Lehman College - Phase I: Campus Policies & Procedures

Phase I: Campus-wide Policies, Guidelines, Requirements, Protocols and Procedures

The Phase 1 Plan

This plan includes the phase 1 return to campus for increased essential personnel including maintenance, operation and IT personnel, who must be physically present to perform their jobs, as well as administrative staff, and researchers who must be physically present to perform their jobs or to conduct research activities. Subsequently, the phase 2 return to campus for a limited numbers of on-campus hybrid classes, class labs, clinical experiences and testing.

Campus-wide Policies, Guidelines, Requirements, Protocols and Procedures

The following is a list of policies, guidelines, requirements, protocols and procedures that must be in place in front of the return to campus and followed while on campus:

Policies & Procedures: Responsible party: Human Resources
Remote Work policy (CUNY)
HR Guidelines – Attachment
Requesting exceptions and accommodations
options for faculty, staff and students at higher risk for severe illness
options for faculty, staff and students with childcare issues
Monitoring of health conditions and reporting
Mandatory Requirements - safe social distancing, masks, face-coverings and/or PPE, hand hygiene, cough/sneeze etiquette, employee surface cleaning
Requirements to return to work after a positive COVID-19 test or after exposure to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 - Refer to DOH’s “Interim Guidance for Public and Private Employees Returning to Work Following COVID-19 Infection or Exposure” regarding protocols and policies for individuals seeking to return to work or class after a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 or after individuals have had close or proximate contact with a person with COVID-19
Daily mandatory remote screening of everyone prior to coming to campus – utilize either a paper form, an electronic form or an app (subject to CUNY) that will provide daily screening prior to leaving home for those entering the campus. Since developing this plan, CUNY has announced the purchase of an app for remote screening. Once implemented, Lehman will exclusively utilize the app for pre-screening everyone prior to coming to campus. Currently B&G utilizes a paper form for custodians, unskilled and skilled labor. Where possible, we will convert to the app. Anyone needing a paper form will be provided with one.
Enforcement of Mandatory Requirements and Reporting Violations: Responsible party: Human Resources & Administration and Finance
For your safety and for the safety of all workers, faculty, students and visitors on campus, masks or face-coverings are not optional, they are mandated by Governor’s Executive Order and are a requirement to be on the Lehman College campus.
The Governors Executive Order #202.16 directs employers to provide employees in the workplace with masks or face-coverings that must be used – Lehman will provide masks and/or face-coverings. It is each departmental director, supervisor, chair and/or manager’s responsibility to ensure that there are adequate supplies for all, and are issued to all employees working on campus each week. The Governors Executive Order #202.17 directs any individual who is over the age of two and able to medically tolerate a face-covering must cover their nose and mouth with a mask or cloth face-covering when in a public place and unable to maintain, or when not maintaining social distance. The Lehman College campus is a public place, in all shared spaces, including campus walkways, entrances and all building lobbies, hallways, bathrooms, elevators, and other spaces that are not your private office or workspace that is not a shared space. Employees must wear masks or face-coverings in shared locker rooms, bathrooms and workspaces.
If there is a medical reason an employee cannot wear a mask or face covering, it must be reported to HR, so an alternative method (i.e., face shield) may be provided to the employee.
We have a zero-tolerance policy and anyone not complying will first be removed from campus to protect the college community with progressive discipline following.
To anonymously report violations of the mandatory face-coverings or other requirements in this return to campus document to the Department of Administration and Finance and the Department of Human Resources, please use the follow link: http://www.lehman.edu/lehman-campus/index.php
Facility Protocols: Hygiene, cleaning & disinfecting: Responsible party: Facilities/Buildings & Grounds

B&G Custodial Staff are on campus preparing for the return of staff and faculty. Below is a summary of the cleaning protocol.
B&G custodial staff are cleaning and disinfecting on a daily basis using an EPA registered anti-viral disinfectant.
Daily logging and reporting of cleaning and disinfection
Hand sanitizer stations are located at building entrances and high traffic areas as well as elevator lobbies on each floor of every occupied building.
Public Areas

