August 10, 2020
Our students and all members of UCF’s campus community thrive on belonging and connecting with one another. In particular, the ability for our students to be on campus is critical for their personal and academic development, and supporting our academic mission is more important now than ever before. As UCF gears up for our fall semester, it is time for all academic and administrative offices to focus our energies on the critical roles we all have in making UCF’s campus a very special place to learn and work.
In preparation for our students and faculty starting the semester, and in order to support their success during this important time, all of UCF’s academic and administrative offices should plan to be open and provide on-campus services.
We must be prepared to handle requests made in person, as well as requests that may require staff to work onsite to fulfill them. To provide these services, all UCF offices need to begin providing an appropriate physical presence during their regular business hours no later than Monday, Aug. 17. We encourage you to do so earlier if possible.
We are confident that we can work together to meet this service goal while also limiting on-campus staffing levels to 30 percent, maintaining 6 feet of physical distancing, and following guidance from health agencies and experts. Providing a regular on-campus presence may require some offices to increase staffing beyond the 30 percent staffing limit. To do so, you must receive approval from your vice president.
Our plans must include the following;
- Work spaces for employees in the office together at any time must be at least six feet apart.
- Employees and visitors also must be six feet apart. While thinking about capacity, keep in mind employees and visitors, including those who are entering or leaving your space.
- Remember that face coverings must be worn in any shared indoor spaces, and you must complete the COVID-19 Self-Checker each day you come to campus.
- All employees returning to the workplace also are required to complete the training “Returning to Campus Operations” in Webcourses.
- Follow all of these guidelines about returning to work.
Departments and supervisors will have discretion about how to operate offices in a way that meets the needs of students, faculty members and other customers. For example, you can have different employees work in the office on different days, and some employees can work part of the day in the office and part at home.
As you develop your plans to prioritize service to our on-campus community members, we highly encourage you to also consider the needs of employees at higher risk of COVID-19 illness as well as those who have child- or dependent-care responsibilities. We acknowledge it may not be possible to approve every employee’s request. We also trust that you will do your best to provide a high-quality education and outstanding services while supporting the well-being of our employees.
Thank you for all that you have done during these difficult months. We know that we can work together to give our students and faculty a first-class welcome when they return to UCF.
Maureen Binder
Chief Human Resources Office and Associate Vice President
Michael D. Johnson, Ph.D.
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs