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Faculty & Staff

Information for faculty and staff on COVID-19 planning and preparedness.
In this Section

Masking 

All faculty, staff, and students are welcome to wear or not wear face coverings in a way which is most comfortable for them individually. Faculty, staff and students cannot mandate mask use. Mask wearing is an individual decision which must be respected. 

While our masking expectations changed on March 11, 2022, the following COVID-19 resources remain available: 

  • N95/KN95 Masks: We will continue to provide N95 or KN95 masks to students and employees who request them. These masks may be requested by emailing covid19update@uwstout.edu. Masks will also continue to be required in Student Health Services. 
  • Accommodations: Employees who believe suspension of the mask requirement will result in a need to review accommodations are encouraged to discuss this with their supervisor and the Human Resources office. Students should contact the Disability Services Office with questions regarding the accommodation process. 

Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines 

Faculty, staff, and students who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home and seek testing, whether vaccinated or not. Quarantine and isolation guidance provided by the CDC, local health department, or a medical provider should be followed if an individual has tested positive or had close contact with someone positive for COVID-19.  

 

Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines Employees and Off-Campus Students >>

Isolation Guidelines On-Campus >>

Travel

Beginning Monday, March 14th, pre-approval for domestic travel for university purposes will remain required for employees in Academic Affairs, due to large scale of travel of the division and limited funds. International travel will continue to be considered on a case-by-case basis and require pre-approval for all employees regardless of the employee’s division.  For these travel types, the employee must complete the Travel Authorization Request form prior to making travel plans or incurring expenses and include a copy of the fully approved form with their Travel Expense Report for reimbursement.  The Travel Authorization Request form will be live and available March 14th in StoutForms.  

Concur has been reactivated for all domestic travel as of March 14th and all travel must be booked with a UW Dedicated Travel Agency or via Concur. 

Events

All university events shall be entered into the university calendar. This ensures that campus event coordinators can be notified of any changes, should the need arise. 

For events that exceed 100 persons, organizers must complete the event exemption form, which includes an event safety plan. Student organizations will continue to use the existing student organization event registration form. 

Clear Barriers/Shields  

Clear barriers/sneeze guards have been installed in many locations across campus to provide additional separation between employee and patron. These barriers/shields will remain in place for at least the remainder of the Spring semester and may remain indefinitely as determined by the office or department. Questions regarding barrier/shield removal should be directed to the Facilities Management department. 

Attendance 

Students are expected to communicate directly with their instructors regarding all absences. The attendance policy of each instructor is to be submitted in writing to each student at the beginning of the course. 

Medical documentation may not be available to a student for absences related to COVID-19. Therefore, the current university policy requiring that a student submit medical documentation for absences longer than three days to the Dean of Students remains suspended. The Dean of Students (DOS) office will notify instructors for absences related to personal or family situations where a student has submitted documentation to the DOS for a medical absence, typically non-COVID-19 related. 

Students who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to stay home and contact their medical provider for medical advice. On-campus students can contact Student Health Services by phone,715-232-1314, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CST. Depending on symptoms and vaccination status, students may be asked to self-isolate until they are symptom-free or have been advised to take further action. Students are expected to follow through on all missed coursework in a timely manner and should return to class when they are advised to do so or when they have been symptom free for the appropriate number of days under current CDC guidance. 

Instructor-Student and Student-Instructor Communications 

Instructor-Student and Student-Instructor communications remain critical to foster academic success. Instructors should be prepared to provide continuity of instruction for students who are ill, quarantined, or required to isolate. This may involve recording class sessions or providing content in some other way. 

Instructors can contact techdesk@uwstout.edu with any questions regarding the technology available to assist in instructional delivery. Instructors should continue to provide office hours for students and have the option to provide these remotely. Students should check email regularly and communicate with instructors, advisors or other mentors as concerns arise. 

Course Modality 

UW-Stout strives to prioritize the health and safety of its employees, while balancing the learning environment that fosters student success. With this in mind, every attempt should be made not to alter the instructional schedule after students have registered for courses or during the term. 

Changes in course offerings directly impact student schedules and could impact their commitments to live and/or work locally. Some students are not comfortable with online learning and this feedback has been received in multiple venues. 

Should an instructor be subject to quarantine and/or isolation, the chair will coordinate with the instructor to ensure continuity of instruction and coordinate communications with students impacted. The Chair will notify the dean of the plan for continuity of instruction and corresponding student communication. The plan may involve a temporary change in modality and/or colleague coverage by the identified back-up instructor. 

Instructors (faculty and instructional academic staff) requesting a medical accommodation to teach remotely should do so via Human Resources. Instructors are encouraged to coordinate the medical accommodations as soon as possible and prior to the finalization of course schedules. 

If a course modality change is initiated as a result of an approved medical accommodation, the department chair will route that request to the college dean for approval and coordinate implementation via Registration and Records. The chair will coordinate respective student communications regarding this change in consultation with the instructor. 

If student attendance concerns due to isolation or quarantine periods impact the learning environment, instructors may continue to reach out to COVID19update@uwstout.edu. The communication will be routed to additional stakeholders (department chair and/or college dean and/ or provost) to collaboratively discuss approaches to foster a productive learning environment. 

Faculty & Staff Resources

Instructional Resources for Faculty & Staff
Resources provided by the Provost Office for Faculty and Instructional Academic Staff.

LTS Online Teaching Resources
Learning Technology Services (LTS) online tools and training resources.

Event Exemption Request Form
Individuals or departments that would like to request an exemption to the campus-sponsored programs/events guidelines, must submit an Event Exemption Request Form for the Chancellor’s approval. Departments or units may bring in an external speaker to present to campus stakeholders. Guidelines for spring semester events will be determined at a later time.

SAFE@Stout COVID-19 Daily Self-Screening & Guidance
A self-screening process to support the early identification of illness and help protect the health and safety of our community. 

Temperature-taking Resources
Students, employees, and visitors may request to have their temperatures taken at any of these locations during normal business hours.

Coping with COVID-19 Related Stress and Anxiety
Resources and information for navigating a complex and challenging issue.

SilverCloud
Software to help with mental health and wellbeing.

Interim Travel Approval Form
In response to COVID-19, UW System has initiated an Interim Travel Approval Request procedure required for use.

Transitioning to Virtual/Home Based Work
Aon offers some quick tips, considerations and ergonomics guidance to help make your home or virtual office transition comfortable and productive.

Event Notification Template
Use this template as appropriate for event updates and notifications.

UW-Stout Memos for Faculty & Staff

Memos are listed in the order they were released.