3 minute read
SSU Guiding Principles for Our Physical Return to Campus
This is a unique and challenging time in our world’s history in many ways. This operations plan is based on the most current information available about COVID-19 and is subject to change based on the trajectory of the virus combined with local, state and federal guidance. At Salem State University, the health and safety of our entire community remains our top priority, and our return to campus requires that we all prepare for new learning and working environments. For Fall 2020, our in-person classes, housing occupancy, and on-campus workforce will be more restricted than in our traditional academic year, allowing us to dedensify our campus and enact protocols that will assist in limiting the COVID-19 spread. The guiding principles for our physical return to campus center around the Massachusetts Higher Education Framework guidance. They are as follows:
Protect the health and safety of students, faculty, staff and those in surrounding communities.
Health and safety are the cornerstones of all decisions made for the repopulation of our campus.
Health and safety protocols are data informed and based on national, state and local public health guidance.
While the Commonwealth may permit a higher capacity for workspaces and gatherings, SSU will continue to practice caution on campus, aiming to be under the limits permitted by the state.
All community members who return to campus must follow public health guidance and the SSU COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols.
Enable students to make meaningful progress towards their educational goals.
Offer a range of online and in-person educational experiences to help our students meet their educational goals, as well as, make meaningful connections with other students, faculty and staff.
Monitor and address the impact isolation can have on members of our community.
Provide access to resources and support services to ALL students to assist them in their personal growth and wellbeing.
Encourage faculty to work with students who need to be absent from campus due to public health concerns.
Acknowledge and address disparities.
Remain aware and address disparate impact on vulnerable populations and minority communities of students, faculty and staff.
Encourage and assist with online education and remote work whenever possible.
Prepare Disability Services and Human Resources to address the needs of students or employees with underlying medical conditions who may need accommodation for online or in-person activities.
Increase supports and resources for students focused on their health care and wellness, with particular attention to health disparities and the needs of students of color.
Respond to the evolving conditions of the pandemic.
Continuously monitor public health information and guidance, and be prepared to adapt activities in order to protect our community from the spread of the disease.
Communicate with the community as the pandemic and the resources to address the disease evolve.
All on-campus employees should be prepared to work remotely in the event that there is a need for isolation or quarantine.
Everyone should be prepared to transition to remote learning or work if there is an outbreak or second wave that requires a safer at home advisory.
Engage all community members in the solution.
Health and safety are a shared responsibility. Our operations plan should guide students and employees to internalize behaviors that are essential to ensuring the health and safety of every member of the campus community.
All community members must follow public health guidelines and the SSU COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols.
As a Viking we expect you to advocate for and foster a culture of shared responsibility for the health and safety of our larger community. Every member of our community, their families and loved ones, are counting on each of us to keep them safe as we interact on campus.