All floors are being stripped, waxed and disinfected over the summer. Public area floors are disinfected daily. All high touch surfaces in public areas are cleaned and disinfected twice daily including:

door pulls/knobs
elevator panels/buttons
stair handrails
bathrooms
drinking fountains
outdoor tables and chairs

Offices

All hard surface office floors are being stripped, waxed and disinfected over the summer. All office carpeted floors are being shampooed over the summer.
Office door hardware disinfected daily.

B&G staff do not clean personal items or phones and computers. Phones and computers are cleaned by individuals or by IT staff. Hand sanitizer wipes will be provided by B&G for office use. IT has alcohol wipes for use on keyboards.
Bathrooms

Bathrooms in occupied areas are cleaned and disinfected twice a day. C-fold paper towels will be placed in bathrooms in occupied areas. Bathrooms in unoccupied areas are cleaned and disinfected daily.

Instructional Spaces

B&G Custodial staff began regular disinfection of classroom and Laboratory high touch surfaces and floors in March before the campus closed to non-essential staff. Over the summer all classroom and laboratory floors are being stripped waxed and disinfected. All surfaces in instructional spaces will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected again before use.

Mechanical Equipment:

All air handlers have been power washed, disinfected and filters changed. Occupied spaces with central mechanical systems have had the outside dampers set to allow the maximum intake of outside air.
Verify all bathroom exhaust fans are fully operational.

Maintain HVAC systems operational continuously in occupied spaces.Changes

The current protocol varies from pre-COVID19 cleaning protocol in the following ways:

The number and types of surfaces that are cleaned and disinfected, as opposed to just cleaned, and the frequency with which high touch surfaces are cleaned/disinfected.
The high percentage of cleaning staff per occupied area allows for more intensive and repeated cleaning.

Hygiene, Cleaning and Disinfection: response to suspected or confirmed exposure or positive COVID test:

Upon notification from the COVID Coordinator, Facilities to immediately close and lock space
Clean and disinfect all bathrooms and adjacent spaces, hallways, lobbies and high touch surfaces
Follow CDC guidelines:

wait 24 hours before entering space to clean and disinfect

Preparedness: Responsible Parties: Departmental Directors, Chairs and Managers

Determine if all staff have what they need to effectively work remotely

Departmental Directors, Chairs and/or Managers to survey staff and report needs to Divisional Vice President or School Dean.
Sourcing and securing adequate supplies: Responsible party: Facilities, B&G, and Purchasing
PPE for everyone on campus

PPE supplies will be delivered to designated locations identified by departments. Supplies must be requested from Facilities via e-mail to robin.auchincloss@lehman.cuny.edu on a weekly basis identify the # of staff, faculty and/or students that will be in a location to quantify PPE needed.
Public Safety has a supply of masks at each open gate to provide to anyone needing.

Hand sanitizer supplies
Disinfecting wipes

Supplies will be delivered to designated locations identified by departments. Supplies must be requested from Facilities via e-mail to robin.auchincloss@lehman.cuny.edu identify the # of staff, faculty and/or students that will be in a location weekly to quantify supplies needed.

Hand soap
Paper hand towels
Disposable keyboard covers and keyboard/devices disinfecting wipes
Plastic screens to separate areas in situations requiring face-to-face interactions or where safe distancing is not possible
Signage
Cleaning and disinfecting supplies
Equipment needed for remote work
Current Inventory of PPE and Cleaning and Disinfecting Supplies: inventor usage and monthly need are shown in the table on the next page.
Purchase orders have been issued to Grainger and other vendors for additional and ongoing supply needs. Inventory and monthly need is shown on the next page.

