The faculty and staff at Rockford University are excited to welcome students back in the fall, and today we are sharing our plans to offer our exceptional educational experience assuming Illinois Phase 4 guidelines (https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/restore-illinois-phase-4) will be in place. To protect the health and safety of the RU family while following recommended guidelines, we will be offering a blended curriculum that enables in-person, on-campus learning while adhering to social distancing guidelines and providing a safe and clean environment for our community. 

All classes will be designed with a hybrid approach using virtual and in-person instruction. This will allow a variety of classes to meet face-to-face while simultaneously employing current technologies, fully utilizing classroom space, and accommodating those students, faculty, and staff who find themselves in a vulnerable class in regards to Covid-19. Moreover, such preparation, in the unlikely event, we find ourselves back in Illinois Phase 3, will leave all classes well prepared to respond with fully online programs.  Indeed, our faculty and staff have been planning to ensure your experience is positive and personal – no matter the learning environment.

There also will be changes to the academic calendar to better accommodate a safe environment for our students.  We will begin the semester as planned on August 19^th, but we will not have the traditional 3-day fall break. The final day of the regular semester will be November 24^th, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Final exams will occur online the week after Thanksgiving. This schedule change allows you to return home before Thanksgiving and complete final exams online, so you do not need to return to campus; however, it is important to note that residence halls will be available for students who wish or need to return to campus.  In addition, further communication regarding residential and student life will be coming out next week.

Regardless if you find yourself in the traditional undergraduate program, if you are living on campus or commuting, if you are enrolled in the adult degree completion program, or one of our graduate programs, please know that these guidelines and safety measures apply to all of our students.  We are aware that the demands, needs, and schedules of these various programs differ, and the policies and procedures we develop in the coming months will make sure to not only take those issues into account, but we will also make sure the appropriate communication reaches each of our students. 

We are still actively planning and working through many details and possibilities. With so many uncertainties, we recognize you may have questions as the fall semester approaches.  Over the next two months, faculty and staff will be working out details regarding our fall curriculum insofar as various modes of delivery, location of classes, and concrete safety protocols.  Moreover, we are actively monitoring recommendations and guidelines from local, state, and national officials, and designing responses with our students, faculty, staff, and partners in higher education.

Our top priority is to deliver the Rockford University experience to our students with all precautions and measures to keep our campus community safe and healthy. We understand and anticipate that some of these plans may need to evolve based on changing circumstances. If and when they do, we’re prepared to respond and keep you informed.

Michael Perry, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Associate Professor of English
Rockford University

The Provost, Registrar, Academic Deans and Faculty Officers have been meeting to plan for Fall 2020 semester.  We are finalizing plans which will be communicated to the RU community during the week of June 15-19.  We are developing plans that follow IL Phase IV guidelines as well as Federal, State, and Local health agency recommendations.

Over the past week we have encouraged all faculty to reach out to deans to share ideas/concerns and distributed a survey seeking additional input and assessing levels of confidence from faculty scheduled to teach in the fall.  In addition, in partnership with facilities, we are looking closely at all learning spaces and assessing capacity that allows for proper social distancing.  Finally, we are making sure adequate support systems and trainings are available in regards to remote and hybrid delivery of curriculum if necessary.  

 See additional relevant updates

• Facilities Work Group
• Employee Work Group

This group has been comprised of faculty and staff from Human Resources, Admissions, Lang Health Center, Library and Operations.  The group was responsible for recommending and implementing a phased return to work plan under guidance given by CDC, OSHA, WCHD, IDPH, and CUPA-HR.

