Returning to Campus
What to Expect when Returning to Campus
Campus Operations
To protect the health and safety of the Durham Tech community, the College has created comprehensive strategies for ensuring safe operations on all campuses, which are outlined in Phase 2.5 for College Operations. This document provides more detailed information on College’s expectations for students and employees participating in instructional programs, working on campus, or accessing department-specific services. These efforts will be tightly coordinated to mitigate potential risks and ensure the safety of our campus community. Compliance with the policies and protocol are required for continued access. For more information regarding requirements, please refer to the College’s COVID-19 Response page.
Campus Check-In
The College will now require all students and employees who come to campus complete a Check-in form to confirm that they and members in their household are free of COVID-19 symptoms. The Check-in form should be completed immediately prior to coming to campus. This form is available in both English and Spanish.
Students and employees will be asked to attest that they do not have symptoms of COVID-19 and have not been in close contact with anyone who has symptoms of or has tested positive for COVID-19. Upon completion, students and employees will be given a daily “codeword” to confirm their completion of the form. They may be asked by their instructor(s), supervisor, or a security officer to give this codeword when entering a building or classroom on campus to verify their check-in completion.
Students and employees will be asked to indicate which building they are visiting on campus on the Check-in form. If they are visiting multiple buildings on campus, or leave and return to campus during the day, they do not need to complete the Check-in form again.
- Should a student or employee not have access to a computer or mobile device to complete their required Check-in prior to coming to campus, Check-in stations with computers will be available at designated areas as identified on each campus location.
- If a student, employee, or anyone they have been in close contact with is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 they should under no circumstances come to campus and should contact the Safety Compliance Team at (919-536-7200, ext. 5510) or email covid19@durhamtech.edu. Students should notify their instructor(s) immediately. Employees should immediately notify their supervisors.
Personal Safety Practices
Maintaining space between yourself and other students and/or employees is a best practice and required on all campuses to avoid exposure to the COVID-19 virus and slow its spread. Because people can spread the virus before they know they are sick, it is important to stay away from others whenever possible, even if a person has no symptoms. Physical distancing is especially important for people who are at higher risk. Students and employees on campus must follow these physical distancing practices:
- Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people.
- Do not gather in groups.
- Stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings.
Face masks (e.g., disposable masks, cloth face masks) must be worn by all students and employees while on campus, both indoors and outdoors. The face mask must cover your nose and mouth and be secured under the chin. If you are working in an office or workspace and you are alone, you may remove your mask to work, to eat, or drink. Once another person enters the space, face masks are required. If an student or employee does not have a face mask, they may obtain one from a security officer or designated location on campus as outlined in Phase 2.5. Failure to comply with mask requirements and expectations set by Durham Tech may lead to disciplinary actions of varying degrees.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, using the restroom, or after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, or before and after eating. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry (20 seconds). Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Using Restrooms
Restroom usage should ensure physical distancing is achieved and a face mask should be worn at all times.
Using Elevators
Elevator usage should ensure physical distancing is achieved. Sharing an elevator is not recommended. If you are using the elevator, wear your face mask and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer with 60% alcohol upon departing the elevator. Housekeeping staff will be wiping down elevator buttons frequently during the day.
Food and Water
If obtaining food from dining sites on campus, you should wear your face mask when picking up food. If you are eating in a work environment (e.g. breakroom or office) and you are alone, you may remove your mask to work, to eat, or drink. Once another person enters the space, facial masks are required. Observe occupancy limits and avoid sharing break rooms when eating and drinking. Common break room food and beverage items should not be utilized (e.g., shared coffee pots, shared water pitchers, etc.).
Conventional water fountains should not be used. Students and employees are encouraged to bring personal water bottles and utilize water-bottle filling stations located in various locations on each campus.
Building Cleaning and Disinfecting Procedures
Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocols are in place on campus for high-risk/high-touch areas (e.g., door handles, light switches, handrails, interior doors, door push plates, common spaces, flat surfaces such as tables, elevator buttons). Increased cleaning will be performed in restrooms and in common areas. Hand sanitizer dispensers are available within buildings near entrances.
In addition to the frequent cleaning and disinfecting performed by Facility Services staff, employees working on campus may also want to have cleaning supplies available. Facility Services will supply cleaning supplies by request. These supplies include a pre-filled bottle of sanitizing solution and paper towels. If an area is in need of these supplies or a refill of supplies previously requested, a work order may be submitted directly through the Building Coordinator. If the Building coordinator is unavailable, email Anne Harris with a request to submit a work order. Due to high demand, processing may take one business day. Please plan ahead.
In the event that a building needs to be closed due to a potential COVID-19 exposure:
- The College will dispatch cleaning crews to disinfect and sanitize necessary areas in the building.
- CPPS and Facilities staff may re-enter the building 30 minutes after disinfection is completed. This is per the disinfection guidelines in the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the disinfectant product in use. This is more conservative than the CDC’s recommendation on reentry after disinfection, which is immediately after the process is complete.
- Courses/instruction in buildings that are closed for disinfection are expected to reopen the next or following day after disinfection has been completed depending on their size and time needed to sanitize. This is to minimize potential disruptive workflows to faculty, staff, and students.
- The College will notify all students and employees of building closures and reopening via Punch alerts, the College’s Alert Notifications page, and social media.
Reporting Symptoms and Tracking
Students and employees who have visited a Durham Tech campus and are presenting any COVID-19-related symptoms, including a fever of 100 degrees or greater, should contact College’s Compliance Safety Team to report the dates of their visits and to receive additional guidance (919-536-7200, ext. 5510 or covid19@durhamtech.edu). For more information and specific details, consult the Campus Exposure Procedure.