Communication Plan: Responsible party: Media Relations
Phased return
Safe Social Distancing and Safety
Town Halls, video messaging, handouts and signage and web-page, email and text messages
Reporting procedures
Contact tracing procedures
Repeated communications reminding of the requirement to wear masks or face-coverings in public spaces and all shared spaces, safe social distancing, proper hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting guidelines, cough/sneeze etiquette, stay home if you feel sick, etc., and visits scheduled by appointment only.
Set date/time to be established, dedicated to for at risk populations (faculty, staff & students) requiring services.
List of outside resources – for example, (NYC.gov/covidtest; https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/test-and-trace/ and “NYS Contact Tracing” (518-387-9993).
If the need to close again, utilize the same communication processes/plan.
Signage: Responsible party: Facilities, B&G and Print Shop and Purchasing
Safe Social Distancing Reminders
Elevators – one person per trip
Bathrooms – one person at a time
Shared office space – stagger work schedules to ensure safe distancing
Public spaces – masks or face-coverings must be worn at all times
Hallways, where needed directional signage, and masks or face-coverings must be worn at all times
Safe social distancing markers in common gathering or waiting areas masks or face-coverings must be worn at all time
Signage at hand sanitizer stations, visibly soiled hands should be washed with soap and water, hand sanitizer is not effective on soiled hands.
Hand Washing Reminders – Hand Hygiene
Wear Mask or face covering reminders
Cough/Sneeze Etiquette
If Sick – Stay Home
Cleaning protocols
Wiping down equipment and work surfaces
Install signage at entrances/exits, bathrooms, lobbies, elevators and heavily used areas.
Training: Responsible Party: Environmental Health and Safety - handouts, signage, videos, etc.
How to properly wear a mask or face covering, how to remove a mask or face-covering and how to properly dispose of PPE
Gloves – when and how
Proper hand washing
COVID 19 FAQs
Outline procedures for dealing with infected individuals in the moment
NYS Training
Keeping a safe workspace
Safe social distancing
Cleaning and disinfecting your workspace
Limiting duration of face-to-face interactions
Controlling & Limiting Campus Access and Screening: Responsible party: Public Safety and Designated Screeners: critical to know who is on campus, when and where
Maintain accurate lists of essential staff and non-essential faculty, staff and/or students, visitors and contractors working on campus. Notify Facilities of the location of all individuals on campus.
Limit gates that are opened – Gates 5, 8 & 13 only, manned by Public Safety Officers at all times.
Install card readers at the open gates for contactless check-in to campus for staff, faculty and students.
Screeners must immediately report “Yes” answers to daily screening form to HR and the Campus COVID Coordinator, who will immediately notify the Return to Campus Committee and the Campus COVID Liaison who will immediately notify CUNY SVC for Institutional Affairs and local health officials. HR will follow-up with the employee and take other actions as required.
Secure and implement an app for screening prior to coming to campus – The Public Safety Officer posted at the gate will verify the person has an approved entry. If the app is not in place, utilize electronic or paper screening until the app is procured and implemented.
Screeners will collect and record data – Screeners will provide weekly updates to HR and HR will report the aggregate data to the Return to Campus Committee and to CUNY.
Visitors must be invited, are by appointment only and will pre-screen prior to visit.
Screeners:

Researchers – Dean of Natural and Social Science
B&G – Administrative Superintendent of B&G
Information Technology – AVP of IT and Manager
Public Safety – Highest ranking officer on duty (Sargent or Lieutenant)
Everyone else – Director of Administrative Services

