Tips for the Start of the New School Year

The start of the fall semester will be anything but normal this year, and a successful school year will rely on every member of the UAlbany community adhering to safety guidelines.

That includes the basics — cloth face masks, social distancing, reduced density and limited gatherings.

Many employees have been telecommuting since March, and some will continue to do so, at least into October. But with the start of the new school year, faculty and many staff members will be needed back on campus.

This week, Human Resources will be sending an email strongly encouraging all faculty and staff to get tested for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) prior to returning to campus or immediately before the start of the academic year. Specifically, HR is referring to either a PCR molecular test or an antigen test; antibody tests are not recommended. The New York State Department of Health’s website provides an up-to-date listing of testing sites.

Before returning to campus or work location, all employees also are being required by New York State to watch a 12-minute training video entitled “New York State COVID-19 Response: Return to Work Training.” State employees can find the video at the Skillsoft portal and non-state employees can access it through Vimeo (password: employeesback).

Faculty and staff must to do a health screening assessment every day that they are on campus – within one hour of reporting to work – via a Health Reporting form within the MyUAlbany Employee Portal. The assessment assures that faculty and staff are free from COVID-19 symptoms.

Any employee experiencing symptoms should not report to work or, if already on site, leave work immediately and call the University’s 24-hour reporting hotline at (518) 442-1501 as well as your direct supervisor.

All students, faculty and staff are required to wear cloth face masks inside buildings. This includes all classrooms, but exempts private offices, residence hall rooms or other enclosed spaces when a person is alone. Face masks are also required outdoors whenever you cannot maintain at least six feet of distance from others.

Every employee can get a cloth mask from the Office of Environmental Health & Safety.

There are a lot of changes on campus, including new cleaning protocols and hand-sanitizing stations in common areas. Some classroom seats are marked off limits in order to keep students at least 6 feet apart, and tape at the front of the room will mark safe distances between faculty and the class.
Retail dining venues in the Campus Center and elsewhere on campus have been modified — check online for hours of operation — and cash transactions will not be allowed.

Consider downloading the CBORD Mobile ID App, which will be the preferred method for contactless payment and meal swipes. A new food ordering app, GET Food, is available through the CBORD app (after initial download) and allows ordering for contactless pick-up from most campus retail locations.

CBORD Mobile ID app also will allow for non-swipe door access starting this fall.

Keeping the campus safe – and open – is the responsibility of every member of the campus community. With the COVID-19 situation constantly changing, it’s important to stay up to date on new information and changing guidelines at the University’s COVID-19 website.

The entire Guide for Returning to the Workplace for the Fall 2020 is online.