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TO:
UGA Faculty, Staff and Students
FROM:
Jere W. Morehead, President
S. Jack Hu, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Rahul Shrivastav, Vice President for Instruction
Karen Burg, Vice President for Research
Jennifer Frum, Vice President for Public Service and Outreach
Ryan Nesbit, Vice President for Finance and Administration
Victor K. Wilson, Vice President for Student Affairs
Timothy Chester, Vice President for Information Technology
Kelly Kerner, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations
Kathy Pharr, Vice President for Marketing and Communications
Toby Carr, Vice President for Government Relations
Resuming In-Person Classes
and Other Events and Activities
for UGA’s Fall Semester
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The first day of class for Fall Semester—Wednesday, August 18—is rapidly approaching, and we are excited about being fully back on campus for an educational experience that is more normal than what we experienced in the previous academic year. The State of Georgia ended its public health emergency on July 1. In addition, vaccines have dramatically reduced the risk of infection from COVID-19, and we are pleased to be able to safely resume in-person classes and other events and activities without requirements for masks or social distancing.
The latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasizes that vaccinated individuals are not at high risk of symptomatic or severe infection, nor are they likely to transmit the virus. We strongly encourage you to be vaccinated if you have not yet done so. The University Health Center (UHC) has plenty of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines in stock, and you can click on UHC’s patient portal if you would like to schedule an appointment. We hope you will do so if you have not been vaccinated on campus or elsewhere.
This memo details operational guidelines for Fall Semester, as well as many of the measures being taken to help our campus community remain healthy and safe. We urge you to read this memo in its entirety. We also will reinforce specific points of the message throughout the summer.
CONTENTS:
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Instruction
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UGA plans to return to in-person instruction without restrictions and with full classroom capacity for Fall 2021. Use of pedagogical approaches that existed before the pandemic, such as “flipped” instruction or other active learning techniques, is permitted. All instructors who are scheduled to meet with their class in person should do so throughout the semester. A small number of Fall Semester courses were offered online prior to the pandemic, and these may continue to be offered in that format if they were previously approved for online delivery (e-suffix) by the University Curriculum Committee and were scheduled in that manner in advance of registration.
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Pursuant to state and University System of Georgia (USG) rules, we cannot ask our students or fellow employees for proof of their vaccination status, and we should not treat vaccinated and un-vaccinated individuals differently unless dictated by law or applicable guidance. In addition, students should not be asked about their vaccine status and segregated in a classroom or from other instructor-student interactions (e.g., office hours, group work, field trips, labs, etc.) based on their vaccination status. However, students may be required by off-campus partnering organizations to wear masks and/or be vaccinated as a condition of participation in experiential learning opportunities such as study abroad programs, externships and delivery of medical services.
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The UGA class attendance policy has not changed. Instructors still have the flexibility to adapt and enforce an attendance policy that best suits their classes. It is strongly encouraged that instructors clearly describe their attendance policy on their syllabus to make students aware of the classroom expectations as early as possible. UGA is a residential campus where classroom attendance always has been an important part of the educational experience.
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For those students who test positive for COVID-19, instructors should accommodate them as they normally would accommodate ill students before the pandemic. Student Care and Outreach will coordinate care and support for students who must isolate or quarantine due to exposure or symptoms related to COVID-19. Student Care and Outreach will continue to notify faculty should students report a positive COVID-19 test result through DawgCheck.
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The five extra minutes added between classes to the schedule last year will remain. This change should be particularly helpful as two classes of students—incoming first-years and returning second-years—experience full campus classrooms, events and other activities for the first time.
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Additional resources and information will continue to be provided through UGA’s teaching and learning continuity.
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Research
- All Office of Research offices and core facilities are functioning at normal capacity.
- Per the return-to-campus guidance issued on May 14, 2021, UGA research programs are now in normal operations, with no further requirement for Research Resumption Plans (RRPs).
- Faculty members may require the use of personal protective equipment in defined research areas under their direction but only according to the risks or hazards present in their research work space. Pursuant to state and USG rules, masks may not be required based on concerns related to COVID-19.
- Further information and clarification may be found on the Office of Research website.
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Public Service & Outreach
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On- and off-campus Outreach and Extension programming will operate normally. Outreach and Extension facilities, including the State Botanical Garden, Georgia Center for Continuing Education and all 4-H centers, will resume normal operations for conferences, events and rentals.
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Vaccines & Testing
- The University strongly encourages all faculty, staff, and students to be vaccinated. However, based on USG guidance, the University cannot require students, faculty, or staff to be vaccinated in order to be on campus.
- We are incentivizing vaccinations at the UHC with T-shirts and gift card promotions advertised through social media, as we did in the spring. Vaccine appointments are also being offered to incoming students during undergraduate orientation, with a shuttle service from the Tate Student Center to UHC and back provided for their convenience.
- The USG has launched a statewide campaign for students to be vaccinated at any one of 15 participating campuses in the USG that might be closer to their hometowns over the summer. We have and will continue to promote this program to our students.
- Pursuant to state and USG rules, UGA faculty, staff and student workers are not permitted to ask individuals for proof of vaccine status, and they should not organize any programs, classes or other activities that limit or define individual participation based on their vaccination status. Exceptions may include individuals working in off-site clinical settings and locations (e.g., local physician’s office, counseling center, etc.) in which the third party requires vaccination to be present.