Scheduled use and appointments: Responsible party: IT and Departments. IT to expand use of Q-less system and departments to schedule visits by appointment only for students and other visitors, if in-person services are required (we expect to be mostly remote):
IT Open Center
Bursar
Financial Aid
Registrar
Admissions – Undergraduate and Graduate
Counseling Center
Health Center
Tutoring Center
Contact Tracing – The Campus COVID-19 Task Force established the protocol for reporting community members (faculty, staff and students) and visitors or contractors with exposures or who tested positive after having been on campus. This protocol will remain for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and applies to all phases of reopening.
Designate a Campus COVID Coordinator - VP for Administration and Finance report potential exposure or confirmed illness to:
Screeners must report daily on COVID exposures as reported on the screening questionnaire to the Campus COVID Coordinator who will report to the Coronavirus Campus Liaison and to the Return to Campus Committee.
Campus COVID Managers:

College faculty and staff – Human Resources
Visitors and Contractors – Public Safety and Campus Facilities
Students – Dean of Student Affairs

The College COVID managers must report positive cases and exposures of persons on campus to the College COVID Coordinator who must immediately notify the Campus Coronavirus Liaison, who will notify the CUNY SVC for Institutional Affairs as well as notify and cooperate with State and local health departments with contact tracing efforts, including the notification of potential contacts who had close contact with the individual.

Work with local health departments to trace all contacts of the individual

Reactivate the COVID Response/Implementation Team – Meet weekly online to review procedures and the implementation of the plan to address any issues that come up on a daily basis and to implement the response to a positive case on campus. Include a public health expert in this team.
Reporting:

Bi-weekly, or more frequently as needed, departments with staff or students on campus must report to the campus re-opening committee on status and suggested revisions.
Campus Liaison will report to COO’s office.

Shared office space: Responsible party: Unit Directors, Managers, Chairs

Ensure a minimum 6 ft. distance outdoors and in well ventilated spaces, 10 ft. is preferable indoors, and between personnel, unless safety or core function of the work activity requires a shorter distance. Any time personnel are within 6 ft. of one another, personnel must wear acceptable face coverings. Any time personnel are in a shared office of any size, they must wear acceptable face coverings.
Tightly confined spaces, such as shared office space, will be occupied by only one individual at a time, and occupancy of all offices will be kept at 25% of their maximum capacity. Higher capacities will be allowed as circumstances permit and a record of close compliance is demonstrated. All spaces and occupancies on campus will be limited to a maximum of 25% of normal capacity. It is important to note that Administrative functions will not return to campus, they will remain fully remote for Fall 2020.

Institute staggered work shifts to minimize staff in the office at the same time – based upon the ability to employ safe social distancing – Department directors, managers and/or chairs to determine schedule.
Physical barriers – plastic screens where needed when staff cannot work staggered shifts or maintain safe social distancing.
If needed, relocation to larger spaces, i.e., potential one-stop in the East Dining Room.
Safety Equipment: Responsible party: Facilities, Procurement. Identify location and appropriate type, source, and procure method to safely separate staff in face-to-face interactions or where safe distancing is not possible
Plastic screens
Air flow control or barriers if needed
Face shields
Physical barriers
Tape markings
Signage
Public Spaces: Responsible party: Facilities, B&G. Maintain low density numbers, 25% of maximum capacity and implement safe social distancing, NOTE: only outdoor public spaces will be available for use. Indoor public spaces will remain locked.
Facilities will establish furniture layouts for B&G to arrange furniture to maintain social distancing based upon plans developed by Facilities
Bathrooms - limit the number using the facility at same time through signage and/or blocking off those stalls and lavatories that will not be in use.
Limit the # of persons on elevators to 1 at a time
Foodservice – grab and go, or phone-in/email order for pick up – coordinate with foodservice vendor. After the plan was submitted our vendor advised that they will not be providing foodservice.
Dining rooms and cafeterias will be closed. We will encourage in-office or outdoor seating for meals
Encourage eating outdoors when weather permits. B&G to arrange furniture to maintain safe social distancing of 6’ minimum
Mailroom and Central Receiving: Responsible party: Facilities, B&G, Mailroom & Central Receiving

Install plastic divider at door to mailroom

Deliveries and drop-off – driver to notify receiving and leave packages at the loading dock or if B&G is unloading, driver is to remain in the truck. Current process is delivery company calls receiving and a member of the team goes to the loading dock with a platform truck and the driver passes the boxes to staff. If it is a large delivery (determined once the driver calls Receiving), then the delivery drop box is used to off load packages. Looking to replace with a lockable, secure drop box for contactless delivery.

