plan requires some campus presence.
- Overall return to campus for all faculty and staff will be gradual and incremental, with a plan to begin returning on Tuesday, August 3, 2021.
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All student- and employee-facing services must have a presence on campus prior to the Fall. Other priority areas may be determined by specific managers in consultation with their respective Vice Presidents.
This will be a supported and supportive process: much more information and guidance will follow.
I know you will have many questions and concerns about this process. While many are anxiously waiting to return, for others return itself will be a source of anxiety. We want to do our best to support all employees through this process.
- We are planning a Town Hall on June 22, to provide a forum for questions, answers and discussion. We will also be offering numerous sessions for managers and supervisors to ensure they are well informed about all aspects of this process. Additionally, new information will be regularly posted to the Return to Campus website.
- Frequently Asked Questions will be captured and posted to the Return to Campus website and will be populated with answers to the questions you ask: you can submit your questions or concerns here for a direct response (returntocampus@uwindsor.ca). Processes are evolving, but we will do our best to ensure that you receive the information you need in a timely manner.
We appreciate your patience as planning continues to evolve and we will share updates frequently with new information.
Rob Gordon, PhD
President and Vice-Chancellor
