Planning For a Safe & Productive FALL 2021 SEMESTER

Testing

Currently, the college does not plan to require testing of students or employees before arriving on campus. Your temperature will be taken by security upon entering the campus facility.  We will require testing (see below) when symptoms occur or when there is significant “close contact” with a positive tested community member. Close contact is defined as between individuals beyond fifteen minutes without social distancing or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).  Additionally, presently the college will not require students to quarantine upon arrival from other states or countries, as the college has no means to verify or enforce such a requirement.

What to pack

Please bring with you: facial coverings (more than one) hand sanitizer (check for recommended ingredients); thermometers, and sanitizing wipes if possible.

Orientation this year will look a little different and we appreciate your patience. We will employ a remote model of on campus? content.  Students will be receiving an invitation to our online orientation.  We will advise all students via your ASA e-mail as to date and time of your orientation. The orientation will include video conferencing using popular applications, as well as participation in a short course on Blackboard Learn™ (ASA’s Learning Management System).

Protocols will evolve over time and will ultimately reflect specific building nuances.

• All occupants must wear a mask or other face covering at all times when in the building.
• Entrance into buildings will be limited to one (or two, as appropriate) locations. Those entrances will be marked and monitored to ensure only appropriate people are in the building.
• At the current time we will take the temperature of people entering buildings. You must stop and review the posted self-health assessment protocols. If you are comfortable that you are not a health risk to others based on those protocols, you can enter the building. If you are not comfortable that you meet the protocols, you should:
  • Return home and consult your personal physician and your ASA advisor or HR (for employees). Stay at home for fourteen days or until you get clearance from your physician.
  • You must stay home for at least fourteen days. While at home you should confirm whether you have a fever. You may access all courses remotely while you are at home.
• Once in the building, please follow the posted information focused on Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), New York State and City established COVID-19 public health guidelines. The information includes reminders on physical distancing, hand washing and the use of face coverings.
• No activities should occur in campus buildings that do not require a physical presence.
• All group meetings, one-on-one meetings and other “gatherings” (work-related or social) should be done remotely through Zoom, MS Teams, Blackboard Collaborate or Skype for Business video conferencing.

• Movement in the building:
  • Occupants should move quickly and efficiently through the building and observe all distancing guidelines while passing in hallways.
  • Occupants should only be in common areas and corridors when absolutely necessary.
  • Stairwells should be used when possible instead of elevators
  • Only the designated number of individuals should be on an elevator at a time. Please observe distancing guidelines while waiting for elevators.
  • All building occupants must wear a face covering at all times.
  • At this time, all common areas (lounge and lobby areas) will be closed and not available for student use. All offices, elevators, classrooms and labs will be arranged for social distancing and must be left in place. Additionally, staff and students should observe the following social distancing guidelines:
    • No congregating common areas
    • Wearing a mask is required at all times
      • Staff and students must wear a mask for indoor classroom activities, and official gatherings, appointments, and meetings.
    • Maintain 6 feet distance between all individuals
      • We are modifying shared spaces including classrooms and other building spaces with staggered seating and adding some physical barriers to allow people to operate in the workplace while still maintaining a healthy physical distance from colleagues, community members and visitors.

• • To ensure proper distancing while attending classes, planned occupancy will be scheduled and monitored.
  • No visitors are allowed in buildings unless approved by management personnel.
  • All occupants must be out of the building between 10pm and 7am to allow for thorough sanitation or sterilization or disinfectant cleaning by the Custodial team.
  • Hand sanitizing stations will be at each authorized building entrance, as well as main corridors. Additional hand sanitizing stations may be added as supplies become available.
  • A custodian will clean high-touch areas throughout the day.
  • Trash cans will be placed outside restrooms where possible, so after washing your hands you can use a paper towel to open the door and dispose of it in the trash can.
  • In the event of a confirmed or suspected positive case of COVID-19, the Custodial team will deep clean the appropriate location, along with other spaces as needed
  • For the fall semester, all dormitories will remain closed until further notice.

• Hand sanitizing stations will be at each authorized building entrance, as well as in all main corridors. Additional hand sanitizing stations may be added as supplies become available.
• Our maintenance staff is implementing cleaning procedures in line with industry standards and CDC guidance. Maintenance staff cleans and sanitizes all bathrooms, multiple times each day.  Protocols for bathroom use must be followed.
• We will disinfect common areas more frequently
• In addition, we are analyzing the feasibility of other sanitizing enhancements including HVAC system filters and UV lighting.