An existing roll-up gate will be utilized as a pick-up window for those persons who come to retrieve their mail & small packages

Print Shop: Responsible party: Facilities, B&G, Print Shop

Sneeze Guard to be placed on the half-door where staff come to retrieve print jobs

Mobile standing computer workstation with keyboard tray – to maintain 6 – 8ft. distance between each operator – currently operators share one desk
College vehicle use – Responsible Party: Auto Mechanic, B&G, Public Safety. One employee at a time, unless all employees in the same confined space of the vehicle are wearing face coverings. Occupancy must never exceed 50% of the maximum space capacity.

Vehicle to be cleaned and sanitized after each use
Driver to wear gloves

Gatherings: Responsible party: Entire Campus Community
Continue to utilize virtual group events, gatherings or meetings. Limit group size if an in person is required and promote safe social distancing – whenever possible virtual gatherings should be conducted.
Limit non-essential visitors, and activities involving external groups or organizations as much as possible.
Special Consideration Areas/Space: Responsible party: Facilities and User Group. Utilize safe social distancing in areas – Facilities to determine what the maximum occupancy will be in each location. Where possible, delay opening until a later date due to difficulty in maintaining a safe and disinfected environment.
Child Care Center –See Attachment for plan for operation. This Child Care facility has remained open. The operator has been in contact with Sherry Cleary of OAA, who advised that we should submit the plan with the College’s overall plan. Copy of email discussion is included at the end of the plan.
Art Gallery will remain closed through fall 2020.
IT Open Center –Since development of this plan, and because so few classes will be held on campus, the IT Open Center will not open Fall 2020.
Theatres – currently not included in Phase 4 of NYC reopening
Recreational Facilities/APEX – limited use of pool, fitness center and weight room. Currently not included in Phase 4 of NYC reopening.
Performing Arts Center – currently not included in Phase 4 of NYC reopening and will remain closed through fall 2020.
Visitors and Vendors: Responsible party: Public Safety or manager coordinating vendor visit.

Must complete a health screening prior to entering the campus.
Construction teams conducting own screening program per NYC Department of Buildings Requirements and NYS Department of Health guidance documents.

Travel: Responsible party: Offices of the Provost, Student Affairs, Purchasing.

All non-essential university-related international and domestic travel is indefinitely suspended at this time, this includes the suspension of all Spring 2020, Summer 2020 and Fall 2020 study abroad and incoming and outgoing foreign exchange programs.  It also includes all CUNY-sponsored student international travel, and non-credit travel under the auspices of CUNY or any CUNY college or student organization. International travel  in non-CUNY credit-bearing programs  is discouraged. Please know that pursuing these types of programs will be deemed a private undertaking and is not eligible for CUNY’s international travel insurance so students would need to certify they would be responsible for any and all limitations that may be associated with their personal travel insurance and understand that CUNY assumes no responsibility for liabilities resulting from high-risk travel.  Additional information is provided in the  ITG Travel Guidelines.
Quarantine on Return from Authorized and Personal Domestic Travel.
Pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order 202.45, CUNY faculty, staff and students entering New York from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents, or higher than a 10% test positivity rate, over a seven day rolling average, and which the Commissioner of the NYS Department of Health has designated as meeting these conditions as outlined in the advisory issued pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order 205, are required to quarantine for a period of 14 days consistent with NYS Department of Health regulations for quarantine. The requirements of the travel advisory do not apply to any individual passing through designated states for a limited duration (i.e., less than 24 hours) through the course of travel.
New Hires and Visiting Scholars: This also applies to new hires and visiting scholars coming from outside New York. However, short-term visits from states that meet the standard of Executive Order 202.45 should be postponed until further notice, unless they can comply with the 14-day quarantine requirement.

