COSAM News Articles 2020 October Message from Dean Giordano - October 2020

Message from Dean Giordano - October 2020

Published: 10/20/2020

To all faculty, staff, and students:

On Monday, November 30, our college and the university will move one step closer to a sense of normalcy.

All COSAM staff are being asked to return to standard operations Monday through Friday in their regular workspaces, effective no later than November 30. Auburn University is also implementing this adjustment so we can be fully prepared to re-open our vibrant campus for the start of the spring semester in January.

All staff members are expected to physically return to work on November 30 until campus is closed for break on December 21. Note in-person classes will finish before the Thanksgiving holiday, so there should be very few students on campus after November 30 through the end of the year.

Safety is our primary objective and the university has been consistently implementing safety measures including:

Signage has been placed throughout campus reminding everyone to wear masks and coordinate traffic flow in buildings
Wipes and hand sanitizing dispensers are located in COSAM buildings
Stairwells are marked with distancing recommendations
Restrooms have been noted for spacing and touchless faucets have been installed
Clear safety shields have been added where students and staff frequently interact
Signage has been placed on floors in front of elevators to keep proper distancing

Supervisors in COSAM should begin planning now for how to make the workspaces of their employees safe with respect to social distancing and other safety measures. Please contact Mike Brackin or John Goodman to request to re-arrange desks if six feet of space does not exist between employees or if a safety shield is needed in a location where staff and student interaction consistently occurs.

Our goal is for employees to feel comfortable returning to work by November 30. If anyone is worried about the safety measures in and around their workspace, they should speak directly with their supervisor.

Employees can return to work in advance of the November 30 date. If you work in an area that has more than six feet of space between employees or if you solely work in an office, I encourage you to return to campus before the November 30 deadline.

When you return, the university is asking all faculty, staff and students to continue to wear masks when inside buildings on our campus.

If you feel that you do not have appropriate space between you and a co-worker, or if you have a safety concern that has not been clearly addressed, please contact me directly so we can resolve the issue before the November 30 date.

Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to helping us continue operations. I know this has been a challenging time and I sincerely appreciate all COSAM staff returning to campus as requested by the university.

Thanks,

Nick