• If any member in our community experiences COVID symptoms he/she must immediately advise the designated staff member (contact information will be posted around campus).
• Staff member will contact all students and staff (contact tracing) and advise them that they have been in contact with the infected individual. Everyone must leave the building and self-quarantine.
• After 3 days, they must go for a COVID test. If they test negative, they must wait an additional 3 days and take a second COVID test.  If this test also proves negative, they can return to work.  Both test results must be given to HR.
• If the individual tests positive, the employee /or student must self-quarantine for 14 days. After, they must go for a COVID test. If they test negative, they must wait an additional 3 days and take a second COVID test.  If this test also proves negative, they can return to school or work.  Both test results must be given to HR.
• ASA will initiate contact tracing efforts to determine if other building occupants should also self-quarantine.
• Employees/or students who test positive will be allowed back to work only after providing documentation of clearance from their personal physician and have tested negative 2 times.

• All employees/and students are expected to follow building safety protocols.
• Any employee/ and students who are identified by the building manager or a fellow employee/student for not following safety rules will be reminded in writing by the appropriate administrative leader of their responsibility to abide by safety rules.
• Upon a second notification to the same employee/student, access to the building will be revoked until cleared to return by HR, in the case of an employee, or Provost, Academic Dean or the President, in the case of a student.
• A third violation by the same employee/student will be considered a conduct issue and subject to progressive discipline per ASA policy.

Some buildings will have designated entrance and exit points as well as traffic flow requirements to mitigate the close contact of community members. All students, faculty and staff are asked to follow these directions closely.

The college will remind the community of new cleaning standards, capacity protocols, masking, and social distancing reminders with strategically placed signage. These will be consistent cues to community members and guests that the well-being of our community depends on our individual responsibilities.

Wherever possible and necessary, academic spaces will maintain appropriate social distancing guided by current local and state mandates. The classroom seating has been modified to accommodate this.   For Fall 2020, a combination of a mostly remote teaching and a small percentage of hybrid format will be used.  Technology has been upgraded to facilitate the delivery of synchronous and asynchronous instruction.

Students, faculty and staff are all a vital part of our ASA College community.  It is of upmost importance that each of us attends to the needs and health of everyone in our community while showing respect and care for those concerned about the transmission of the Coronavirus.

As a vital member of our community, it is important that we honor commitments to one another for the good of each person and to the continued thriving of ASA College. Thus, we encourage the following to ensure a safe and healthy environment:

•     A commitment to follow appropriate hygiene practices
•     A commitment to social/physical distancing in various settings
•     A commitment to abide by requests to utilize masks
•     A commitment to continual self-monitoring for health

Community members who have personal circumstances that place them or other members of their family at risk please contact your student advisor or a member of Human Resources

As students complete their academic requirements through online and alternative education, and many faculty and staff work remotely to prevent the spread of COVID-19, ASA College continues to take precautions to ensure the health and well-being of its campus community in response to the global novel coronavirus pandemic.

Many of those helping to ensure that campus is safe are Facilities staff members working to clean and disinfect the places and spaces used daily by the ASA community. ASA is taking precautions and being proactive.

Facility’s staff are cleaning areas following their normal protocols for each type of space, followed by application of the disinfectant cleaning products that meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) criteria for use against COVID-19.

Facility employees will be required to wear a cloth face covering in all ASA’s buildings and will require to maintain a physical distancing of at least 6 feet when possible.

Cleaning Information

Facility Department has identified the following priority spaces to be cleaned and disinfected more

frequently due to their location in high-traffic areas and spaces where large groups of people congregate:

• Restrooms
• Lobbies, lounges and hallways
• Classrooms, conference rooms, labs
• Private offices

Cleaning will include:

• Classrooms/Computer and other Lab/Conference Rooms/Offices
• Desks. Note that Facility Staff can only clean cleared desk surfaces. We strongly encourage occupants to keep clear desk surfaces.
• Table tops
• Door handles/knobs
• Light Switches
• Dispensers
• Bathroom handles, toilet flushes, sinks and faucets
• Toilet seats

Please Note: Upon the launch of virtual classes sand working from home, Facility Department executed intensive decontamination process in all ASA’s buildings, in classroom, conference room, lounges, restrooms, labs, lobbies, hallways, etc.

ASA College is working with vendors to maintain EPA recommended products and continue this cleaning schedule moving forward.