Response to Covid-19To stay updated and access the Siena Safe Campus Plan, please visit the website at sienaheights.edu/safecampus. To view the daily Dashboard click here.
SIENA SAFE CAMPUS INTRODUCTION All members of the Siena Heights University community, including its students, faculty and staff, have an important role to play in keeping fellow students and the community safe by doing their part to stop the spread of COVID-19. The University’s highest priority is the safety of its students, faculty, staff and visitors. Siena Heights University has committed to and completed a plan to re-open the Adrian campus and restore residential living and face-to-face courses in the safest way possible for the 2020-21 academic year. Siena Heights University’s Adrian campus has established many multi-faceted protocols designed for safety, including health screening protocols for entry to campus as well as reducing numbers in residential halls, dining halls, lecture halls, classrooms and labs. Here are some basic all-campus guidelines:
SCREENING For the health and safety of the community, there will be only one entrance to each building on the Adrian campus. For your safety and convenience, Siena Heights University has installed hands-free Temperature Self-Screening Stations at the entrance of each building. Entrances will have three stages:
Siena Heights University buildings that have the self-screening stations include:
TESTING/TRACING Siena Heights will use the following COVID testing options:
A contracted testing company will come on campus and test for known symptoms and exposure as needed. Insurance will cover the cost of testing when medically prescribed. The University will cover the cost of the testing if students do not have insurance. Athletic testing will be in compliance with the NAIA and a contracted testing company will handle all testing as needed. Contact Tracing In-depth contact tracing will be handled primarily through the Lenawee County Health Department with the initial assistance of the SHU Health Center. The University has set up nine rooms with private bathrooms for quarantine if needed. Back to top To simplify operations Siena Heights University’s Adrian campus will have four basic alert levels. The below listed alert levels are aligned with the State of Michigan MI SAFE START PLAN. Level 0: Normal Operations Level 1: Low Alert Cases are rare and contact tracing can be used to control the virus: may operate high-density environments. Vaccines and/or highly effective treatments are approved and widely available, low circulation of coronavirus, prevention measure can be gradually lifted immune protection is established.
Level 2: Moderate Alert Moderate number of cases with most cases from a known source: protections in place, may operate a moderate-density environment, open with protective measures in place, underlying threat of outbreak remains, but prevalence of the virus is lower and testing and contact tracing capacities are robust enough to allow some policies to be relaxed, no longer tracking campus capacity.
Level 3: High Alert Many cases including community spread, with undetected cases likely: state by state reopening – low density environments may operate.
Level 4: Very High Alert Widespread outbreak that is growing with many undetected cases: stay at home orders are in place, schools and non-essential businesses are closed and people are expected to practice self-isolation.
ACADEMICS COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES Instructional Delivery Course delivery modes have been developed by faculty members to provide opportunities for interaction among faculty and students while attending to the appropriate guidelines for social distancing and safety. Faculty preparations will include clear guidelines about remote work following Thanksgiving or earlier if the state of the pandemic or expectations of public health officials warrant it. Courses will be delivered in one of the following formats:
Because the goal of providing various delivery methods is to provide flexibility, each course syllabus will describe specific details related to course requirements as well as the expectations in case a transition to a more remote modality becomes necessary. Siena Heights University will maintain close attention to guidelines from the CDC, state and local health departments as well as conditions on the university campus. If the level of infection on campus or advice from the health departments recommend it, classes will move to being offered on a remote basis even before the Thanksgiving break. In either case, transition at Thanksgiving or earlier, faculty members will provide guidance regarding expectations for levels of participation, submission of assignments, and other class requirements. If a student is symptomatic or tests positive for the COVID-19 virus, the student is expected to refrain from attending class until s/he has fulfilled the CDC recommendations for returning. The student is expected to contact the Health Center (nurse) and stay in his/her living environment. Meanwhile, communication with the faculty member will allow the student to assess what s/he must do to successfully complete the course work or what adjustments need to be made. Office Hours Office hours will be held either virtually or face-to-face. Face-to-face sessions should be held in places that provide sufficient space to allow social distancing. Course syllabi will provide information for making contact with faculty. Center for Student Success (Academic Advising) Academic advising, tutoring, library, and technology services will adjust their systems to continue to offer quality support to students. You may contact your academic advisor for an appointment through Navigate. If you do not know the name of your advisor, please contact css@sienaheights.edu. Contacts with the other services may be made through the appropriate web page in MySiena. Classrooms Classroom assignments will be made in such a way as to provide appropriate social distancing and provided with materials needed for sanitation. Care should be taken to maintain the distance between seats. Most locations will have a cleaning station. Each individual is expected to sanitize the surface areas that s/he will use. Experiential Learning Experiential learning on and off campus will require special adaptations during this time. Appropriate information will be provided for each opportunity through the appropriate course. Academic Calendar The fall academic calendar has been designed to discourage students from doing nonessential travel during the semester. Courses offered through the College of Arts and Sciences based on the Adrian campus will begin in several delivery modes on