Virginia Military Institute
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UNCLASSIFIED Institute Operations Plan AY 2020-21 #1 Fall 2020 Return to Post & In-Person Classes Prepared by: COVID-19 Planning Committee Revised 22 July 2020 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED Summary of Changes Date of Change Section Synopsis of Change 09 July 2020 APPENDIX1: Custodial teams, not academic departments, are Academic Program responsible for inventory of cleaning supplies in academic areas. 09 July 2020 ANNEX C: Tab H Priorities, safety measures, and training programs added for NROTC. 22 July 2020 Base Operations Plan Contact information and procedures added for reaching local health department. Also, updates were added regarding committees meeting regularly to establish local and regional coordination for reopning and coordination. 22 July 2020 Annex C: Tab M: Signage and training provided for cadets upon Barracks Operations arrival. Cadets are responsible for cleaning their own rooms. VMI Lexington, VA 02 July 2020 VMI OPLAN AY 2020-21 #1 1. Attached is VMI OPLAN AY 2020-21 #1. This plan describes how VMI will operate during Fall Semester 2020 while COVID-19 remains a threat. 2. This document is intended to be distributed and read electronically. For ease of navigation, the Table of Contents contains bookmarks that will take the reader to the numerous sections of the OPLAN and back. Simply click on the section (Annex, Appendix, or Tab) to go to that section. At the end of each section on the right-hand margin, there is a hyperlink labeled Table of Contents. Clicking this link will take the reader back to the Table of Contents where they can select any other portion of the OPLAN to read. FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT J. P. Inman Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired) Chief of Staff ii UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED TABLE OF CONTENTS Base Operations Plan 1 ANNEX C – Operations 15 APPENDIX 1 – Academic Program 17 TAB A: Academic Exceptions due to COVID-19 22 TAB B: Fall 2020 Academic Support Programs 27 APPENDIX 2 – Cadet Life 30 TAB A: Return to School 33 TAB B: Early Return Calendar 34 TAB C: “Typical Week” Training Schedule 35 TAB D: Meal Formations 37 TAB E. Other Formations 40 TAB F: Rat Training 42 TAB G: Cadet Judicial Proceedings 44 TAB H: ROTC Events 45 TAB I: Commandant’s Training Time 47 TAB J: Physical Training 49 TAB L: VFT 52 TAB M: Barracks Operations 56 TAB N: Commandant Office Interactions 62 TAB O: Religious Services 63 APPENDIX 3 – NCAA Activities 65 APPENDIX 4 – Matriculation Plan 69 APPENDIX 5 – GO # 1 (Revised for COVID-19) 72 APPENDIX 6 – Decision Support Matrix 73 APPENDIX 7 – Shut Down Plan 77 ANNEX D – Administration and Logistics (Finance, Administration, & Support) 82 APPENDIX 1 – Auxiliary Services Operations 84 TAB A: Armory Operations 89 TAB B: Barbershop Operations 90 TAB C: Bookstore Operations 91 TAB D: Food Service Operations 92 TAB E: Laundry Operations 97 TAB F: Military Store, QMD, & Tailor Shop Operations 98 APPENDIX 2 – Human Resources Operations 101 APPENDIX 3 – Library Operations 113 TAB A: VMI Employees Return to Workplace Guidelines 105 APPENDIX 4 – Physical Plant General Operations 116 APPENDIX 5 – Physical Plant Custodial Operations 120 APPENDIX 6 – VMI Police Operations 125 ANNEX F – Communications & Marketing 130 ANNEX K – Information Technology 132 ANNEX L – VMI Emergency Management and Interagency Coordination 134 ANNEX Q – Medical Services 136 iii UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED APPENDIX 1 (Reception and Repopulation Plan) 139 APPENDIX 2 (Center for Cadet Counseling & Office of Disabilities Services) 148 ANNEX R – Reports 151 COVID-19 Prevention Training 152 iv UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED Copy Number #1 Office of the Superintendent Lexington, VA 02 July 2020 OPERATION PLAN: VMI Fall 2020 Return to Post and In-Person Classes 1. Situation. a. General. COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that seemingly spreads easily and sustainably throughout affected communities. Originally labeled a novel coronavirus infection when discovered in December 2019, it spread rapidly from its point of original and by 11 March 2020 had been declared a global pandemic. COVID-19 will impact VMI operations during the Fall 2020 semester and perhaps beyond. Since it is a novel (new) coronavirus, there are a number of unknowns associated with COVID-19 that will drive our operations going forward. For instance, we do not know how long it will last, whether warmer weather will lessen its impact, whether people who have had the disease can be infected again and if they do contract it again, are they contagious, to include just a few. Additionally, as a new virus, guidance related to slowing the spread, how to treat it, and how to eventually defeat it continues to evolve as public health officials and scientists continue to collect