Dear MCDB Colleagues,
As communicated by the Chancellor and Provost, CU is requesting that we facilitate working from home where this is possible, in an effort to mitigate any potential risk from COVID-19.
At this time, the University remains open.
MCDB Executive Committee has met and developed the following policy effective immediately. All of this information and any changes will be posted to the MCDB website:
https://www.colorado.edu/mcdb/coronavirus
University information about coronavirus updates and resources can be found on: https://www.colorado.edu/coronavirus
Please be advised that all faculty, research staff, administrative employees and students showing signs or symptoms of being sick should remain home and contact your medical provider. Our goal is to protect ourselves, our colleagues and our families. University guidance is at the end of this document.
Teaching
- The University is asking that all classes be taught online beginning Monday, March 16.
- Instructors of classes with student enrollments greater than 20 should post recordings of their lectures to Canvas. Lectures can be recorded using PowerPoint, Zoom, Canvas Kaltura or other software, or lecture capture through the University. This may be coupled with a Q&A session to allow students to ask questions (similar to what you would do for office hours below).
- Instructors of classes with student enrollments of 20 or less might also choose to post lecture recordings. Alternatively, lower numbers of students make it feasible for these instructors to arrange live interactive classes using Zoom.
- For office hours, instructors can choose to use the Discussions page in Canvas, though alternatives are possible (such as communications with students by email or telephone).
- Using Canvas, instructors can administer timed (or untimed) exams that involve multiple choice and/or free-response questions.
- Instructors should make a plan for continued work activities of TAs and LAs, while minimizing contact with students.
Research Labs
- Supervisors should talk to their laboratory staff/researchers by Friday to decide what functions can be done remotely, what needs to be done on premise, and the distribution of time between remote and on premise activities.
- At the present time, healthy employees are required to come to work on premise and perform duties that cannot be done from home. Any functions that can be done from home, should be.
- Any dispute between PI/employee over distribution of work sites, please contact Associate Chair Ken Krauter, who will have the final decision.
- Thefts of masks and gloves have been reported, recommend that you secure these items.
Administrative Staff Information / Critical Employees
- Effectively immediately, administrative staff will be working remotely if they are not considered essential personnel (stock room, building facilities).
- A schedule for on-site staff coverage and contact information for all administrative staff will be posted on the main office door and sent to you by email, as well as posted on the website.
MCDB Events cancelled
Essentially all large gatherings are cancelled effective immediately and through the rest of the semester
- MMB
- All Thursday seminars
- Vision Meeting of MCDB faculty (March 18)
- Faculty Chalk Talks
- Pending: Faculty Meeting (TBD)
Graduate Students
- MMB: MMB presentations for the rest of the spring semester are cancelled effective today (March 11), with the following conditions. Presenters for Friday March 13 and subsequent weeks will present their MMB to their thesis committee members during the assigned MMB date/time. This group may use A120 or any other location of their choice, or conduct this meeting remotely by ZOOM or similar at their discretion. If the student already has a thesis committee meeting scheduled to occur within 2 weeks of their MMB date, they may forgo the MMB presentation and have just the thesis committee meeting (see below for more info).
- Students who are taking MMB for credit: They will receive complete and full credit for this term. No further action is required.
- Flash talks: Rotation flash talks for the first year students that was scheduled for April 24 has been cancelled. No further action is required.
- Career Development talk on May 1: the presentation by MCDB alum Heide Chial has been cancelled.
- TA's: Graduate students who are currently TA’s should see the paragraph on Teaching for information on how the COVID-19 response impacts their responsibilities as TA’s. They should contact the faculty instructors of their courses for clarification or additional information.
- Graduate Core: This course will transition to remote learning per Chancellors’ message. The instructors will have final say in the format and will be informing the students directly.
- Thesis committee meetings and thesis defenses: Per Graduate School recommendations, students and their committees are encouraged to meet remotely via Zoom or similar as much as possible. There will be no public thesis defenses until further notice.
Travel
- The campus is suspending all university-funded travel–foreign or domestic.
- Travel sponsors can apply for exceptions to this restriction by filling out the following domestic and international travel exceptions form. The campus will grant permission when the travel serves a significant need, and the risks of travel can be mitigated.
Mandatory isolation due to Illness – sick leave
Under the following circumstances employees will record the time as sick leave:
- individuals with confirmed COVID-19,
- individuals showing symptoms and under investigation of COVID-19,
- for household members, intimate partners, and caregivers in a non-healthcare setting of those individuals identified above
- If the employee begins to show symptoms or is care taking for sick individuals, the employees should record the time as sick leave and is not required to work remotely.
Mandatory isolation due to other factors – work at home or administrative leave
Supervisors should consult with CU Boulder Human Resources, Employee Relations for specific advice. Under the following circumstances employees will record the time as administrative leave:
- Individuals in close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, or
- Individuals returning from certain countries. Per the CDC, stay home for 14 days from the time you left an area with widespread, ongoing community spread (Level 3 Travel Health Notice countries). View the list of the Level 3 Travel Health Notice countries.
Thank you and stay safe!
Lee Niswander
Professor and Chair
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology