Coronavirus information: The university remains open, with emergency management protocols activated and operational modifications and precautions in place. Instruction has transitioned online for summer sessions. Read the latest update posted 7/3/2020 at 10:55 a.m.

Returning to Work Safely

As Appalachian State University begins a phased return of staff and faculty to work on campus, safety is paramount. Our top priority in all decisions is the health, safety and well-being of the App State community.

This website presents COVID-19 safety protocols to help create a safe and supportive work environment for employees as they transition back to campus. These protocols were developed based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the State of North Carolina.

This is not a full guide for returning to classrooms, laboratories, internships and other learning environments. That work is ongoing, and you can read about the many teams involved and their work here.

As scientific knowledge of the coronavirus continues to evolve, the COVID-19 pandemic changes over time, and government and public health officials issue new orders and guidance, App State will update procedures and plans as needed. The university will follow all state and federal orders, directives of the University of North Carolina System, CDC and state and local public health guidelines in order to ensure the safest possible on-campus environment.

All faculty and staff are expected to fully comply with the latest procedures, protocols and requirements published here and in any linked documents and websites, as well as with any additional guidance received from their supervisors and the Office of Human Resources.

This website is updated regularly. Please continue to visit this site for the most updated return to work guidance and information.

Last update: July 3, 2020

Campus health and safety signage

University Communications (UComm) and Environmental Health, Safety, and Emergency Management (EHS&EM) collaborated with AppHealthCare to develop clear and consistent health and safety signage for campus buildings.

As we prepare to return to campus, Facilities Operations is installing health and safety signs at building entrances/exits, on elevators, outside and in classrooms and labs, in hallways and common areas, and in restrooms. Facilities Operations staff will replace common area signs as needed and will remove non-approved signs.

Departments and units on campus will be provided signage for use in office areas at no charge.

Health and safety signage inventory, ordering and delivery information will be available to campus next week.

Course delivery and class schedules

The Fall 2020 Schedule of Classes is being updated by the Registrar's Office to reflect adjustments to room assignments, class times and class delivery methods. The new schedule will offer a variety of course types to allow greater physical distancing in classrooms and flexibility for faculty and student needs. Options will include:

Face-to-face courses held in classrooms arranged to provide 6 feet of physical distancing.
Hybrid, which has both online and face-to-face components, including rotating student groups, synchronous broadcast and HyFlex, in which students have multiple options to achieve course goals.
Online courses (synchronous or synchronous), in which students will participate from their residences or other designated learning areas across campus set up for physical distancing.

Learn more about these options here.

Students are encouraged to work with academic advisors over the summer, should they wish to make changes to their schedules. Teams from Academic Affairs and Facilities Operations are working on customized classroom configurations to allow for appropriate physical distancing. This work will continue throughout the summer.

On-campus student housing move-in process:

University Housing is working on assigning rooms and move-in times for on-campus, residential students. Student move-in will be by appointment and access to residence halls will be limited. Move-in will not utilize campus volunteers as in past years. University Housing will continue communicating with students who will be living in residence halls throughout the summer. Read the latest information on University Housing’s website here.

App State Coronavirus Information

Find Appalachian State University’s latest updates, resources, prevention tips, travel information and more regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Six Steps to Safety

Follow these six steps during the phased return, and encourage others to follow them:

If you feel sick, stay home.
Wait, in order to avoid close contact with others. Maintain physical distance of 6 feet from others.
Wear a face covering.
Wash your hands often, scrubbing with soap for at least 20 seconds, or use hand sanitizer.
Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of your elbow.
Disinfect surfaces often, especially shared items and touch points.

Employee self-reporting of COVID-19 tests

Employees are required to report when they have been tested for COVID-19. For complete instructions on when and how to do this, visit the university’s Reporting COVID-19 webpage.

Coping during COVID-19

Take breaks from social media and from watching, reading, or listening to news stories if you are feeling overwhelmed or distressed.
Do what you can to eat healthy foods, exercise, get adequate sleep and find time to unwind.
Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.
Use the mental and emotional well-being resources on campus.
National distress hotline: 1-800-985-5990, or text TalkWithUs to 66746

Questions

Submit your comments, suggestions and/or questions related to planning and recovery efforts. The Project Management & Implementation Team will review and direct questions and feedback into the working teams as appropriate.

Submit a question

Phased return of staff and faculty

App State will phase in a gradual return of staff and faculty to campus while ensuring appropriate physical distancing, cleaning and sanitizing of workplace surfaces, and availability of personal protective equipment for on-campus employees. Administrators and supervisors will decide which employees will return to work on campus and how to implement these requirements for their units and local situations, and they will communicate those decisions to their employees.

Currently, all requests from departments to designate additional employees as mandatory and return them to on-campus work require approval of the Chancellor through the respective divisional vice chancellors. Any approved plan to designate additional employees as mandatory will give special consideration to employees who are determined to be “high risk” for experiencing complications from contracting COVID-19.

Summer classes continue online. Faculty who need information about continuity of research, creative and scholarly activities can find more information here.

Employee teleworking guidance and arrangements may be found here.

If you have possible COVID-19 symptoms, stay home

Employees who return to the workplace are expected to evaluate themselves for the presence of possible COVID-19 symptoms every day before leaving for work. To be eligible to report to work, an employee must not have any symptoms potentially related to COVID-19.

Do not report to work if you have any of the following symptoms:

Cough.
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
Fever.
Chills.
Muscle pain.
New loss of taste or smell.
Sore throat (secondary symptom).

If you have any of the symptoms listed above, you should:

Stay home.
Notify your healthcare provider for guidance.
Notify your supervisor.

The CDC provides guidelines about what to do if you are sick, which you can access here.

Information about Time and Leave Reporting During COVID-19 Reduced Operations, COVID-19 Special Leave Provisions and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) may be found here.

Employee self-reporting of COVID-19 tests

Employees are required to report when they have been tested for COVID-19. For complete instructions on when and how to do this, visit the university’s Reporting COVID-19 webpage.

Guidance for supervisors

During the phased return, supervisors should consider implementing the following measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus:

Schedule partial staffing on alternating days of the week.
Schedule consistent work teams on the same shifts, so that if a person on one shift becomes sick, workers on the other shifts are protected.
Stagger workplace arrival and departure times, break times and lunch breaks to minimize population density at building entrances and exits and in break areas, restrooms and other common spaces.
Work closely with Human Resources and/or Academic Affairs to address any questions you have about COVID-19 accommodations and/or leave provisions for your direct reports or departments. Here’s where you can read more about who should take extra precautions.
Supervisors should not share or confirm any personally identifiable information regarding COVID-19 test results of direct reports or department members.

Read the UNC System’s “COVID-19 Return to On-site Work Guidance: Faculty and Staff” pdf.

High Risk Accommodation

Faculty and staff may report any high risk health factors or other circumstances that may impact their ability to work on campus or to comply with workplace safety requirements by completing a High Risk Identification form. Human Resources manages this process in order to keep all information confidential. To request accommodation, use the High Risk Identification form found here.