The College of Engineering’s weekly update aims to provide transparent and frequent information about how the College is operating, adapting and caring for its community. Updated information can always be found at the College’s COVID website. Questions and feedback can be submitted here.
COLLEGE PREPARES FOR POTENTIAL AUG 17 RE-ENTRY
Departments, divisions and units have submitted re-entry plans to the College for Phase Two of Return to On-Campus Operations. Those plans are being reviewed and will be submitted as part of the College’s full plan to the Provost Office for final approval. It is anticipated some staff may begin returning to work on campus on or after August 17.
The plans determine how physical spaces and staff will be allocated in Fall 2020. They follow guidance from the Provost’s Office and the Environmental, Health and Safety Office, as well as the College’s Principles for Returning Staff to Campus. These plans ensure that all faculty, staff and students continue to receive the level of support needed to preserve our excellence and reputation. They were created with maximum flexibility, and minimize the number of personnel reporting to campus on any given day, in order to keep our on-campus density low.
To implement re-entry, the College’s COVID-19 Council and Action Teams have moved into “readiness mode.” This will allow for a comprehensive accounting of all activities and preparations necessary to allow faculty, staff and students to return to campus safely in the fall. Information about how on-site operations will resume can be found in the Campus Operations section of the College’s COVID-19 website. Additional questions can be submitted using the College’s COVID-19 feedback form.
CHANGES TO BUILDING ACCESS AND DOOR GREETER PROTOCOL
Since the university began ramping up research and scholarship on May 21, greeters were stationed at the entrance of research buildings to verify approved employees, ensure those employees completed their daily health screen and administer temperature checks.
As research buildings transition to multipurpose use in preparation for the fall academic semester, beginning August 10, buildings are no longer required to have a greeter at entry points.
Individuals must still complete the daily health screening via healthscreen.umich.edu, which includes self-monitoring of temperature before entering U-M buildings. All other COVID-related research laboratory procedures, density requirements, designation of cohorts and shifts, social distancing, face coverings and disinfection procedures remain in place, and building access remains limited to those with approved Mcard access.
Starting on August 17, access will be opened to include CoE faculty and staff who have been cleared by their supervisors to return to campus. Only staff who cannot do their work remotely and have made arrangements with their supervisors should plan to return to work on campus. College buildings will remain restricted and require MCard access, and employees coming to campus must complete a daily self attestation prior to entering campus buildings via healthscreen.umich.edu. All employees coming to campus must complete their COVID safety training in My Linc (Research or Non-Research) and follow all protocols.
On August 24, access to CoE buildings will be granted to students, maintaining existing laboratory protocols.
CONTACT TRACING AND QUARANTINE FAQ
The University has released its protocol for students regarding contact tracing, testing and quarantine. It can be found in the FAQ section of the Maize and Blueprint website. The FAQ also provides specifics on what employees should do if they become ill with symptoms concerning for COVID-19 or test positive.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR RE-ENTRY VICTORY GARDEN PROJECT
Michigan Engineering is seeking 10-15 volunteers for a new Victory Garden project to help Facilities staff set up for Fall term and re-entry to North Campus. The project will need 10-15 people to assist with organizing personal protective equipment (PPE) for distribution, posting signage throughout the College, installing germ shields, setting up classrooms for socially distanced learning and addressing other facilities-related needs to prepare for Fall semester.
Each volunteer will be expected to be on campus one or two days each week, for four to eight hours, and assistance will be needed until Aug. 21. Work will be done according to public health and safety recommendations, in a socially distanced manner. Email CoEFMOStaff@umich.edu with any questions.
LIFELONG LEARNING
Dr. Carmeda Stokes from Organizational Learning, will help lead “The Coach is In” and discuss “Facilitating the Learning Journey” on Mon., Aug. 10 from 2-3 p.m. Dr. Stokes will share her tips on practical ways participants can enjoy the lifelong learning process and the benefits of investing in your personal and professional development through micro-mentoring and micro-coaching experiences. Registration is required.
MCARD EXPIRATION EXTENSION
As part of the University of Michigan’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the expiration date on Mcards has been extended to January 5, 2021. This should allow employees with expired MCards and temporary Mcards that have already expired—or will expire—in 2020 to continue to open doors with the contactless card readers in your work building(s). The expiration date is located on the front of your Mcard, immediately above your name. See this note if your Mcard will expire after August 1, 2020.