Announced at the end of May, the CU Boulder community is making preparations for a COVID-19-ready campus for the fall semester, with classes beginning on Aug. 24. Three groups were established to assist in the implementation of the Road Map to Fall 2020:
- COVID-19-Ready Campus Team
- Academic Instruction Team
- Resource Alignment Team
These teams are hard at work building the infrastructure and procedures that will be necessary to mitigate risk and facilitate research and teaching this fall. As part of this iterative process, the teams are committed to sharing regular updates on their progress.
News from the COVID-19-Ready Campus Team
- The provost and chief operating officer sent a campus update on Friday, July 10, regarding testing plans and ongoing monitoring. The update includes information on the requirement for students in residence halls to complete COVID-19 testing prior to move-in.
- Students confirmed to move into residence halls received information about the COVID-19 testing requirement, move-in appointment registration and other move-in details. First-year students who completed a housing application later in the application process and have not yet received an assignment will receive their building assignment on Friday, July 17.
- An email was sent this week to all students about the COVID-19 Student Health and Expectations course, a course in Canvas that all students are required to complete by Aug. 1. This course is designed to develop students’ knowledge and skills on how to maintain a safe and healthy environment for themselves and others while at CU Boulder. As part of the course, all students attending CU Boulder will acknowledge the Promise to Protect our Herd. This commitment outlines student expectations and behaviors to help keep them, our campus community and our Boulder community safe.
- The Research and Innovation Office shared more information about the expanded research and creative work phase (Phase 2) beginning this week. An update on the process went out through the RIO Bulletin.
- Updated information on library services, including the start of contactless pickup of materials, was announced via the University Libraries webpage.
- The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, or HVAC, team is working with housing to provide recommendations and solutions specific to the needs of each residence hall.
- Wall-mounted disinfecting wipe dispensers and other sanitation items have been received. The same wipes can be used for both hands and surfaces.
- Building signage to communicate social distancing (keeping a safe physical distance from others) and other safety measures has been created and is being coordinated with building proctors for ordering and installation.
- The transportation team will begin exploring whether additional bike racks will be needed or if racks will need to be moved, given that there may be an increase in bike use.
- Work continues to identify the best locations for open-air tents that can be used for study space, meetings, dining and online/remote learning.
News from the Resource Alignment Team
Members of the Resource Alignment Implementation Team (RAIT), which is responsible for allocating one-time funding associated with responding to COVID-19, met on July 8 and approved funding for the following time-sensitive efforts:
- Pilot programs for public health monitoring systems; equipment and testing coordination assistance for Medical Services; the augmentation of indoor Wi-Fi for buildings that have coverage gaps; and the leasing of hotel spaces for classrooms.
- RAIT also approved language to provide academic and administrative units with more guidance on the team’s mission and priorities. They include ensuring that:
- Health and safety precautions are addressed for students, faculty and staff for a successful fall semester.
- The continuity and access to academic instruction and curricula are maintained.
- Solutions providing the greatest good and impact across campus are delivered and prioritized for campus funding.
- Academic and administrative departments receive further guidance on how the Office of Information Technology (OIT) is working to procure and distribute audiovisual and other information technology equipment, and how units can request common items at no cost.
- Departments work with OIT to fulfill needs that are unique to their discipline, but which are not covered or reimbursed by the campus as part of the campus’s prioritization of “common good” technology.
News from the Academic Instruction Team
- The facilities task force is completing its evaluation of non-traditional spaces on campus that can be converted to classroom use in the fall of 2020. Working with the task force and departments and programs, the Office of the Registrar is completing revisions to the class schedule that include these new classroom options.
- The Office of the Registrar, in conjunction with the schools and colleges and the Program in Exploratory Studies, is completing pre-registration of first-year students in selected courses within their academic cohorts. Further registration for first-year students is currently scheduled to take place July 20 to July 31 (by assignment), and registration for continuing students is currently scheduled to reopen on Aug. 3.
- Members of the Academic Instruction Implementation Team worked with the campus’s International Student and Scholar Services office and others to assist international students in the wake of federal guidance that was subsequently rescinded on July 14. Read more about this development.
- The implementation team is publishing the fourth edition of Academic Instruction guidance for deans, chairs and directors before the end of the week. Topics will include advising, field classes and internships, international students residing outside the U.S. and more.
Do you have a question or comment about implementation team work on the Road Map to Fall 2020? Submit a question or comment.
