Spring 2021 Covid Response Plan

SPRING 2021 Semester 1.) COVID-19 Testing and Monitoring A. Departing Campus in Fall-As outlined in our SUNY Mandatory testing for the fall 2020 semester all students and staff who are working on campus or taking a face to face course after Thanksgiving will participate in pool testing for the remainder of the semester.

B. Students remaining on campus- As a non-residential campus, no students will remain on campus after the completion of the fall 2020 semester. All winter session courses will be taught in a remote format.

C. Returning to campus for Winter and Spring Terms and Testing Isolation RequirementsAll students attending any face to face classes for the spring will be tested prior to the start of the spring semester on January 19, 2020. i.

All students, faculty and staff will continue to provide a daily health screening for any days on which they will be attending campus. This will be done either through the #campusclear app or a health screening will be conducted at one of the campus checkpoints. Questions include screening for travel outside of New York state. ii.

14 days prior to a staff or student’s return to campus, a daily screening on COVID-19 symptoms, and travel information will be submitted to the college electronically each day. iii.

Prior to the start of the spring semester all students and staff will participate in COVID19 pool testing no less than five days after returning to campus or no earlier than three days before returning to campus. Students and staff who receive outside tests will provide a copy of the results. iv.

Students and staff who have received a positive COVID-19 diagnostic test less than 90 days prior to the start of their return to campus date may provide a copy of their test result for an exemption for the mandatory testing at the start of the semester. v.

Pool testing of all on campus students and staff will resume for the remainder of the semester beginning the week of February 8th and all on campus students and staff will be tested weekly through campus pool testing or may provide outside organization testing results. Submission of outside results may be sent to covidtesting@ecc.edu. vi.

In cases of possible exposure to COVID-19 on campus, all protocols from the previous semester will remain in compliance with CDC guidelines and direction from the Erie County Department of Health. vii.

All students returning to face to face classes will be required to quarantine at home 7 days prior to the start of the semester. Exceptions to the mandatory student quarantine

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will be made for health care essential employees and students who are working.

Determination on granting exemptions in these two categories will be made on a case by case basis. Students will need to fill out an attestation affirming that they will abide by the 7-day quarantine mandate. viii.

All students, faculty and staff who have traveled to/from restricted states/regions or to/from international locations as defined by New York State must follow the New York State Travel Advisory – whether living on or off campus and will attest through daily campus screenings through the #campusclear app or checkpoint screenings that they have submitted the New York Traveler Health form and will follow the guidance of the governing local health department related to mandatory testing, quarantine/isolation and timing of returning to campus. ix.

Any student, faculty or staff testing positive for COVID-19 must isolate and follow the New York State Department of Health orders on isolation and the guidance of SUNY Erie contact tracers and the Erie County Department of Health of said isolation and timing of return to campus. x.

As a non-residential campus temporary quarantine spaces are available at each campus locations health centers. Any student or staff member that needs assistance for oncampus quarantine and isolation space will work with each campus Dean of Students for further assistance.

2.) Mode of Instruction A. Winter 2020-21 Term All winter session courses will be taught remotely and no face to face classes will take place.

B. Spring 2021 Term i.

Courses that are those for clinical practicums, research based, and applied learning experiences requiring a physical presence and/or requires specialized equipment will begin face to face instruction at the start of the spring semester, January 19th.

As previously mentioned, all students and staff will participate in COVID-19 pool testing through the college prior to the start of the semester, no more than 3 days before or within five days of returning to campus. Students and staff may use off campus testing during this time and provide proof of test result. ii.

The listing of courses meeting face to face prior to February 1st was submitted to provost@suny.edu on Monday, November 30, 2020. iii.

All face to face course physical campus locations have been evaluated and modified to meet social distancing, occupancy requirements and sanitation protocols. All faculty will be prepared and will notify students to execute fully remote plans if the campus meets the threshold for a mandatory pause on in-person instruction as outlined in the Supplemental Higher Education guidance from the New York State Department of Health. iv.

Students will be notified of campus expectations, should a mandatory pause be required, prior to the student of the semester.

C. Remote Instruction i.

Transparency: Before the beginning of the spring semester, SUNY Erie will publish on our website the percentage of courses which will be offered in-person and remote.

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ii.

