As students return to campus, PSU-AAUP asks that our members please keep leadership informed as to how the COVID-19 Protocols are working for you on the ground. PSU has made a lot of promises around keeping our campus community safe, but Faculty and APs are on the front lines of most student interaction! Also, as we saw with the Helen Gordon closure earlier this month, sometimes communication does not happen smoothly or in a timely manner. So, we want to hear from you!
- If/when a student in one of your classes, or that you have advised, tests positive for COVID-19, how quickly are you notified?
- Are you having any difficulties with enforcing mask policies or is it going smoothly?
- How are things going when students are faced with a quarantine situation due to illness, or a child without school/care, etc. How frequently is this happening? Have you made changes to your course attendance policy? How much work is it for you to manage?
- How is it working when you get sick?! As the Provost acknowledged earlier this summer, while many faculty have taught through colds in the past, it’s extra important now that we actually stay home when we’re sick. What happens to your classes in these situations?
- Do you know how to respond when you get a “PSU COVID-19 Affected Employee Notification Letter”? We know that a number of people received one on Wednesday stating that “Portland State has been notified that an individual who was present in Cramer Hall, Lincoln Hall and/or Shattuck Hall on 9/27/2021 has been diagnosed with COVID-19.” A lot of people probably passed through those three buildings on September 27!! Did you get one of these letters? How did you feel?
- What else is on your mind as we start creating a “new normal” on campus?
Let us know at: aaup@psuaaup.net.