Task Force on Fall Semester 2020
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REPORT OF THE TASK FORCE ON FALL SEMESTER 2020 May 27, 2020 Table of Contents page Introduction 3 Ten Overarching Recommendations of 8 the Task Force on Fall Semester 2020 Working Group on Instruction and the 10 Classroom, Lab, and Studio Working Group on Health Maintenance 32 Working Group on the Campus Experience, 52 Alumni, and External Communities Task Force Working Group Members and 94 Community Consultants Introduction Elon University’s Task Force on Fall Semester 2020 held its initial meeting on April 23, 2020 and concluded its initial scope of work in 33 days. Our charge from President Connie Ledoux Book was to 1) provide a comprehen- sive operational plan to conduct a healthy fall semester, employing the residential on-campus instructional model; and 2) recommend alternative operational scenarios and contingency plans if a second wave of infection occurs prior to or during fall semester. The Task Force was comprised of 26 members of the campus community representing a wide variety of roles, perspectives and experiences, including representatives from the Student Government Association, Staff Council, and Academic Council: Haya Ajjan, Associate Professor of Management, Gordon Professor in Entrepreneurship, Director Center for Organizational Analytics and Faculty Administrative Fellow Dan Anderson, Vice President for University Communications Ginette Archinal, Medical Director of Student Health and University Physician John Barnhill, Associate Vice President for University Advancement Kathryn Bennett, Program Coordinator / Program Assistant (Scribe and Administrative Support) Kjirsten Durand-Johnson L’20, Elon University School of Law Peter Felten, Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning, Executive Director of the Center for Engaged Learning, and Professor of History Eleanor Finger, Assistant Vice President for Student Life, Dean of Campus Life Tom Flood, Assistant Vice President of Physical Plant Rochelle Ford, Dean of the School of Communications and Professor of Strategic Communications Steven House, Executive Vice President Jason Kirk, Associate Professor of Political Science and Policy Studies (Academic Council Representative) Susan Kirkland, Associate Vice President for Business and Finance Leo Lambert, President Emeritus and Professor of Education (Chair) Robbie Miley ’21, Executive President of the Student Government Association Paul Miller, Assistant Provost for Academic Operations and Communications, and Professor of Exercise Science Melissa Murfin, Department Chair/Program Director and Associate Professor of Physician Assistant Studies (Academic Council Representative) Patrick Noltemeyer, Chief of Staff, Secretary to the Board of Trustees Jana Lynn Patterson, Associate Vice President for Student Life, Dean of Students Doug Purnell, Database Architect (Staff Council Representative) Kelli Shuman, Associate Vice President for Human Resources Mary Southern, Project Manager for Provost and Academic Affairs Operations (Project Management) Jeff Stein, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships Mike Ward, Deputy Director of Athletics Christopher Waters, Associate Vice President of Information Technology and CIO Randy Williams, Associate Vice President for Inclusive Excellence 3 The Task Force was organized into three Working Groups, each of which produced a major section of this document: 1. The Working Group on Instruction and the Classroom, THE WORKING GROUP Lab, and Studio ON INSTRUCTION AND THE CLASSROOM, 2. The Working Group on Health Maintenance LAB, AND STUDIO 3. The Working Group on The Campus Experience, Alumni, and External Communities Working Groups invited a total of more than 60 student, faculty, staff, and community consultants to join their ranks and add invaluable perspectives and expertise to our deliber- ations. The Task Force is deeply grateful to these consultants for their colleagueship, productivity and creativity during a THE WORKING GROUP time when the very stressful spring semester was reaching its ON HEALTH MAINTENANCE crescendo. A complete list of consultants may be found on page 95 of this report. In addition, the Working Group on Instruction and the Classroom, Lab and Studio held a Campus Conversation on May 13 on WebEx that involved 531 faculty and staff, who contributed additional perspectives on our work. Elon is cooperating with Davidson College, Duke University, and Wake Forest University in sharing our respective plans THE WORKING GROUP for Fall 2020. ON THE CAMPUS EXPERIENCE, ALUMNI, AND Prior to delving into the detailed recommendations of the EXTERNAL COMMUNITIES working groups, this introduction will discuss some key points that shaped our Task Force discussions. Following, ten overarching recommendations are offered that are designed to communicate about Fall 2020 semester in very broad brushstrokes. 