During the current COVID-19 emergency, a number of community messages have been posted concerning measures to improve campus safety. In turn, these messages have raised questions about responsibilities and liabilities. Although this document is unlikely to answer all questions, it is intended to address some of the key concerns that have come to the Office of the Provost.
Staying safe and healthy
What is the health screening check?
In the interest of campus safety and risk mitigation, all faculty, staff, and students are asked to complete a health screening check on any day that they come to campus. If someone is exhibiting any of the symptoms outlined in the health screening that person should not come to campus. Faculty and staff may do the health screening check on-line at uri.edu/coronavirus/daily-health-assessment/ or through the Rhody Connect App, which can be found on Google Play and at the Apple Store.
What is a department chair’s responsibility concerning the health screening check?
Department chairs and other supervisors have asked what their responsibility is to assure that someone has passed the health check. Determining that everyone in a unit has passed the health check is particularly burdensome, especially when work occurs in multiple locations and on irregular schedules. For example, it is virtually impossible for a department chair to verify that all faculty members who may be on campus have passed the health screening check. A chair should, however, make sure that department members are aware of the health screening check. They could do this via email, through announcements at faculty meetings, and by posting a message in the department. A good faith effort should be made to get the word out, but ultimately the burden is on individual faculty and staff members to comply with the policy.
When must face coverings be worn?
Face coverings are to be worn at all times while on campus—both indoors and out—except when someone is alone in a private office or laboratory. The face covering policy may be found at this link. Exceptions may be granted to individual faculty for medical, health, and/or disability related reasons and, in very narrow circumstances, for pedagogical reasons when alternative protective measures can be employed. Such requests should come through the departments and colleges to the Provost’s Office. Social distance of at least six (6) feet should be maintained at all times. Masks must be worn even when maintaining social distance.
Do I need to clean and disinfect my classroom?
Cleaning products will be available in classrooms. Faculty should clean podiums, keyboards, touchscreens, etc. before and after use and wash or disinfect their hands before and after entering the classroom. Faculty should also encourage students to wash or disinfect their hands before coming to class and to clean their desktops or other surfaces they may have touched before and after each class.
What if someone in my area tests positive for COVID-19? If a supervisor is informed that an employee has tested positive for COVID-19, the supervisor should instruct the infected employee to report the matter to the Office of Human Resource Administration who will work with Health Services to begin contact tracing and ensure that appropriate cleaning/disinfecting occurs in the affected area as soon as possible. The supervisor should not, however, share the information with others in the workplace; Health Services will notify all identified close contacts directly
Workplaces and workspaces
Are there rules specific to certain buildings?
Faculty and staff will notice a number of signs and posters on campus. It is important to heed directions, such as one-way doors, corridors, and stairways, and directions concerning elevator use. In addition, furniture has been removed or relocated to de-densify areas to ensure social distance. Faculty and staff should not rearrange furniture in classrooms or common areas. Students access information on where they may study between classes and have Wi-Fi access on the Rhody Connect App.
Can I reserve a space outdoors for teaching and advising?
Some faculty may wish to teach a class or do advising outdoors when weather permits. In a few cases, tents will be erected for outdoor instruction for specific departments—e.g. for music instruction. We do not have a procedure, however, for reserving outdoor spaces generally.
May I work remotely?
Staff members may continue to work at home if they can, but may be required by a supervisor to come to campus if their work must be performed on campus. Each week, the colleges submit staffing plans indicating who is working on campus, who is working from home, and who is rotating between home and campus. As is always the case, faculty may determine their work location based on their work needs. In some cases, faculty may need to be on campus; at other times they may be working from home; and at other times they may be at a research site or off-campus meeting. If a faculty member changes the modality of a course, in whole or in part, they should communicate with students to assure that any transition occurs as seamlessly as possible.
How do I deal with students in quarantine/isolation?
Students must quarantine for 14 days if they have been exposed to the virus or if they are traveling to Rhode Island from a state with a higher than acceptable rate of infection (currently 5%) or from another country. Students must isolate if they have a positive COVID-19 test. Faculty will be notified by the student’s assistant dean if a student needs to be out of the classroom for any reason, including COVID. The notification will include how long the student will be out and when they will be able to return and faculty should accommodate those students without penalty. The specific accommodation is up to the faculty member. Alternatives include, but are not limited to, simulcasting classes, recording classes for asynchronous viewing, providing access to course notes/resources, or providing alternative work assignments for students in quarantine. Technology to allow synchronous live streaming and lecture capture has been or will be installed in most classrooms before fall classes begin. The list of classrooms so equipped is available at this link. The accommodation should provide students with access to materials that will allow them to stay current in the course and support their entry into the class when their quarantine/isolation period is complete.
May I travel out of the area?
We assume that if someone is not working on campus, they are likely working at home or at a research site. Work-related travel out of the area is subject to the travel authorization process, regardless of the source of funding. Currently, very little work-related travel is being authorized. For many reasons, including the still evolving pandemic, the URI International Travel Review Committee (ITRC) has recommended that URI’s restriction on university-related international travel be extended through December 31, 2020. Please consider alternative methods of convening, such as teleconferencing. If international travel is required or essential (e.g. an invitation to assist with pandemic mitigation activities in a professional capacity), submit a petition to the ITRC. The ITRC will review the petition for the essentialness of the proposed international travel and ensure that the proposed travel is permitted by the University. Be advised that any proposed international travel must rise to a very high level of urgency to be considered. Instructions are available on the university travel website. Faculty and staff should stay abreast of any changes. We urge faculty and staff to adhere to RI Department of Health guidelines when considering personal travel.
Problems with compliance and issues of liability
How do I deal with student, coworker, or visitor misconduct?
The University has added a COVID Code of Student Conduct to the Student Handbook. Please remind students of their obligations (e.g. through the syllabus statement recommended on the Provost’s website) and direct them to the Code of Conduct if necessary. Egregious violations may be referred for formal discipline per the provisions of the Student Handbook. Breaches of conduct by employees or visitors may be reported to the dean’s office, which will relay the matter to the appropriate office.
Am I liable if students in my class or employees who report to me test positive for COVID-19?
Supervisors, faculty, and staff generally will not be personally liable for any injuries or illnesses suffered by their students or direct reporting employees, except in the very unlikely event that a court should determine that their negligence or wrongful conduct caused or contributed the student or employee’s injury or illness. However, even if a faculty member or supervisor was found to be liable under those circumstances, they would be indemnified by the University (with the University paying for any such liability), under the URI Board of Trustee Policy on Indemnification, so long as the faculty member or supervisor was acting in good faith, within the scope of their duties, and had no reasonable cause to believe their actions were unlawful.
Where can I find further information?
The best places to find further information are the University’s COVID-19 response website and the COVID Resources page maintained by the Office of Emergency Management.