Dear Colleagues,
Washington State University has recently loosened several of its COVID-19 protocols in response to new state guidance, reducing case numbers, and the widespread availability and use of vaccines.
I wanted to highlight some of these changes and how they may affect each of you.
- Daily attestation no longer required. For those who have been coming to campus regularly, the pre-arrival ritual of completing an attestation has been eliminated.
- Vaccination attestation is now required. Those who attest to being fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will be allowed to forgo face masks and physical distancing at all University locations. Any employee who hasn’t completed the vaccination attestation will be required to wear a face mask and maintain 6-foot physical distancing from others when on a WSU campus. Here’s where to find the vaccination attestation in Workday.
- “Staged return to on-site research, scholarship, and creative activities guidance” has been discontinued. This effectively ends all restrictions and Covid-based regulations involving research.
- Voiland College-Pullman employees supported by state funding should resume working at their WSU work location on or before July 12. Any Voiland College employee is welcome to resume on-campus work prior to July 12 as all restrictions on doing so have now been lifted. Please note that campus buildings will remain locked and custodial operations will be limited through July 12, 2021.
- Looking ahead to fall semester course instruction, WSU-Pullman is transitioning to allow all courses to be taught in a fully face-to-face mode. This reverses the prior restrictions on classes of over 100 and brings us one step closer to normalcy. For those of you teaching a course of more than 100 students, this means you’ll meeting your students in a classroom rather than via zoom. Implementation of this policy may result in classroom location changes for some. Be sure to double check your classroom assignments as we get closer to the start of the fall term.
- Most restrictions on work-related travel have been lifted. You may resume work-related travel following our pre-Covid processes and policies. If you’re planning on traveling with groups of students, some restrictions still apply. For these cases, please contact Dar Neunherz for support.
As we pivot to this in-person campus experience, look for more direction from WSU and Voiland College leadership and talk with your supervisor about how these changes may affect how you and your unit provides service to students, staff, faculty, and our community as a whole.
If you have questions, please reach out to one of the following:
- Returning to on-campus work: Your Supervisor.
- Research activities: VCEA Associate Dean for Research, David Field.
- Workplace safety, including WSU’s COVID-19 policies: VCEA COVID-19 Response Coordinator, Darlene Neunherz.
- WSU’s workplace policies: Human Resource Services, hrs@wsu.edu or by calling 509‑335‑4521.
Answers to additional Covid-related questions may be found in the updated Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture’s Return to Work Location Distancing and Disinfection Plan for SARS-CoV2 and COVID19.
Finally, I look forward to seeing you at the next VCEA Town Hall at 1 pm on Thursday, June 24, where we will discuss the workplace transition and other important matters. We’ll attempt to answer any questions you may have.
If you have other topics you would like discussed at this or future town halls, please submit them by June 21.
Go Cougs!
Mary Rezac
Dean, Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
Washington State University
Email: mary.rezac@wsu.edu
Phone: 509-335-5593