NYC DOE High School Students on Campus – The High School of American Studies and the Celia Cruz High School of Music must submit approved individual and DOE plans. Those plans will be reviewed for consistency with Lehman, CUNY & NYS guidelines. No HS activity on campus will be allowed until approval of their plans is granted.
Protocols
Safe Social Distancing – limiting number of students in one location
High School must develop /conduct screening program as part of reopening plan
DOE & NYCDOHMH guidelines
Bookstore – will remain available on line and will not open for retail operation with customers on campus.
Follett’s COVID-19 Safety Procedures document is used by the store manager to train staff and ensure the campus store is healthy and safe environment. This is for employees of Follett, not Lehman College.
Monitoring
The Chancellery/COO’s Office and the Campus Reopening Committees will monitor a range of internal and external criteria when assessing whether a ramp down or closure of campuses is required.
External monitoring criteria include:

Federal, New York State, and New York City regulatory guidelines and mandates
Infection/health system status at the local, state, regional and nation-wide level.
Status of resources and infrastructure to combat contagion (e.g., PPE, health system capacity, testing and tracing)
Compliance of greater public with COVID-19 protocols (e.g., group gatherings, social distancing)
Reclosing status of neighboring universities.

Internal monitoring criteria includes:

Spread of infection on campus (i.e. via data reported by Campus Coronavirus Liaisons - metrics on current caseload, new flu-like symptoms, spread)
Status of resources and infrastructure to combat contagion on campus (e.g. University health system capacity, PPE resources, Testing & tracing resources)

Internal monitoring will be informed by:

the requirement for students and faculty/staff to complete every day in which they plan to come to campus, the NYS Daily Health Screening Template, or the CUNY screening app when it becomes available.
regular reports of individual COVID-19 exposures on the campus that will be provided by the Campus Coronavirus Liaisons to the Campus Reopening Committee and the SVC for Institutional Advancement.

Campus COVID Coordinator will monitor health conditions using the data described immediately above, and look for warning signs that the number of infections may be increasing unacceptably.
Buildings/areas will be closed in the case of suspected exposure or positive findings. This will allow deep-cleaning and disinfection of the affected buildings, premises or grounds. This should be coupled with tracing followed by notifications to potentially impacted students, faculty and staff, and referral of potentially exposed individuals to City testing sites. Accomodation to the closure would include moving classes to remote learning, or asking employees to work remotely, etc. for the short duration of such limited closures
Be Prepared to Leave (Again): Responsible party: COVID Response/Implementation Team, President’s Cabinet

The COVID Response/Implementation Team will implement the same exit strategy utilized when we left campus in spring, if the exposures or infection rates on campus increase or if the local health situation deteriorates or community spread is occurring on campus. If such a situation appears imminent, the campus will review the available data and consult with the Chancellery/COO’s Office, local/state officials and health authorities to determine whether the campus needs to ramp down.

External: Relevant regulatory guidelines and infection / health system status (e.g. mandates based on CDC/State guidance)
Internal: Infection / health system status on campus (e.g. Spread of infection on campus, Status of resources and infrastructure to combat contagion on campus)
Internal: Adherence on campus (e.g. compliance by students, staff, faculty, and local community members) with campus COVID-related policies and procedures)

Verify faculty and staff have what they need to teach and work remotely
Communicate and execute the re-exit strategy when needed after return and upon Governor’s directive. Communication will be via broadcast email, live briefings, campus-wide notices and posting on the College’s web-page.
Should there be a return of substantial community transmission, the campus community --students, faculty and staff-- should act as if they have been exposed: staying home and monitoring for symptoms. This would require a ramp down or shutdown of CUNY buildings and/or campuses to ensure CUNY does its part to protect the most vulnerable members of the community.