The group finalized a return-to-the-workplace under phases III, which went into effect on June 1, 2020.  The highlights of the plan is as follows:

• Intro to returning to the workplace: Prior to coming back to work all employees should take the brief training from Safe Colleges that was sent out today called Corona Awareness.  There will be more trainings that might be required at a future date.
• Phased staffing: VP’s and supervisors will discuss the below phased staffing plan for their departments.  This will include staff and graduate assistants.  Student employees will only be allowed to work in a very limited capacity in key areas.  Faculty can start to return to their offices, but should follow the guidelines attached.
• Alternating Days/Shifts: In  order  to   limit   the  number  of  individuals  and  interactions  among  those  on campus, departments  should   schedule   partial   staffing  on  alternating  Such   schedules will help enable social distancing, especially in areas with large common workspaces.
• Staggered Hours: Supervisors will have the availability to staff hours so that employees report to work at different times.
• Remote Work: Those  who can  work  remotely  to  fulfill   some of their  work  responsibilities may continue to do so to reduce the number of individuals on campus and the potential spread of the  COVID-19    These arrangements, which should be approved by the immediate supervisors, can be done on a full or partial day/week schedule as appropriate.
• Safety practices that are required: Any employee who is reporting to work will need to complete a self-assessment to ensure they do not have any symptoms.  This self-assessment is referenced in the guide. Employees will also need to take their temperature prior to reporting to work.  Any fever great than 100.4 would indicate an employee should not report to work. Face masks must be worn by all employees working on campus when in the presence of others and in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to       maintain (e.g., common workspaces,  meeting  rooms, classrooms, ).  Appropriate use of face masks    is critical in   minimizing risks to others near you.
• Reference handouts: There are many reference materials in the attached guide (pdf).  All employees will be required to read each of these prior to coming back to work.
• Meeting guidelines: All meetings should continue to be held via zoom, if at all possible.  Smaller meetings will be allowed with no more than 4 employees social distancing and wearing masks. Employees should not be congregating in a small space, at any time, without wearing masks.
• Visitors: The University will be open to visitors but in a very limited capacity.  This will include the Athletics and Admissions Departments.  In order to be able to have visitors come to campus, they will need to follow very strict guidelines that will include scheduling (by appointment only) one visitor at a time, having the visitor sign in and out on a log with a telephone number, visitors have to be accompanied by an employee at all times, and each visitor must follow all guidelines, including wearing a face mask and social distancing.
• The campus will remain closed to the public until further notice:  Frisbee golf will remain closed.  The only visitors allowed are those who have scheduled an appointment with the department they will be meeting with.

As phase IV approaches, these guidelines will be updated and communicated to the campus community. Please continue to visit this site for further updates.

This work group has been comprised of staff from Residence Life, the Lang Health Center, Operations, Dining Services, and Custodial.  Their charge has been to examine the delivery of services across each of these areas in light of the Covid-19 situation.  Listed below is an update of their most recent items of discussion and action. 

• Cleaning schedules:
  • Public restrooms: the cleaning frequency will be doubled to twice daily, morning and afternoon.
  • Common restrooms (residence halls): the cleaning frequency will be doubled to twice daily, morning and afternoon.
  • Lounges and other common areas: the cleaning frequency will be doubled to twice daily and will include the sanitizing of high-touch features
  • Classrooms: strategizing as to how to clean desk surfaces between classes
  • Hand sanitizing stations: increasing our number of stations around campus, placing stations at all entry points to residence halls
• Social distancing:
  • Lounges: occupancy and seating reduced to meet Phase IV of Illinois State standards
  • Dining areas: occupancy and seating reduced to meet Phase IV of Illinois State standards
  • Hallway traffic: certain key hallways will be routed as one-way so at to maximize social distancing
• Signage: signage around campus and in residence halls to remind people of social distancing necessities, self-monitoring of health necessities, and where to go for help on any issues/concerns related to Covid-19
• Dining services:
  • Den: spacing signage, reduced occupancy, flow instructions
  • Dining hall: spacing signage, reduced occupancy, flow instructions
• Health alerts/reminders:
  • Social media: frequent updates via RU’s websites, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter feeds
  • Lang Wellness Center: serve as the “information hub” for securing the latest updates from Winnebago County Health, the Center for Disease Control, and the State of Illinois

These topics are matters of on-going discussion and evaluation amidst a fluid environment.  We also anticipate that additional items will be added to this list.  As updates and new information come in, our thoughts, strategies, and efforts will be adjusted accordingly.  Please continue to watch this space for further bi-weekly updates.