4 REPORT OF THE TASK FORCE ON FALL SEMESTER 2020 Key Points We are in the midst of a very dynamic crisis Planning in the era of COVID-19 involves countless unknowns and constantly changing information. Most obviously, the future path of the COVID-19 virus itself is the principal unknown. Even as the Task Force carried out its work, both the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)1 and the American College Health Association (ACHA)2 updated their guidance for reopening colleges and universities. The State of Connecticut has issued statewide guidance for reopening colleges and universities, but most states have yet to do so. The world of COVID-19 testing is evolving day-by-day. The recommendations and plans suggested in this report will necessarily need to be refined and updated throughout the summer to take all of this fluidity into account. Elon University, like all institutions of higher learning, will have to remain nimble and flexible to respond to a constantly shifting landscape. The Task Force is united in its view that Elon should resume on-campus operations this fall The ethos of Elon is that meaningful learning is relational. Among the most important and lasting outcomes of the collegiate experience are the life-transforming relationships students form with peers, faculty, staff, and other significant mentors. Student friend networks offer emotional, intellectual and practical support in negotiating the rigors of college. If there is a single word that defines Elon, that word is “community”—with all of the diversity, vibrancy, richness, support, and constant intellectual stimulation that is built into its meaning. Great teaching and meaningful learning are often characterized by spontaneity and unplanned moments. In-person interactions enable us to respond to our fellow human beings with compassion and affection, which are essential elements of healthy living. For all of these reasons, and many more, we want to reassemble our cherished campus community. We also fully understand that despite our heartfelt desires and extraordinary efforts to reopen the campus, achieving that goal might not be possible because of a major resurgence of the COVID-19 virus locally or nationally. Thus, Elon needs a back-up plan. The Task Force is therefore simultaneously recommending that Elon University faculty and staff prepare to offer the highest quality, engaged, relationship-rich, and largely synchronous courses using remote instruction methods, if absolutely required, to continue the instructional program. To fail to plan in this regard would be imprudent. The Task Force has received heartfelt, reasoned communication from those who believe the safest alternative is for Elon to operate remotely in the fall and to make that decision now. But we believe the goal of resuming on-campus operations can be achieved with a great number of modifications to the campus and daily operations and a pervasive culture of care for others. A university culture of care is our most powerful weapon against COVID-19 The success of Elon’s plan to regather the community on campus hinges on our success in creating a deep and consistent culture of care for every member of the community. We must be diligent—in every hour of every day and in each personal decision we make—to safeguard our own health and the health of others. Elon’s Honor Code must be the foundation of Fall 2020. We must practice integrity in daily living. We must show constant respect for others. We must take responsibility for ourselves, for others, and for the health of the Elon community, because human lives are so intimately connected on a residential campus. Thoughtless and selfish behaviors will threaten the health of other Elon community members, some of whom are vulnerable because of their age or preexisting medical status. Employees may endanger students and colleagues if 1 “Considerations for Institutions of Higher Education” 5 2 “Guidelines for Reopening Institutions of Higher Education in the COVID-19 Era” REPORT OF THE TASK FORCE ON FALL SEMESTER 2020 they come into work when they or members of their household have COVID-19 symptoms. Students who engage in social behaviors that have long been part of the college experience, such as large parties, could spark a widespread outbreak of COVID-19. To those who plan to return to Elon and behave as if they live in a pre-COVID world, the Task Force has a simple message: please stay home. To be responsible members of the Elon University community in Fall 2020, students, faculty, and staff must agree to place the health of others first. That is simply the best way to protect our own personal health and well-being. Finally, members of the Elon family who are not on campus often—such