A subcommittee of the college senate has been created to address and assist faculty with: a. Regular Interaction: Providing for the opportunity for substantive interactions with the student on a predictable and regular basis. b. International Students: Making reasonable efforts to accommodate the needs of international students completing work in other time zones c. Substantive Interaction: Engaging students in teaching, learning, and assessment, consistent with content under discussion including at least two areas of Middle states criteria. d. Disability assistance: Equipping faculty with the knowledge and skill to support remote learning of students with disabilities. e. Training on instructional technologies and remote pedagogies: Ensuring that all faculty and students have access to orientation/training opportunities to familiarize the with instructional technologies and remote pedagogies. f. Remote advising interventions: Providing proactive and regularized advising interventions for all academic programs g. Subcommittee will explore and disseminate to campus communication instructional support provided by SUNY and additional information and guidance on academic continuity, also provided by SUNY

3.) Academic Calendar A. Spring Term Start Dates SUNY Provost was notified of all courses that will be meeting face to face prior to February 1st and meet the criteria to do so on November 30, 2020. The spring semester will begin for all on January 19th, however only those approved courses will begin their face to face class at that time. If not approved that course will begin remote and move to face to face on February 1st.

B. Spring Break All spring and holiday breaks have been cancelled and absorbed into teaching dates for the spring semester.

D. Commencement All commencement exercises planned for the end of the spring 2021 semester will be planned as virtual events.

4. On-Campus Activities A. Federal, State and Local Guidance All SUNY Erie in person activities will continue to follow the mandatory NYSDOH and ECDOH guidance for social distancing as well as the strictures of the approved campus reopening plan. i.

To the extent possible, activities shall be held outdoors or in a well-ventilated location, and each campus will implement CDC recommendations to improve ventilation, if possible. ii.

All campuses will continuously assess and confirm that all cleaning protocols are in compliance with NYSDOH Higher Education Guidance and CDC guidance.

B. Face Coverings (Masks) Face coverings (masks) must always be worn by all members of the campus community on campus, including in classrooms, conference rooms and other spaces, even when six-feet social distancing exists. Exceptions to mask wearing include when staff (1) are in their private office, (2) eating meals on-campus while seated and social distancing is appropriately enforces, or students or staff (3) are in an enclosed location by themselves. Any requests for a medical, religious, or other accommodation to this policy will be reviewed for students by the campus Submitted by SUNY Erie COVID-19 Taskforce

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Dean of Students and for staff by Human Resources. These requests will be reviewed on an individual basis in accordance with relevant laws and campus procedures.

D. Compliance The Chancellor’s Uniform Sanctioning in Response to COVID-19 Student Violations will remain in effect for the Winter and Spring 2021 terms. For information on uniform sanctioning at SUNY Erie please see the Dean of Students website: https://www.ecc.edu/dean-of-students/. Spring 2021 students will be given this information in their return to campus document as well as the “What the Students Should Know” transparency document distributed prior to the start of the spring semester.

C. Mental Health Support, Services and Referrals Since we do not have licensed mental health counselors on staff through a contract with Our Lady of Victory (OLV) health services, mental health counseling is available to all SUNY Erie students. Requests for appointments can be made to Julie Maldonado at 716-828-9651 or via email at jmaldonado@olvhumanservices.org.Each Student Access Counselor on each campus is QPR suicide prevention trained. Last year we created the campus crisis teams which consist of the campus Dean of Students, the campus SAC counselor, a staff member from the health center, and the lieutenant from college safety. Information went out to all staff on how to report students of concern to their campus crisis teams. The NYS OMH Crisis Text Line: Text GOT5 to 741741. Additionally, starting this spring, the Active Minds club, a partnership between Student Access, Student Government, and the Human Services department is engaging students with peer support, and drop-in virtual rooms to reinforce support throughout the college. SUNY Erie will also communicate to all students, staff, and faculty the availability of free online QPR suicide prevention training.

5. Reporting A. Daily Dashboard The SUNY Covid-19 Tracker will continue to be linked to our website for information on daily campus testing and positive case data.

B. Instructional Modalities SUNY Erie will continue to report periodic statistical summaries of the distribution of instructional modalities between face to face, hybrid and remote methods as adjustments are made during the conduct of the semester.

6. What Students Should Know: Transparency As previously mentioned, SUNY Erie will disseminate a clear, plain language notice on “What Students Should Know” to all students. SUNY Erie will utilize the template for this notice from SUNY and will include links or additional information about specific policies.

7. Campus Safety Monitor Amy Yoder yoder@ecc.edu 716-851-1621 8. Additional Reporting Data -Surveillance testing will be conducted through SUNY Upstate Medical -Surveillance testing Schedule: Students-tested weekly for the duration of the semester Staff-tested weekly for the duration of the semester -Maximum non-residential students: 1228 -Maximum Employees: 656 Submitted by SUNY Erie COVID-19 Taskforce

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