CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University’s COVID-19 Task Force recently released guidelines outlining how faculty, staff, students and visitors can safely return to campus. On March 23, the University moved all classes fully online and the majority of employees began working remotely in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The University will resume on-campus instruction this fall. Beginning Monday, June 15, Austin Peay will begin a phased return-to-campus process, with some employees returning to work at the University for a few hours each day. Students and visitors are encouraged to wait until June 22 to visit campus, and the task force recommends members of the public make appointments before visiting Austin Peay.

“In developing these guidelines, our team spent the last few months examining several different factors, including the concerns of high-risk individuals and the needs of students and employees with children who are struggling to find adequate child care,” Michael Kasitz, APSU assistant vice president for public safety, said. “Our main goal in developing these guidelines was the safety and health of the entire Austin Peay community.”

Guidelines for employees

Before University employees return to campus on June 15, they must participate in online training sessions hosted by Austin Peay’s Office of Human Resources. These training sessions will ensure that employees understand the guidelines and do not pose a potential health risk for the rest of the University.

“We know some of these measures are inconvenient, but our focus is protecting all members of the APSU community,” Kasitz said. “At Austin Peay, adult and nontraditional students – including many high-risk individuals – make up more than 20 percent of our student population, and about 20 percent of our employee population is over the age of 60 – another high-risk population. We appreciate everyone taking these measures seriously to protect the health and safety of our community.”

Prior to arriving on campus each day, employees must take their temperature to ensure it is below 100.4 degrees. Then, employees “must truthfully respond to any prescreening questions, as defined by the State of Tennessee or CDC guidelines, upon arrival to campus. An employee who answers ‘yes’ to any of the prescreening questions will be required to leave campus immediately and seek medical care and/or COVID-19 testing. Depending on the employee’s specific circumstances, the employee may telework (where applicable) or utilize leave as established under Families First Coronavirus Response Act, annual or sick leave, or unpaid leave.”

Guidelines for students, employees and visitors

The new guidelines also require anyone on campus – employees, students, visitors and contractors – “to wear a cloth or surgical-style mask or face covering following the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in closed areas, such as classrooms, food service venues (pick-up service) and customer service offices. Large interior areas and outdoor areas are excluded unless people are within six feet of each other. The face covering must be worn over the nose and mouth.”

Remote meetings for departments and student organizations are also recommended as much as possible to reduce physical interactions. Visitors to campus will be limited to those who cannot conduct business remotely, and family and friends are not allowed to visit employees on campus unless there is a legitimate academic or business need.

Risk levels

In the coming months, an increase in COVID-19 cases might make it necessary for the University to move completely online again. With that in mind, the task force also developed a framework for how Austin Peay will operate under different risk levels – high, moderate, low and normal. For the last two months, the University has operated at a high risk level.

According to the guidelines for this level, only mandatory employees and functions were able to operate on campus. All buildings were closed and all campus events were canceled.

When the University begins its phased return-to-campus on June 15, Austin Peay will operate at a moderate risk level.

For information on the guidelines, including risk levels, visit www.apsu.edu/coronavirus. Announcements about the fall semester, including information on housing and dining, will be released at a later date.