and analyze data. Finally, public health experts believe the risk of subsequent waves of infection remains we are able to develop sufficient immunity through vaccination or actual infection and recovery. Therefore, flexibility and adaptability are the baseline requirements for a successful academic year. VMI will resume on-Post academic instruction and Corps activities in Fall 2020. However, ensuring the health and safety of the entire VMI community while operating in a COVID-19 environment requires modifications to virtually all aspects of the VMI experience. This OPLAN establishes the policies, procedures, and standards that will be implemented immediately to ensure success. It presumes a requirement to start the semester implementing social distancing requirements and the wearing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), specifically facial coverings in compliance with executive orders and other best practices. Relaxing those precautionary measures will occur as conditions permit. Virginia’s Governor and the State Council on Higher Education recognize VMI’s unique educational model. Therefore, they have directed VMI and other public and private colleges and universities in the state to develop reopening plans specific to their unique characteristics and settings within a broad framework of guidance. Specifically, our plan must address repopulating the Post, monitoring health conditions to detect infection; containing the disease when detected; and shutting down if necessary. While we have been given the latitude to build a plan unique to VMI, this will not be a “typical” academic year at VMI. Our experiences with the recently completed Spring ’20 semester and the planning efforts of the COVID-19 Planning Committee puts us in an excellent position to execute a successful academic year in a unique and challenging operating environment. 1 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED 1) Constraints, Restraints, & Limitations from the Commonwealth of Virginia Higher Education Reopening Guidance. a) Constraints (Must do). (1) Must be in at least Phase II under the Forward Virginia Blueprint which reflects positive trends in public health data. (2) Through coordination with our interagency partners, we must ensure adequate regional surge health care capacity. (3) Must foster a culture of compliance within the VMI Community. b) Limitations. (1) COVID-19 testing kits. (2) Contact tracing software. b. Risk. Across the nation, the recovery rate among young adults infected with COVID-19 remains very high (> 95%). Therefore, based on currently available information and clinical expertise, the at-risk population for severe illness from COVID-19 in our Return to Post Plan are our senior faculty, staff, employees, local community members (65 years of age or older) people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions, and individuals living in a household with someone with an underlying health condition. 1) Underlying medical conditions: a) Chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma; b) Serious heart conditions; c) Immunocompromised. Many conditions can cause a person to be immunocompromised, including cancer treatment, smoking, bone marrow or organ transplantation, immune deficiencies, poorly controlled HIV or AIDS, and prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening medications; d) Severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥40); e) Diabetes; f) Chronic kidney disease with undergoing dialysis; g) Liver disease. c. Specific Areas of Concern 1) Barracks. We must be very careful not to adopt a business as usual approach in Barracks this academic year. While it is reasonable to consider roommates as “members of the same household,” it is not similarly reasonable to consider the entire Corps of Cadets as members of the same household. The Corps of Cadets as a whole interacts daily on intentional and unintentional basis with people who do not live in the barracks and share the same space: for instance, faculty, staff, employees, athletes, the local community, and contractors working on Post. Therefore, adherence to public health protocols designed to reduce or impede the spread of COVID-19 must be adhered to in the Barracks. These protocols will require the wearing of facial coverings outside of assigned rooms, restricted visiting of other cadet rooms, elimination of large stoop gatherings, controlled lavatory and shower access, as well as frequent cleaning and sanitization of those same areas. The specifics of Barracks Life are spelled out in TAB M (Barracks Operations) to APPENDIX 2 (Cadet Life) to ANNEX C (Operations) and will help mitigate these concerns. 2) Classrooms. There is a known portion of our faculty and staff that are members of the high risk category based on their age. Additionally, there may also be members 2 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED of the faculty, staff, and Corps of Cadets who – unbeknownst