Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Please see below for this week's updates. This information was sent out via email
to provide the campus community with updated information on fall 2020 operations and
procedures.
Human Resources Update
The Return to Work Guide and Employee Resource Webpage have been updated to incorporate the latest guidance from the state of North Carolina
and the UNC System Office. Updates include:
University Forum
The Staff and Faculty Senates hosted a Summer Forum Zoom Webinar on Friday, June 26.
With 400 audience members and a panel of 15 administrators, the session was fast-paced
and covered many topics related to worksite operations and campus response to COVID-19.
Read more and watch the forum.
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Personal Protective Equipment
In early July, faculty and staff will receive bags with personal protective equipment
(PPE) including reusable cloth face coverings, refillable personal hand sanitizer
dispensers and disinfecting wipes. Students will receive similar bags with PPE supplies
at the beginning of the semester. Building coordinators are being contacted to establish
a plan to distribute the PPE bags in a way that meets the needs of occupants of each
building. In addition to providing PPE supplies to individuals, public hand-sanitizing
stations will be available at the entrance to each building and sanitizer refill stations
will be placed across campus. The university also intends to establish procedures
for departments to resupply disinfecting wipes when needed.
learn more about PPE on campus
Resupply of PPE during the Fall Semester
It is our intention to provide an inventory of PPE to allow departments to maintain
a four- to six-week supply of departmental-sized hand sanitizer dispensers and canisters
of disinfecting wipes at a centralized location. Facilities Management will work with
departments to identify contacts who will be authorized to order supplies. Supplies
will be stored in the Facilities Management warehouse.
Communication to Students Regarding Fall Instructional Modality
As has been announced, fall courses will be taught using a variety of methods. This includes face-to-face,
online and a mix of online and face-to-face. Course schedules have been updated to
reflect any changes that faculty may have made to the planned instructional mode of
their course sections.
Please note: Emails will be sent to students June 27-28 with information regarding their fall schedules.
New Cleaning Protocols
Facilities Management will be implementing new cleaning protocols to meet CDC sanitization
guidelines. In accordance with these guidelines, every room on campus has been inventoried
and classified by type to determine sanitization needs and the methods necessary to
meet these requirements.
There are numerous variations of sanitization protocol for the numerous room types,
from classrooms to residence hall bathrooms, from athletic training rooms to wet lab
space, etc. Housekeeping staff will be augmented with temporary workers so additional
staff can be deployed during the business day to continuously sanitize high-traffic
areas. Second shift housekeeping staff will also have additional sanitizing duties
each evening. An outsourced service for rapid response COVID-19 sanitization is currently
being solicited. We expect to utilize this service for quarantine areas as well as
any other area deemed necessary.
The enhanced sanitization plan will go into effect in late July. The room inventory spreadsheet will be available on the fall operations website for those who would like more information on the cleaning protocols for the various
spaces on campus.
Campus Signage
Signage to support physical distancing will go into production and installation the
week of Monday, June 29. It is anticipated that the signage installation will continue
through mid-July.
Once the initial set of signage has been installed, Facilities Management staff will
accept additional requests for special-use signage on a case-by-case basis. Primary
signage includes banners, ground decals, location-based signs in all buildings, Cat
Tran signs and the like.
Catamount Dining has also released plans for traffic management in Courtyard and Brown
dining halls. These maps are available on the dining operations page.
Catamounts Care: Public Health Awareness Campaign
In support of our new Community Standards, the university has developed a public health awareness campaign, Catamounts Care.
Communication for the campaign will include social, print, digital, video and radio.
A toolkit will be developed that will allow campus communicators to download print
and social media assets. Messaging for the campaign distills the Community Standards
into actions that we all must take to keep our community well and prevent the spread
of COVID-19.
We know that Catamounts do care, and we encourage everyone to put the well-being of
themselves and others top of mind.
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Please see below for this week's updates. There are a number of new decisions and
additional information provided this week; please be sure to review this in its entirety.
This information is provided here and via email for the campus community to stay updated
with the latest information on fall 2020 operations and procedures.
Community Standards Released
Shared community standards remind us that we each have personal responsibility for
actions that may affect our own health and the health of our friends, our colleagues,
and the broader campus community. Our collective acceptance of this shared responsibility
will be the most effective strategy we will have at our disposal in the challenging
months ahead. We have developed a set of standards to encourage everyone to put the
well-being of themselves and others top of mind.
