Provost Bouchard provided additional clarity around teaching modalities, COVID-19 protocols, and what they mean for the classroom experience. Please note that this communication was updated on September 1, 2021, and thus supersedes prior protocols published.
Teaching Modalities:
We have fully returned to in-person instruction, with protocols in place to slow the spread of COVID-19. Currently, there are no plans for hybrid and/or online instruction.
Anyone who has not submitted proof of vaccine is required to submit a declaration of declination form and continue twice per week COVID-19 testing; once per week testing is allowed only for those faculty, students, staff who only access campus 1 day a week for work or classes.
When proof of vaccination is submitted, the menu includes all international vaccines that are acceptable under our policy. If you have received a vaccine that is not on the list, please contact Student Health Center for advice.
Faculty and students should get to the testing center at least an hour before they need to access campus, so that they can make sure to have time to get tested and get their result before accessing campus.
COVID testing is available for those who are vaccinated, when needed.
Face Coverings
Everyone on campus is required to wear face coverings in all indoor facilities on both Chapman campuses (Orange and Rinker), unless alone in a private office or room with the door closed, or while actively eating or drinking.
Face coverings are also strongly recommended while attending large gatherings outdoors and required for outdoor gatherings larger than 1,000.
If face coverings cannot be worn, face shields can be provided to faculty through a request to Facilities Management. Students with disability needs that might limit their ability to comply with any of the above measures should contact Disability Services at ds@chapman.edu.
Current COVID-19 guidelines do not require social distancing indoors.
Facilities staff clean each classroom three times per day. Hand sanitizer stations have been set up in all classrooms. If stations are empty, kindly contact Facilities Management at ashman-racquel@aramark.com or chavezpinto-veronica@aramark.com.
Please wipe down all surfaces you used in the classroom after usage, using the disinfectants wipes available in the classroom.
We also strongly recommend you ask students to wipe down all surfaces, including classroom desks and chairs, before and after usage using the disinfectants available in the classroom.
Faculty Illness
If faculty suspects they might have been exposed to COVID-19 prior to their scheduled class, they should be tested immediately and wait for the test results before coming to class. If they are going to be late or need to cancel class, they should send notifications to all relevant parties (e.g., Deans, Chairs, students, etc.) just as they do in all other circumstances where they might be late or need to cancel class at the last minute.
If faculty tests positive for COVID-19, the condition will be treated like any other sickness and whatever arrangement for notifications of class cancellations are customary in the Colleges and Schools should take place. There is no prescribed method of alternate instruction and individual faculty will decide how to offer it. The only obligation is that they offer alternate instruction. This does not mean that faculty who test positive will relinquish in-person instruction for the duration of the term. It simply means that, if faculty test positive, they have a choice over their preferred method of alternate instruction for the duration of their ailment only.
Student Illness
If a student suspects that they might have been exposed, they should go to Student Health Services and be tested immediately. They should wait for the results at the testing center before coming on campus. Faculty are strongly encouraged to be flexible with students’ absence or lateness due to a student having to wait for a test result.
If a student tests positive for COVID-19 or needs to quarantine due to being a close contact, they should make sure to get a form from the Student Health Center that excuses them from attending class during the duration of their condition. Students must provide this documentation to their professors, so that the professor knows it is an excused absence.
If a student tests positive or needs to quarantine due to being a close contact, the student should notify their professor so that the professor can make arrangements for the student to keep up with the class.
If a student was not notified by the Chapman contact tracing team that they were in close contact with a COVID-19 case, but they feel the need to miss class until they can get tested, the student should contact the Dean of Students for approval to miss class.
Faculty are under no obligation to accommodate a student who does not have an excused absence form from the Health Center. However, if the student says they received approval from the Dean of Students to miss class, the faculty member can reach out to the Dean of Students for confirmation and consider it an excused absence if confirmation is received.
Possible Faculty/Student Scenarios
When faculty are notified by students of possible COVID-19 exposure they are asked to do the following:
Inform students to get tested immediately at the Student Health Center and wait at the Health Center for results rather than coming back to class.
Be flexible with students’ attendance and/or lateness because of testing purposes.
Arrange for students to stay current with the materials.
When students are notified of a positive COVID-19 infection the following will take place:
Contract Tracers will:
Contact the student to determine the infectious period, where on campus the student has been and which students, staff, and faculty they have been in contact with during that time.
Contact tracers will request the class roster from the faculty member but will not identify the student’s identity.
Faculty should wait for verification from the contract tracer before announcing the positive case to the class.
Once the student’s locations and contacts on campus have been determined, a potential exposure notification is issued to all staff, faculty, and student employees in compliance with California Assembly Bill 685 (within the Daily Health Screening email and the updated COVID dashboard).
If the student were known to be in campus classrooms or other campus communal spaces, a low-exposure notice is sent out to students and faculty who have been in those locations with instructions on what to do.
Additionally, close contacts (those who were in the same building, closer than 6-feet apart, for at least 15-minutes) are contacted by contact tracers and may be asked questions about vaccination status and symptoms.
Unvaccinated individuals are required to follow quarantine protocols; no action is required of vaccinated individuals who receive a low-exposure notification unless they develop symptoms.
A student reported a COVID-19 exposure to a faculty member, but the faculty member is unsure if it is legitimate:
If a student self-reports a need to isolate, you can request they produce the documentation they have been provided by Student Health, which includes a quarantine timeline. If they cannot produce it, they should not be excused from class.
Student requests for exceptions to the COVID-19 protocols, such as remote or hybrid instruction and other accommodations, should be directed to Disability Services at ds@chapman.edu. Faculty do not process such requests.
Students with medical or disability needs that might limit their ability to comply with the face covering requirement or other COVID-19 protocols, should contact Disability Services at ds@chapman.edu.
Faculty and staff cannot ask students if they are vaccinated, as this infringes on personal health information. Faculty may ask for the “Cleared” status email, or proof via the chapman.edu/amiclear website.
It is possible that a student has an accommodation that provides a variance to a university policy or protocol, has forgotten to bring a face covering or is unaware of a COVID-19 requirement. In the rare instance of a student without an accommodation refusing to comply, there could be several options. For example, faculty could declare a 5-minute break and speak to the student, encouraging them to follow the classroom behavior policy. If no resolution is achieved, faculty should immediately report the matter to the Dean of Students who can provide advice and support. Faculty are also able to contact Public Safety to intervene.
Faculty are encouraged to include a statement in their syllabi describing the current requirements listed above and reminding students of the Student Conduct Code, particularly page 11-12, which prohibits the following:
“Any activity that interferes with the normal operation of the University or infringes on the safety of other members of the University community including obstructing an academic class or lecture, administrative support function or university event […] Engaging in classroom conduct prohibited by the faculty member or in violation of law or University policy is also prohibited.”
Accommodations
Is there an exemption from mandatory testing requirements for those who have an approved vaccination exemption?
No. Chapman University requires all non-vaccinated faculty, staff and students to receive a negative COVID-19 test twice per week to maintain access to campus facilities at both Orange and Rinker campuses.
Staff and faculty seeking accommodations for medical conditions or religious beliefs should contact the Office of Human Resources to discuss options by emailing accommodations@chapman.edu.
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This information will be monitored and evaluated as updates to state and local health agency guidelines become available.
Learn about the safety guidelines, testing procedures and vaccine resources for both Chapman University and Orange County. Guidelines for keeping healthy are based upon recommendations from the CDC and local health authorities. By working together and following these guidelines, we can help protect the health of everyone on campus and in our community.
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