Tuesday, Aug. 25, and will be offered only on a remote basis following the Thanksgiving break. To view the Academic Calendar, visit sienaheights.edu/Academics/Academic-Calendar. Back to top GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Graduate and Professional Studies includes all of Siena Heights University’s off-campus locations, totally online degree completion programs as well as the Graduate College. Academic Calendar The fall 2020 Academic Calendar for GPS will have the following fall start and end dates: Fall 1 sub-session: Aug. 31-Oct. 18, 2020; Fall 2 sub-session: Oct. 26-Dec. 13, 2020. All previous dates for adding, dropping or withdrawing from a course remain as previously published. Student census dates will also remain as originally published. To view the Academic Calendar, visit sienaheights.edu/Academics/Academic-Calendar. Course Delivery Fall 2020 GPS courses will be offered in one of the following methods: remote, modified remote, or totally online. There will be a very limited number of GPS courses offered with a face-to-face component during the fall semester. This will include courses within the Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Community and Human Services programs. The University will continue to monitor CDC and State guidelines and recommendations with regard to the winter 2021 session. Here is other information to note:
Betsy Brooks - ebrooks@sienaheights.edu | Logan Campbell - lcampbel4@sienaheights.edu | Paget Clark - pclark3@sienaheights.edu | Jennifer Dickey - jdickey@sienaheights.edu | Gina Gudowski - ggudowski@sienaheights.edu | Monica Guerra - mguerra1@sienaheights.edu | Kelly Newman - knewman1@sienaheights.edu | Christine Packard - cpackard@sienaheights.edu | Angela Pinkett - apinkett@sienaheights.edu | Mary Roberts - mroberts@sienaheights.edu | Erin Rudnicki - erudnick@sienaheights.edu | Dana Shook - dshook@sienaheights.edu | Mary Wesolek - mwesolek@sienaheights.edu | Ashley Ziegler - aziegle1@sienaheights.edu Off-campus GPS advisors will return to their respective office when permitted by the host CC Partner. As access to our CC Partners vary campus to campus, students are encouraged to contact their GPS advisor if they need a face-to-face meeting. GPS advisors are currently conducting phone and Zoom advising meetings. Once face-to-face meetings are possible, we ask that all who visit Siena’s off-campus locations follow the safety protocol and procedures recommended by the host CC Partner.
RESIDENCE LIFE Move-in, Housing, and Dining This overview has been created with the health, safety, and well-being of our students living on campus as being the University’s top priority. The level of community created in residential environments is a worthy co-curricular experience to continue in this current climate so long as students display strong cooperation, respect, and social responsibility for one another. Move-In
University Housing
Chartwells Dining Services (SHU Dining) SHU Dining welcomes the opportunity to serve students. In order to keep everyone safe, students are expected to observe and practice respectful behaviors while in the dining room or SHU Shop Market (convenience store). This includes:
ATHLETICS The Siena Heights University Athletic Department will take the necessary changes to make the spread and prevention of the disease a major priority. Using recommendation from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the Lenawee County Health Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Michigan Department of Health and the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), Siena Heights Athletics has developed the following policies. The policies are intended to fall in line with the Siena Heights University pandemic plan and will continually be updated as the recommendations from local, state and federal government guidelines change. The main basis for monitoring and reporting is from the NAIA. The NAIA partnered with a panel of epidemiological healthcare professionals, including the NAIA Athletic Trainers Association (ATA), to identify and evaluate helpful resources institutions can use in developing institutional safety protocols. Content from the following industry leaders was incorporated:
Athletics will close those as well. Group size and social distancing within that group will also be followed. This re-opening plan will be put in place to help protect our students, coaches, and staff members so that we can all mitigate the risks of exposure throughout the pandemic. Facilities and Operations All of the University’s athletic venues and daily operations have been adjusted to increase the distance, decrease the contact and decrease the time around each other. The following will be how each of our areas have been adjusted:
Athletic Training/Sports Medicine
Other Athletic Considerations
Screening/Testing/Returning to Competition
Removal from and Return to Competition or Practice If a student-athlete is withheld from participation through the screening process, he or she must:
All student-athletes and coaches must receive a negative Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test no more than seven days prior to the first competition. If a student or coach tests positive during initial testing, he or she must receive a negative test result prior to returning to competition. If a student or coach is unable to test during the five-day window prior to the first competition, he or she then must be withheld until a test can be conducted and must receive a negative test result before his or her first competition. Spectators
CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES These guidelines have been created to promote student learning, development and success through co- and extra-curricular engagement while maintaining safety for students, faculty, and staff. Student Engagement Student engagement activities are an important part of the SHU learning, living experience.
Residence Halls Programming The Office of Residence Life is working to create a new programming model that utilizes limited face-to-face interactions with students throughout University Housing. All social gatherings will be limited to the current state mandate.
Religious Services and Spiritual Practice
Events
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY The Division of Information Technology is working to provide the appropriate networking infrastructure, hardwired and wireless, classroom audio/visual equipment and systems, personal computer technology, Learning Management Systems (Canvas) software and remote access capability as its part to help ensure a positive and safe start to the 2020-21 academic year at all campus locations. Here are some important points to review:
|
|
|