Read the standards
Campus Events & Activities
WCU is making plans for the fall semester with the goal of reducing exposure to and
spread of COVID-19, and this includes canceling some significant events and implementing
changes to other campus activities. These changes are motivated by available guidance
for configuring large venues and limiting mass gatherings to prevent COVID-19 transmission.
Read cancellations/changes to campus events and activities
Changes to Dining on Campus
Catamount Dining has the daily mission of delivering thousands of quality meals to
students, faculty, and staff. With this mission in mind and given the COVID-19 pandemic,
dining at WCU will look very different in the fall. Like most changes related to COVID-19,
patience will be required as we work through how service is delivered while meeting
applicable recommendations to reduce risk in dining facilities.
Read more about dining on campus
Residence Hall Agreement Updated for 2020-2021
Following the end of spring semester and learning from the complicating factors surrounding
COVID-19, the it became apparent that WCU needed to modify the 2020-2021 Residence
Hall Agreement. Universities across North Carolina are updating their housing agreement
and Western Carolina University is no different. Students will be given until June
30, 2020 to opt out of their room agreement.
Read more the updates to the room agreement
Human Resources Training Videos Available Online
Human Resources, along with campus subject matter experts, recently offered five sessions
on topics centered on navigating changes at WCU related to COVID-19. The Q & A sessions
were offered via Zoom and the recordings are now posted to the employee resources website.
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Athletics and Campus Signage
Western Carolina University is continuing to develop plans for the fall 2020 semester
and the student experience through an inclusive decision-making process. These decisions
are guided by science and data, grounded in our core academic mission with consideration
for the well-being of our community. These emails are to provide our students, faculty,
staff and community updated information on fall 2020 operations and procedures.
Student Athletes and Athletics Events
As a part of the on-ongoing campus discussions surrounding the fall 2020 semester,
Catamount Athletics is making plans for a return to intercollegiate competition beginning
in August 2020.
WCU Athletics will begin a phased return of student-athletes to campus in Cullowhee
beginning July 6 in advance of the fall 2020 semester;
The return includes football and men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes first
during the summer months as each of those sports has permitted summer access activities
per the NCAA. Those three teams will be followed by a regular return date for those
sports with preseason dates before the start of school in the fall semester;
WCU Athletics’ plan includes resocialization measures and daily protocols for each
student-athlete, coach and staff member such as temperature checks and screening by
athletic training staff before gaining access; the use of hand sanitizer; social distancing
when available; and the use of face coverings indoors in common areas, during workouts,
and in locker rooms, as well as accounting for proper cleaning and sanitizing for
each facility;
Athletic performance strength and conditioning indoor activities will be conducted
in groups of 10 while outdoor activities will be limited to 25, as per North Carolina
Gov. Roy Cooper's guidelines. Athletic training and rehabilitation exercises will
be by appointment and will also adhere to the 10-person indoor limits.
More information
Campus Signage for Social Distancing
A Signage Working Group has been created to develop consistent and sensible requirements,
procedures and protocols for COVID-19 campus signage and barriers. Campus signage
and barriers are to educate, promote safety and protective measures, and to assist
with social distancing guidelines while continuing to protect the building and its
occupants and meet all regulatory requirements.
- The goal is to have signage in place for the start of Fall Semester 2020 (by August
1).
- Messaging of the signage templates aligns with CDC regulations and university branding.
- Additional information will be available after the working group’s next meeting on
June 18th.
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Quarantine Location, Move-in, Personal Protective Equipment and Study Abroad
Western Carolina University is continuing to develop plans for the fall 2020 semester
and the student experience through an inclusive decision-making process. These decisions
are guided by science and data, grounded in our core academic mission with consideration
for the well-being of our community. These emails are to provide our students, faculty,
staff and community updated information on fall 2020 operations and procedures.
Quarantine Location Designated
We have designated Madison Residence Hall as a location where residential students
may safely quarantine if they test positive for COVID-19. Madison Hall has a relatively
small number of student rooms, and its location on the hill area of campus would keep
any students who have tested positive away from the bulk of the student population
while allowing them to continue their studies and receive campus services.
Move-in
The fall 2020 opening of the residence halls has been redesigned in response to COVID-19.
