Jenzabar University

RETURN-TO-WORK PLAN

There are four phases in the return-to-work plan. Each phase will require approximately 2-3 weeks. Each stage of the plan will be guided by the following conditions:

• The number and rate of COVID19 cases on campus and in Transylvania County. Symptoms monitoring and temperature checking will be required.
• Testing, contact tracing, quarantine, and isolation capabilities are established on campus. These will be in place by August 1st.
• Environmental controls are in place to include the availability of personal protection equipment (PPE) and cleaning protocols to support the needs of faculty, staff and students, and campus operations, and reduce the spread of COVID19.
• The number of faculty and staff returning to the on-campus workforce supports the return of students.

If conditions during the next couple of months change significantly or there is a resurgence of COVID19 cases in Transylvania and/or North Carolina, the college will provide further guidance on institutional decisions and measures to be taken regarding the return of employees and students to the campus.

Prior to July 1, the college will appoint and train a COVID19 response team composed of faculty and staff members from each department. The team will be responsible for answering questions and serving as the primary contact for communications with the college.

Faculty, staff and students will be provided clear guidelines and frequent reminders that if they have symptoms of COVID19, cold/flu-like symptoms, or other illness, they are to stay at home, contact their supervisor and seek medical attention as appropriate. All employees returning to campus will be required to wear a face covering, practice social distancing, and follow hand-hygiene protocol. The college will provide signage, supplies, and support systems.

The college will be developing an online symptoms checker and contract tracing app with Qualtrics. The use of the app will be vital to a successful re-opening and fall semester. The app will provide up to date information that will allow decisions to keep our campus community safe.

{expander}Phase 1: June 15-June 28, Initial Phase (click to view)

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During Phase 1, departments will bring not more than 30% of their workforce back to campus. Only employees deemed essential and unable to complete work from a remote site will be scheduled to return to campus. The college will use Phase I to test the protocols and procedures to protect our community. The college will use the information from Phase I to learn and make adjustments as necessary in preparation for Phase II. It is important that 12 month employees confer with their immediate supervisor and/or area Vice President as to when it is appropriate for them to return to work.

Employees who are high-risk and vulnerable should not return during Phase I and should remain working remotely. Employees that can effectively work from home and whose presence is not required to support the return of students and college functions should also continue working from home. Adjusting work schedules, limiting the number of people in the workplace, alternating work days for employees, adjusting start and end times for employees, and adjusting entry and exit points in the workplace should all be considered and will help ensure flexibility and social distancing. The college will work with employees with small children that require daycare to provide flexible scheduling as duties permit.

Offices, workspaces, and/or classrooms should be adjusted, if possible, to meet the 6-feet distancing requirement. Additional measures should be considered to prevent COVID-19, including but not limited to:

• Health care monitoring of employees to ensure individuals do not come to work sick
• Face coverings are required. Please read the face covering policy for more information.
• Restricting or prohibiting non-essential visitors
• Utilizing a video or phone conferencing instead of face-to-face meetings
• Workplace modifications
• Reducing the number of workstations or staggering schedules/days of the week
• Placing plexiglass or other barriers that would limit the connection to other workstations or in the areas with high traffic (front desk in Beam Admin., Mail Room, Bookstore, Library, etc.)
• Reducing the number of chairs in waiting areas, lobbies and classrooms
• Developing flow patterns throughout the buildings to allow for reduced contact and discourage congregation
• Increase ventilation air exchanges, if feasible
• Foot openers or propping doors open should be considered to avoid high-touch surfaces
• Ensuring signage to encourage the 3 Ws; Wear a mask, Wash hands at least 5 times a day and Wait six feet apart
• Provide hand and respiratory hygiene products
• Work with facilities and housekeeping to ensure appropriate cleaning and sanitizing of the workspace, classrooms, residence halls, athletic facilities, etc.. Each area will be given an initial sanitation kit for the area from facilities. Areas will submit a work request to have the supplies replenished.
• Restricting and/or prohibiting nonessential, college-related travel. If vehicle travel is necessary, minimize the number of occupants in the vehicle is highly recommended

Each office will submit workplace protocols for the area to the Vice President in the area. The Vice President will bring the protocols to ELT for final approval. If the college feels the protocols are in place and are working, continuation to Phase 2 will be considered after a period of two to three weeks.

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{expander}Phase 2: June 29-July 21 (click to view)

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(A determination as to whether the college will move into phase 3 will be made by July 21. This date remains tentative.) The college will increase the workforce to 60% for each department. All guidelines of Phase 1 remain in force.

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{expander}Phase 3: July 21-August 2 (click to view)

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During Phase 3, the remaining workforce (excluding employees who have been authorized or directed to continue to work from home) will return to campus to conduct final preparations for the 2020 academic year and the full return of our students. All guidelines and requirements established in Phase 1 above continue to apply and must be implemented by departments. The exception to Phase 1 guidelines for Phase 3 will be in-person meetings. In-person meetings will be allowed as long as all members wear a mask and meet in a room that will allow for 6 feet physical distancing. If all conditions are met, Phase 4 will be considered on August 3.

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{expander}Phase 4: Projected August 3 (click to view)

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Phase 4 will be a continuation of Phases 1-3 with the addition of guidelines for students, and protocols for the dining hall, coffee shop, classrooms, etc. Specific guidelines and protocols for faculty will be announced in the next few weeks by the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. All protocols will be posted on MyBrevard and adjusted as conditions warrant.

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Faculty Classroom Protocols Now Available

Student Classroom Protocols Now Available

Detailed information from Academic Affairs is available on the Academics Affairs COVID-19 page.

