This site presents the purpose and charge of the UAH Return to Campus Task Force. The UAH Return to Campus Task Force reports to the UAH President and to The University of Alabama System Health and Safety Task Force. The UAH Return to Campus Task Force has established UAH Return to Campus Working Groups to address key issues as presented herein and as determined as the process unfolds. The Return to Campus Working Groups will develop plans, give input and make recommendations to the UAH Return to Campus Task Force and will carry out tasks as requested by the UAH Return to Campus Task Force and the UAH President.

Purpose: The purpose of the UAH Return to Campus Task Force is to develop and implement plans for the safe and healthy return of UAH faculty, staff, and students to campus.

Charge: The charge to the UAH Return to Campus Task Force is to

  • Coordinate efforts on the UAH campus to develop and implement a plan for a safe and healthy return to campus for students, faculty, and staff.
  • Coordinate with the UAH President and The University of Alabama System Health and Safety Task Force to ensure that UAH is compliant with all health and safety protocols and system guidelines required for the safe and healthy return of faculty, staff, students and visitors to campus. In fulfillment of its responsibilities, the UAH Return to Campus Task Force has established, at a minimum, the following working groups:

Return to Campus Working Groups

  • Health and Safety
  • Research
  • Academics
  • Student Life (this should incorporate Greek life)
  • Finance & Administration
  • Media and Reputational Risk
  • Athletics

Guiding Principles

  • Principle 1: Return to campus to enable UAH to provide a unique value to UAH students, faculty, staff, and surrounding community including access to resources that are critical to research and education, participation in collaborative learning, research, and activities that stimulate learning, creativity and discovery, and engagement with community stakeholders to advance research, enhance learning, and expand career opportunities for our students.
  • Principle 2: Follow local, state and national public health authority (PHA) directives for shelter-at-home, quarantines, physical/social distancing, use of protective gear, density of individuals in enclosed spaces, and other directives.
  • Principle 3: Protect the health and safety of the faculty, staff, students and visitors/ collaborators upon their return to campus, with particular concern for vulnerable populations, and considering emotional and mental health as well as physical health.
  • Principle 4: Fulfill the University’s academic, research and service mission.
    • Prepare to deliver a high quality educational experience that realizes the learning
    • objectives, rigor, and standards of UAH, regardless of educational modality.
    • Resume vital research, scholarship, and creative activities integral to UAH culture with appropriate precautions guided by approved public health directives.
  • Principle 5: Be flexible and responsive to the changes in circumstances and make accommodations as necessary while being respectful and considerate to all.

Adoption of Code

    Red - No access

    Orange - Limited Business Operations

    Yellow - Modified Business Operations

    Green - Full Access. No Restrictions

Key Areas to be Addressed

(N.B. the bolded working group names indicate the working group that will handle a given key area.)

Key areas that the UAH Return to Campus Task Force will address with consideration of the input and recommendations of the working groups are as follows:

Public Health Considerations Health and Safety

  • Develop strategies for limiting COVID-19 exposure and spread
  • Participate in COVID-19 testing, isolation, contact tracing, and isolation and quarantine
  • Provide assistance to vulnerable populations of students, faculty and staff as needed
  • Plan for an outbreak of COVID-19 if it should occur on campus or in the community Academic, Research, Student Life, Health and Safety, Finance and Administration

Fulfilling UAH’s Mission during and in the aftermath of COVID-19 Pandemic  Academic, Research, Student Life, Health and Safety, Finance and Administration

  • Fulfill UAH’s academic and research mission and resuming on-campus activities while balancing the resumption of activities with the risks
  • Work to reduce the risks, identify activities that can and cannot be continued until the pandemic is fully over, and offer alternatives to the extent feasible, while fulfilling UAH’s mission