While the first day of classes is still scheduled for August 17, the residence halls
will begin allowing students to move-in on August 1. Students will be required to
sign-up for the day and time they want to move into their building. There will be
a limited number of spots available per building per session, to allow for appropriate
social distancing throughout the process.
More information
Personal Protective Equipment
Western Carolina University has developed a plan for providing the campus community
with personal protective equipment:
- WCU intends to provide the campus community with reusable face coverings, hand sanitizer
and disinfecting wipes to open the fall 2020 semester. Procurement of these items
is in process.
- During the summer months, the university has disposable face coverings, large containers
of hand sanitizer and large containers of disinfecting wipes available to those campus
departments that desire to have them provided. These items are limited in supply.
Please submit any requests for these items to your department head who can then request
the supplies through a Facilities Management work/service request.
Study Abroad
- Inbound and outbound study abroad programs have been suspended for fall 2020. Participation
in study abroad for spring 2021 is a tentative option for students.
- Faculty-led programs have also been suspended for fall 2020.
Friday, May 29, 2020
From Chancellor Kelli R. Brown
To the Western Carolina University community:
I write to share important details about the academic calendar and strategy for instruction
for the upcoming fall semester. These details are part of a comprehensive and evolving
plan for the fall 2020 academic experience that is being developed by a working group
in the Division of Academic Affairs led by Interim Provost Richard Starnes and based
on guidance from the University of North Carolina System. The plan is being created
with the anticipation that we will be utilizing a variety of instructional arrangements
with student success, faculty expertise and flexibility, and staff support to guide
us. I stress that all plans for resumption of operations for fall 2020 may very well
shift in response to changing conditions. The last few months have taught us that
information and responses to new data about COVID-19 require a high level of flexibility
and patience.
Below are some important dates that will serve as significant mileposts for the fall
semester:
- First day of classes will be Monday, August 17
- Labor Day holiday on Monday, September 7, will be observed
- The last day to withdraw from a class and receive a “W” will be Friday, October 23
- Advising Day will be held Tuesday, October 27
- Last day of face-to-face classes will be Friday, November 20
- Classes on Monday, November 23, and Tuesday, November 24, will be held online
- Thanksgiving break for instruction will be Wednesday, November 25, through Friday,
November 27
- Final exams will be held online between Monday, November 30, and Friday, December
4
- The winter break will begin at 5 p.m. Friday, December 4
- We anticipate commencement ceremonies will be held Saturday, December 12, for the
spring 2020 graduates (rescheduled from May) and Sunday, December 13, for the summer
and fall 2020 graduates
Instruction for fall 2020 will be offered through a blend of face-to-face, online,
hybrid, and hybrid course delivery. There will be no fall break this year, and all
final exam week activities will be conducted via online or other alternative formats.
This schedule maximizes instructional time in the early fall and minimizes the opportunities
for students, as well as faculty and staff, to travel away from campus on extended
breaks. This strategy should reduce exposure to and spread of coronavirus. It also
should align the academic calendar in such a manner as to avoid a densely populated
campus in late fall and early winter, when the potential for a significant resurgence
of the virus may be highest. Any potential changes to the 2021 spring semester will
be announced in the weeks to come.
We will continue to refine the many details associated with bringing students, faculty,
and staff back to campus. To assist in keeping the campus as fully updated as possible,
we have established a website for fall 2020 operations, where many of the detailed plans for resuming operations will be posted or summarized.
In addition, we are initiating a regular system of campus updates that will contain
important announcements as decisions around fall operations are made. Look for those
updates in the coming weeks on subjects including residential living, dining, student
move-in, large campus gatherings, and athletics events.
I want to remind our campus community that, as we prepare for students to return
to campus, we also have begun a phased return to the workplace for our dedicated faculty
and staff. With guidance from the UNC System, we have prepared a “How to Return to Work Safely” guide that was sent to faculty and staff last week.
Thank you again for your efforts on behalf of our students and our university over
the past few months, a time that has been disruptive to all members of our community.
I feel confident that I can continue to count on your hard work, your commitment,
and your flexibility as we handle the many tasks associated with the summer sessions
and work toward a successful fall semester.
Please be safe and be well. And, as always, go Cats!
Sincerely yours,
Kelli R. Brown
Chancellor
