March 18, 2021
I am writing today to share more guidance related to staff working in campus offices this summer and fall.
UCF is planning to operate summer classes and activities similar to what we have done this spring. Summer will include a significant number of on-campus courses, but a majority of classes will continue to be offered remotely. We plan to fully return to face-to-face learning, supplemented by our typical online learning offerings, for the fall semester beginning August 23.
Summer Staffing and Operations
All of the current COVID precautions will continue throughout the summer: classroom capacity will remain limited with physical distancing in effect, face coverings will be required, and we will continue with extra cleaning measures and COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. Office capacity limits will remain at 50 percent, or up to 75 percent with approval of the vice president who oversees that office.
This summer, some campus offices will need to increase staff working in person, particularly those offices where employees directly support our students and faculty. The increasing availability of vaccines proven to be effective against COVID-19 is allowing us to take this step, and we strongly encourage all UCF employees to get vaccinated when they are able to do so.
There will be no university-wide requirement that campus offices have any specific percentage of staff working in person this summer. However, our expectation is that offices will provide enough in-person staffing to meet the needs of students and faculty.
Because of the wide availability of vaccines for university faculty and staff this spring, we will not continue the Human Resources exception process for employees working on campus this summer. We believe that everyone who is able and willing can become fully vaccinated before summer.
Some of you may have limitations due to a medical condition that qualify for an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We will use our usual request process for those cases — namely, if you have a medical condition requiring an accommodation please complete the Reasonable Accommodation Request form and submit it to the Office of Institutional Equity.
For more information about the accommodation request process, please visit the OIE website. Please note that being at increased risk of severe illness related to COVID-19 alone does not qualify for an accommodation under the ADA.
Fall Staffing and Operations
Beginning this fall, there will no longer be a limit on in-office capacity. However, face coverings will still be required in all shared indoor and outdoor spaces and we will continue with other health measures, such as increased cleaning and extra hand washing.
We expect fall staffing may more closely resemble our staffing before the pandemic. We also recognize that the pandemic has identified new efficiencies that have resulted from remote work.
While the expectation is that our staff should be on campus to support our faculty and students, some departments or positions can still provide the needed support and benefit from having flexible work arrangements, which can include a hybrid of on-campus and remote hours for some employees. Human Resources is working on a new policy and guidelines to govern flexible and remote working arrangements that will become effective this fall. The goal is to provide departments and supervisors with some assistance and guidance to allow flexibility while ensuring that the university’s needs and goals continue to be met.
We will provide more information about fall operations in the coming weeks. In the meantime, divisions, colleges, departments and supervisors should start planning what the summer and fall semesters will mean for their staffs, and they are encouraged to communicate their expectations to employees as soon as possible.
Should public health conditions require a change, UCF is ready to pivot to more remote teaching and work at any time if necessary. You can read more about these decision triggers.
I know you may still have questions, and Human Resources is working to compile more information to share with you. However, now is the time to start thinking about and planning for a return to more normal operations.
We know how vaccinations, UCF’s policies, testing and tracing efforts, and other measures help protect the health of our campus community, and UCF is committed to continuing many of these efforts. We also need all employees to comply with the policies and guidelines designed to keep ourselves and those around us healthy and safe.
Thank you for all you do for UCF, and please continue to Armor Up.
Maureen Binder
Associate Vice President
Chief Human Resources Officer