- Asymptomatic faculty, staff, and students may continue to receive free COVID-19 testing at the UHC through the summer. Based on CDC guidance, vaccinated individuals do not need to be tested for COVID-19 unless they have COVID-19 symptoms.
- The Daily Symptom Checker on DawgCheck has been discontinued. However, any faculty, staff or student who tests positive for COVID-19 is still required to report their positive test through the online website and follow the guidance provided. Typically, a positive test will require a period of isolation.
- Unvaccinated individuals who have been in close contact with an individual infected with COVID-19 must quarantine. Individuals who are fully vaccinated or who have had COVID-19 within the past three months and recovered (completed the recommended 10-day isolation period) do not need to quarantine, even if they have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Faculty and staff who are required to quarantine must take appropriate leave.
- As it did last year, the University will continue to hold beds for quarantine and isolation needs by our students. Student Care and Outreach will coordinate care and support for students who must isolate or quarantine due to exposure or symptoms related to COVID-19. Student Care and Outreach will continue to notify faculty should students report a positive COVID-19 test result through DawgCheck.
- Since the risks of COVID-19 remain high for people who are not fully vaccinated, UGA strongly encourages unvaccinated members of our community to wear a face covering, maintain physical distancing and follow other CDC guidelines while on campus. However, USG institutions no longer require the use of face coverings or physical distancing on campus.
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Accommodations
- Approval of all COVID-19 related accommodations and flexible work arrangements (including telework) expired June 30, 2021. Requests for ADA accommodations or flexible work arrangements will be reviewed in accordance with the pre-pandemic UGA ADA accommodations or Telework/Flextime policies. Please contact University Human Resources at 706-542-2222 or hrweb@uga.edu for questions or assistance.
- International employees or students who are unable to enter the United States should immediately contact their department or college as well as the Office of Global Engagement regarding any COVID-19 related travel restrictions.
- Students who need accommodations for their classes should contact the Disability Resource Center.
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Resources
- We understand the tremendous strain that the COVID-19 pandemic placed on members of our campus community. We want to remind faculty and staff that there are several support systems and tools available through various USG benefits programs (e.g., Kepro EAP counseling, Virgin Pulse Well-being, Accolade care management, Live Health Online, etc.). UGA is implementing strategies to focus on employee mental health and emotional well-being, including continuing to offer a Mental Health First Training course. For additional information on mental well-being resources for faculty and staff, please contact Kiz Adams in UGA Human Resources at kizadams@uga.edu or 706-542-7319.
- Students can reach the University Health Center’s counseling and psychiatric services by phone at 706-542-2273. For students who prefer to talk to a non-UGA counselor, Christie Campus Health offers a 24/7 support line at 833-910-3371. UGA offers a couple of virtual mental health resources through Therapy Assistance Online (TAO) and a partnership with Christie Campus Health. Students can visit UGA’s Student Resources for Well-being or the UGA Mental Health Initiative for a comprehensive listing of mental health resources.
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Travel
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Since the State of Georgia is no longer under a non-essential travel ban, travel may resume under UGA’s normal travel policies. All travel should be necessary for official UGA business reasons and follow travel health notices. Unit leaders have full and complete discretion to authorize essential/necessary travel, as needed, to carry out their mission and priorities. International travel must be registered with the Office of Global Engagement. For domestic travel, the traveler should follow the travel health notices outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Health & Safety Precautions
- Special cleaning and disinfection protocols put in place last year for our campus community will continue, with particular emphasis on high-touch surface disinfection in all buildings. In addition, the Facilities Management Division (FMD) will continue to re-stock and supply the existing hand sanitizing stations and wipes for individual use in offices, breakrooms and classrooms. Information on cleaning frequency and protocol, sanitizing stations or wipes, and how to request additional cleaning service can be found here.
- The plexiglass shields installed in classrooms, buses, point-of-sale locations and other settings will remain. Information on ordering new or replacement shields can be found here.
- For the past 18 months, FMD has been focused on improving ventilation and indoor air quality across campus. This FMD interactive website illustrates the location of buildings with completed, in-progress or in-design HVAC air quality improvement projects. The buildings are color-coded by improvement type to include portable HEPA units, HVAC modernization projects, buildings with UV lights in the HVAC systems, and a category for “modern” HVAC (most science buildings and any building constructed after 2012).
- The FMD website also has been updated to include additional details regarding completed HVAC system changes implemented since Spring 2020. This work includes increased daily air exchanges in 5.1 million square feet of academic and research space and the installation of portable HEPA units in more than 50,000 square feet of classrooms. In addition, more than $7 million in targeted projects to improve HVAC systems across campus will be accomplished in the 2021-22 academic year—all in accordance with CDC, DPH and HVAC industry standards.
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Closing
Our faculty, staff and students have persevered through the COVID-19 pandemic by working together to keep each other safe. As we return to in-person operations this fall, protecting the health and safety of our campus community while maintaining high quality teaching, research and service remains our top priority. Remember that with each person who gets vaccinated, our community becomes safer and stronger. If you have not yet been vaccinated, we strongly encourage you to do so.
The University will continue to work closely with the Georgia Department of Public Health and the USG and will update this communication should conditions warrant. Thank you for your dedicated efforts and continued understanding and patience as we return for in-person classes in the coming weeks. Together, we will remain Georgia Strong/Dawg Strong.
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