The College will provide updates regarding active COVID-19 cases and positive on-campus confirmed cases on the COVID-19 Response web page. The page will be reviewed regularly and be updated once exposure and contact tracing protocols, for a specific incident, are complete.
Travel
Students and employees who are planning to travel outside of North Carolina should refer to the travel guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). All college-related, out-of-state travel has been suspended.
If an employee is traveling within the College’s service area to perform job tasks, current Personal Safety Practices (referenced above) are the minimum standards to be followed while working at an alternate location. Some locations may have additional safety protocols that are beyond the College’s standard. When this is the case, the higher standard is to be followed.
Employee travel outside of the College’s service area (Durham and Orange Counties) is limited to specific employees or granted by approval only.
Access to All Campuses
Students
Students are required to complete the Check-in form prior to coming to campus and wear a face mask that covers their nose and mouth, both outdoors and indoors. Students are asked to assess their health before arriving to campus. If symptoms are present, students must remain at home.
Once inside campus buildings, students must follow the posted directional signage to ensure that safe distancing protocols are observed.
Students who are enrolled in a hybrid or seated course that meets on campus may access the campus where the course is scheduled, during the specific times that the class meets on campus, in the specific location for the class, and a reasonable amount of time before or after the class (approximately one hour before and after the scheduled class, learning activity, or appointment unless more time is required by the student or employee for transportation or accessibility needs.) Students enrolled in these courses should not visit campus at other times unless specifically requested by the instructor.
Some programs may require additional health-check screenings (e.g., temperature taken by a faculty member, completion of attestation form, etc.). Information regarding program-specific requirements will be shared with students by the appropriate instructor/program director via email (Connectmail) or Sakai. Please review the information carefully before arriving to campus. Students should report directly to the appropriate building based on their program.
Students who need to participate in instructional activities that support a fall course on campus are authorized to visit the campus where that activity is scheduled, when it is scheduled, in the location assigned to that activity, as well as a reasonable amount of time before and after that activity. Students should not visit campus at other times unless specifically requested by the instructor.
Student support services will continue to provide services remotely. Visit the Virtual Student Resource Center for more information. In addition, the College will provide limited access to support services in the Student Resource Center and in the Library to resolve student support issues that cannot be handled in a remote environment or to provide access to services for those who may not have adequate technology. Students who have scheduled appointments with support service staff are authorized to be on the campus and at the location where the appointment is scheduled, when the appointment is scheduled to occur, as well as a reasonable amount of time before or after the appointment.
Meetings and Activities
All activities and meetings for student clubs and organizations will only take place virtually. For additional information regarding student activities happening this semester, email the Coordinator for Student Life (umbergerg@durhamtech.edu).
Employees
The College will continue to encourage employees to telework whenever possible while operating under the State of Emergency Working Arrangements (Telework) policy. Employees who come to campus are required to complete the Check-in form prior to coming to campus and wear a face mask that covers their nose and mouth, both outdoors and indoors. Employees are asked to assess their health before arriving to campus. If symptoms are present, employees must remain at home.
Employees who teach a course that occurs on-campus are authorized to be present when the class is scheduled as well as a reasonable amount of time before and after the class. Employees who are participating in instructional activities that support a fall course are authorized to visit campus when that activity is scheduled as well as a reasonable amount of time before and after that activity (approximately one hour before and after the scheduled class, learning activity, or appointment unless more time is required by the student or employee for transportation or accessibility needs.). Similarly, employees who are participating in scheduled student support services appointments are authorized to be on-campus when appointments are scheduled as well as a reasonable amount of time before and after the appointments. If an employee is requesting access for a reason that is not addressed above and has been authorized by their supervisor, they must schedule their visit using the Campus Access Scheduling System. Daily limits are established to support safety and security processes throughout the day.
Once inside campus buildings, employees must follow the posted directional signage to ensure that safe distancing protocols are observed.
Working in Office Environments
If you work in an open environment, be sure to maintain at least 6-feet distance from others. Consider staggering chairs or desks to achieve 6-foot distance. You must wear a face mask at all times while in a shared workspace/room. You should use your own computer, phone, headset and equipment, and not use another colleagues’ equipment. If you must share equipment, be sure that all items are properly cleaned between use.
Departments should assess open work environments and meeting rooms to institute measures to physically separate and increase distance between employees and other coworkers such as:
- Place visual cues such as floor decals, colored tape or signs to indicate where people should stand while waiting.
- Place one-way directional signage for large open workspaces with multiple through-ways to increase distance between employees moving through the space.
- Shared resources (e.g. community pen holder/pens, magazines in main office areas, etc.) should be put away.
If more than one person is in an office/work space/break room, face masks must be worn at all times. Following each visit, the space should be cleaned prior to another person entering the space.
Meetings and Activities
Convening in groups represents a high risk of viral transmission. All council and committee meetings should be held in whole or part using online collaboration tools (e.g., Teams). The number of people congregating in the same space at one time should never exceed the maximum capacity of that space or local guidelines. Any outdoor activities must be approved by the college and is never to exceed local guidelines.
During your time on-site, you are encouraged to communicate with your colleagues and supervisors using available technology.
Scheduling Rooms Not on the Fall Course Schedule
Employees must request access to rooms, either as part of academically-related class content or for other various needs, using the Astra Schedule system.
COVID-19 Campus Exposure Procedure
The COVID-19 Campus Exposure Procedure outlines what to do if you have been exposed, show symptoms, or test positive for COVID-19.