The recent global developments around COVID-19 will challenge Brevard College’s ability to deliver on our educational mission. Safety and health concerns have generated stringent protocols to mitigate the spread of the virus, which will affect the environment of the teaching and learning experience at Brevard College. Nevertheless, the faculty and staff are committed to experiential teaching and will adapt our shared pedagogy to these circumstances. It will be a learning experience for all of us, faculty, staff, and students, as we construct unique and focused experiences, reflect on our successes and failures, and apply what we learn on a daily basis as we continually strive to improve experiential learning in these unique circumstances.

Our goal for this fall is to resume experiential learning inside and outside the classroom, preserving as much of the valuable face-to-face modality of teaching in our academic programs as possible. At the same time, we recognize the need for flexibility in the modality of teaching for some faculty and students who may face greater health risks because of COVID-19. Some faculty may require an online or hybrid modality of teaching to accomplish their academic responsibilities. Some students may require online resources to accomplish their academic goals.

{expander}Academic Calendar (click to view)

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The modified fall academic calendar has been approved by the Executive Leadership Team. The goals in creating the new calendar were to:

1. Develop a calendar that allows us the use of the face-to-face modality of teaching as much as possible.
2. Develop a calendar that allows for, if necessary, appropriate social distancing in classrooms and throughout the campus for the safety of faculty, staff, and students.
3. Develop a calendar that eliminates major breaks to both expedite, if necessary, online course delivery and minimize student’s potential exposure during travel.

The revised Final Exam Schedule can be found here.

There are no changes to the normal weekly class schedule.

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{expander}Instructional Strategies (click to view)

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Instruction for the 2020 fall semester will occur with the intent to provide, as much as possible, for meaningful face-to-face interactions between faculty and students while meeting social distancing protocols. Faculty and students should prepare for the fall semester with this in mind. However, given the fluidity and unpredictability of the pandemic situation, faculty and students should prepare for the eventuality that any class may need to be taught online for a limited time. Therefore, faculty should prepare, as much as possible, for the following scenarios:

1. Students in COVID-19 quarantine/isolation completing their assignments online and/or virtually attending class.
2. A course having to move online temporarily because of COVID-19 quarantine/isolation and/or contact tracing.
3. A legal mandate from the public health department for students to “stay in place” in the residence halls and the faculty to stay at home. 

Faculty at high risk, according to CDC guidelines, for COVID-19, may request to fulfill their teaching responsibilities using alternate teaching modalities. (Human Resources is developing a process for faculty and staff to make remote work requests.) Courses delivered by an alternate modality (such as online) will be clearly identified in the course schedule so that all students are aware of the teaching modality of the course. Advisors will work closely with students to ensure that students take courses in their preferred modality as much as possible.

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{expander}Revised Course Schedule (click to view)

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To accomplish the goal of maintaining the face-to-face modality of teaching as much as possible, the course schedule has been revised following social distancing protocols. The number of sections and the maximum number of students in a section of a course are determined using the following criteria:

1. Enrollment
2. Nature of instruction/activities
3. Size of the classroom space
4. The maximum number of students allowed in a classroom space following social distancing guidelines.

Larger spaces on campus not normally considered as instructional spaces, including outdoor spaces, are being considered and incorporated into the course schedule as appropriate.

Courses that need to be taught in an alternate modality have yet to be determined. A determination on these courses will be made as soon as possible and indicated on the course schedule.

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{expander}Classroom and Instructional Resources (click to view)

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1. As soon as classroom assignments are finalized, a survey will be sent to faculty to assess classroom needs, including technology. If necessary, classroom assignments will be adjusted based on survey responses.
2. Planning is in place for adding technology to the classrooms. In particular, if possible, a microphone and speaker system will be installed in teaching spaces. Classroom technology for recording class sessions, if necessary, is also in the planning stage.
3. CANVAS and Online Pedagogy Resources: James Brooks, Educational Technology Specialist, will be sending an email to the faculty with resources and information. 

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{expander}Faculty and Student Classroom Protocols (click to view)

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Faculty Classroom Protocols Now Available

Student Classroom Protocols Now Available

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{expander}Syllabus Statements for COVID-19 Scenarios (click to view)

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COVID-19 Syllabus Statement.

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ELC and Library Protocols - under consideration

Registrar’s Office Protocols - under consideration

Faculty and administration are looking at options for the starting and ending dates for the spring semester and will announce those dates as soon as possible. 

CAMPUS & RESIDENCE LIFE 

• Pledge for Students
• Reopening Plan
• Residential Living and Dining Protocols

Detailed information from Campus & Residence Life is available on the Campus Life COVID-19 page.

ATHLETIC UPDATES 

Detailed information from Athletics is available on the Athletics COVID-19 page.

• The USA South athletic conference is developing a plan for the 20/21 athletics schedule following the NCAA guidelines to minimize opportunities for exposure to the Novel Coronavirus.
• The Brevard College Athletic Department saw its highest academic success in both average cumulative GPA and semester GPA since the beginning of the NCAA era during the Spring 2020 semester. The Athletic department is proud of all the student-athletes hard work and dedication in the classroom this academic year.  
  • The athletic department's overall semester GPA was 3.187.
  • The department's overall cumulative GPA average was 3.121. 
  • The Cheer team had the highest semester GPA with a 3.793.
  • Cycling, Women's Tennis, and Women's Soccer also performing well this semester with semester GPA's of 3.531, 3.528 and 3.563 respectively.
  • Women's Lacrosse (3.418), Cheer (3.548) , Climbing (3.446) and Men's Cross Country (3.508) had the highest team cumulative GPAs.
  • 32 student-athletes had a perfect 4.0 semester. 
  • Over 110 Brevard College student-athletes were named to the Dean's List.
  •  78 student athletes were named to Honor Roll.
• Athletic facilities are closed until further notice.