Addressing Issues and Challenges in Return to Campus

Determining the fundamental capabilities that must be in place to return to campus for
  • Research Research
    • Provide safe and healthy operations for research centers and academic laboratories
        • On campus research centers
        • Off campus personnel
        • On campus academic research laboratories
    • Provide safe and healthy protocols for collaborators and visitors to come to campus and work with UAH researchers
  • Academics  Academics, Health and Safety
    • Academic fall semester scheduling
        • Consider different scheduling possibilities: normal opening, staged or late opening; totally online or hybrid
        • Consider different delivery methods such as flipped classrooms and high impact small sections
        • Determine ways for students to access campus in order to utilize campus facilities, laboratories and studios
        • Ensure that the population density in all academic classrooms, facilities and buildings is appropriate and in accordance with guidelines
    • Instructional delivery preparation for Fall 2020
      • Prepare for asynchronous online delivery
      • Institute hybrid delivery as needed for return to campus in Fall
      • 2020
      • Ensure that the density of students in the classroom allows for
      • appropriate social distancing and safe practices
      • Support faculty in maximizing limited classroom instruction time
    • Student Needs and Special Academic Program Needs such as Experiential Learning
      • Address student needs that are specific to students at each level o Undergraduate students
        • Masters students
        • Doctorate candidates
        • College Academy students
        • Early Learning Center students
        • Commuter Students
        • Academic Work Flow
          • Analyze academic flow to evaluate whether all processes that can be done electronically are
          • Move all academic work flow to electronic processing
          • Make all forms fillable and readily usable
          • Educate faculty and staff on the use of academic work flow processes
    • Faculty and Staff  Academics, Finance and Administration, Health and Safety
      • Health and safety
          • Follow testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine guidelines
          • Assist vulnerable subgroups. Determine what happens if a faculty member does not want to or cannot return to campus for fear of exposure.
          • Develop a contingency plan for if/when faculty become ill
      • Provide support for faculty and staff increased workload caused by hiring freeze personnel shortage
      • Address change in teaching modalities and need for change/flexibility
      • Provide faculty support for different teaching modalities and practices
      • Address mental health and emotional needs of faculty and staff
    • Students Student Life, Health and Safety
      • Health and safety for vulnerable populations
        • Provide for individual and collective safe and healthy conditions for COVID-19 and related issues
        • Ensure that the population density is appropriate and within public health guidelines in all student spaces and activities
        • Address mental health and emotional needs of students
        • Provide assistance for students with disabilities when needed
        • Provide safe protocols for experiential learning in clinical, internships, practica, cooperative education, laboratory, and studio, etc. settings.
          • Work with each college to ensure that the proper protocols are established for experiential learning
          • Monitor the protocols to ensure the health and safety of the students during the experiential learning
    • Scheduling of Classes and Laboratories
      • Develop class schedules appropriate for the situation
      • Address schedules and extra laboratory spaces by which required laboratories, computer laboratories, and studios can be conducted
      • Assure safe and healthy access to student open access computer laboratories
    • Library
      • Provide safe practices and guidelines for access to and processing of collections and materials
      • Provide procedures for safe practices for library services such as reference, borrowing materials, and instruction assistance
      • Provide safe and appropriately distanced study spaces
      • Operate computer laboratories in accordance with safe practices
      • Enforce social distancing of patrons as necessary in the Salmon Library
    • Student life
      • Conduct student activities while ensuring safety and adherence to public health guidance
      • Monitor as necessary group activities and meetings
    • Residential students
      • Apply appropriate rules and regulations to provide for health and safety for those who test positive and those who have been in contact with those who test positive
      • Provide safe and healthy living quarters and dining facilities
    • Commuter students
      • Provide safe and appropriately distanced places on campus to study
      • Provide safe and healthy dining facilities
  • Finance and Administration Finance and Administration, Health and Safety
    • Finances
      • Manage financial issues relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and aftermath
      • Respond to financial hardship and concerns of our students, staff and faculty as appropriate
      • Assist the university in coping with the hiring freeze and spending freeze
      • International students
        • Provide for the specific needs of international students
      • Residential and Dining Activities
        • Manage student housing while ensuring safety and adherence to public health guidance
        • Manage appropriately shared spaces in residence halls, dining halls and other residential facilities properly with understanding that students will interact
    • Campus Facilities and Services
      • Comply to appropriate safety and health regulations
      • Have multiple modes of food delivery from eat-in to take-out
      • Use best practices in University Fitness Center and Charger Union
    • Space
      • Make changes to space required for social distancing
      • Clean and disinfect buildings and other physical spaces as required for a safe and healthy workplace
      • Ensure that building spaces are set up so that appropriate social distancing can be accomplished
      • Follow appropriate health and safety guidelines for all staff
    • Staff
      • Assist the vulnerable staff populations
      • Provide a safe and healthy working environment for all staff
      • Provide guidance to campus community and UAH staff on different acceptable modes of work
      • Address mental and emotional needs of staff 
    • Media and Reputational Risks  Media and Reputational Risks
      • Develop an overarching communications plan
        • Clear communications about return to campus for university constituencies
        • Clear and specific information about public health guidelines for healthy and safe behavior on campus
        • Communication with community
      • Appropriate communications regarding any COVID-19 related illness on campus
    • Athletics  Athletics, Health and Safety
      • Comply to NCAA Division II regulations regarding competitive sports during COVID-19 and its aftermath
      • Safeguard health and safety of student-athletes in training and competition
      • Provide guidance for intramural sports, athletic campus and clinics, and other athletic activities
    Members of the UAH Return to Campus Task Force
    • Christine Curtis, Provost, and Kristi Motter, Vice President for Student Affairs, co-chairs
    • Jason Greene, Dean of the College of Business
    • John Maxon, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
    • Kristy Olive, Director of Office of Environmental Health & Safety
    • Amber McPhail, Director of Student Health Clinic
    • Louise O’Keefe, Director of Faculty/Staff Clinic
    • Brent Wren, Associate Provost and Faculty Athletics Representative
    • Greg Smith, Associate Vice President of Facilities
    • Ronnie Hebert, Dean of Students
    • Robert Lindquist, Vice President for Research and Economic Development
    • Todd Barré, Vice President for Finance and Administration
    • Kevin Bennett, Director of Risk Management
    • Ray Garner, Interim Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications
    • Laterrica Shelton, Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
    • Laurel Long, Associate Vice President for Human Resources
    • Jessica Hunter, SGA President
    • Laird Burns, President of the Faculty Senate
    • Mary McManus, Staff Senate Representative
    • David Moore, Director, Library
    • Michael Snellgrove, Chief, Campus Police
    Return to Campus Working Groups
    • Health and Safety: Amber McPhail, Louise O’Keefe, Kristy Olive, Laterrica Shelton, Kelly Cothran
    • Research: Robert Lindquist, John Christy, Dave Arterburn, Robert Frederick, Carmen Scholz, Matt Turner
    • Academics: Jason Greene, Laird Burns, Christian Reed, Sean Lane, Shankar Mahalingam, Terri Johnson, Amber Adcock, John Thygerson, Rob Griffin, David Moore
    • Student Life (this should incorporate Greek life): Ronnie Hebert, John Maxon, Jessica Hunter, Kristi Motter
    • Finance & Administration: Todd Barré, Kevin Bennett, Greg Smith, Michael Snellgrove, Laurel Long
    • Media and Reputational Risk: Ray Garner, David Berkowitz, Eletra Gilchrist-Petty, LaFreeda Jordan
    • Athletics: Brent Wren, Sabrina Blackwood, Cade Smith, Laura Taube, Julie Woltjen