2.2 COVID-19

I think acknowledging that we are all starting from varying places of exhaustion, stress, and anxiety is critical. Please, first and foremost, focus on what matters most and practice self care. Please follow SLU’s guidance both for your own health and for maintaining community. If you are living on-campus, please follow all of SLU’s policies for social distancing and mask wearing. These are critical for our collective safety.

Again, my biggest priority this semester is your health and well-being. Please reach out if you want to talk about strategies for managing our “new normal,” if you find yourself struggling, or just need someone to vent to. Alternatively, you can reach out to either the University Counseling Center at 314-977-TALK or Campus Ministry at 314-977-2425 or campusministry@slu.edu.

2.2.1 Planning for Disruptions

While we are starting the semester with all of you in St. Louis, and I am certainly rooting for a semester where you all are able to remain on-campus through Thanksgiving Break, we should recognize that there may be disruptions. For some of you, you may find yourselves quarantined because of an exposure to someone infected with COVID-19. You may become sick yourselves. Changes both on-campus and in the greater St. Louis community may mean changes to how SLU operates and even whether or not you can continue to remain on-campus.

Given that these are not abstract concerns, everything laid out here represents a best case scenario for the semester. We may find ourselves needing to change some course policies, reading and assignment schedules, and even teaching modalities based on the challenges we are confronted with this semester. I ask for your patience and your flexibility if and when we do need to make these changes. For my part, I will do my best to stay in touch with you and communicate clearly how these changes will impact our course.

One way that I am proactively preparing for disruptions is to add a “flex day” to the syllabus. I do not have any content planned for May 9th. If there is a widespread disruption, such as the need for many of you to move off campus, I will use this flex day as a buffer so that we can adjust our course schedule without changing the basic structure of the course. If we approach that day and it appears that we will not need to use it, I will announce alternate plans for the meeting.

Additionally, evening classes are often held on the Monday after Easter, which falls on April 18th this year. If we have already used the flex day, I may elect to hold class that evening.

Another way that I am proactively preparing for disruptions is to have meeting recordings from prior semesters available. In the event that I cannot teach due to illness, I may share recordings from prior semesters in-place of having in-person meetings.

You should therefore treat all of the course dates and content as provisional. This is my plan as of January 12th, and I may modify it further as we progress through the the semester. If I become sick or a member of my family becomes ill, modifications will likely be required. If another faculty member has to take over teaching my class, there may be changes to course content, teaching modality, and assignments. I will do my best to keep everyone updated in a timely fashion. Please check your email and Canvas regularly. I appreciate everyone’s willingness to roll with the many punches we are all facing right now. Remember, we are in this together.

2.2.2 Face Masks

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, key safeguards like face masks have allowed SLU to safely maintain in-person learning. If public health conditions and local, state, and federal restrictions demand it, the University may require that all members of our campus community wear face masks indoors.

Therefore, any time a University-level face mask requirement is in effect, face masks will be required in this class. This expectation will apply to all students and instructors, unless a medical condition warrants an exemption from the face mask requirement (see below).

When a University-wide face mask requirement is in effect, the following will apply:

• Students who attempt to enter a classroom without wearing masks will be asked by the instructor to put on their masks prior to entry. Students who remove their masks during a class session will be asked by the instructor to resume wearing their masks.
• Students and instructors may remove their masks briefly to take a sip of water but should replace masks immediately. The consumption of food will not be permitted.
• Students who do not comply with the expectation that they wear a mask in accordance with the University-wide face mask requirement may be subject to disciplinary actions per the rules, regulations, and policies of Saint Louis University, including but not limited to those outlined in the Student Handbook. Non-compliance with this policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including any of the following:
  • dismissal from the course(s)
  • removal from campus housing (if applicable)
  • dismissal from the University
• To immediately protect the health and well-being of all students, instructors, and staff, instructors reserve the right to cancel or terminate any class session at which any student fails to comply with a University-wide face mask requirement.

When a University-wide face mask requirement is in effect, students and instructors may choose to wear a face mask or not, as they prefer for their own individual comfort level.

We do not know when the City of St. Louis will roll back their mask mandate, or what SLU will do after that in terms of mask policies. Even if the mask mandate on-campus is rescinded, I will continue to mask in class to keep my family healthy. If the mask mandate does get rescinded, I’ll ask for your cooperation and continued masking during class!

2.2.2.1 ADA Accomodations for Face Mask Requirements

Saint Louis University is committed to maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment. Individuals who are unable to wear a face mask due to medical reasons should contact the Office of Disability Services (students) or Human Resources (instructors) to initiate the accommodation process identified in the University’s ADA Policy. Inquiries or concerns may also be directed to the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity. Notification to instructors of SLU-approved ADA accommodations should be made in writing prior to the first class session in any term (or as soon thereafter as possible).

2.2.3 Attendance Policies

The health and well-being of SLU’s students, staff, and faculty are critical concerns, as is the quality of our learning environments. Accordingly, the following University policy statements on in-person class attendance are designed to preserve and advance the collective health and well-being of our institutional constituencies and to create the conditions in which all students have the opportunity to learn and successfully complete their courses.

1. Students who exhibit any potential COVID-19 symptoms (those that cannot be attributed to some other medical condition the students are known to have, such as allergies, asthma, etc.) shall absent themselves from any in-person class attendance or in-person participation in any class-related activity until they have been evaluated by a qualified medical official. Students should contact the University Student Health Center for immediate assistance.
2. Students (whether exhibiting any of potential COVID-19 symptoms or not, and regardless of how they feel) who are under either an isolation or quarantine directive issued by a qualified health official must absent themselves from all in-person course activities per the stipulations of the isolation or quarantine directive.
3. Students are responsible for notifying their instructor of an absence as far in advance as possible; when advance notification is not possible, students are responsible for notifying each instructor as soon after the absence as possible. Consistent with the University Attendance Policy, students also are responsible for all material covered in class and must work with the instructor to complete any required work. In situations where students must be absent for an extended period of time due to COVID-19 isolation or quarantine, they also must work with the instructor to determine the best way to maintain progress in the course as they are able based on their health situation.
4. Consistent with the University Attendance Policy, students may be asked to provide medical documentation when a medical condition impacts a student’s ability to attend and/or participate in class for an extended period of time.
5. As a temporary amendment to the current University Attendance Policy, all absences due to illness or an isolation/quarantine directive issued by a qualified health official, or due to an adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine, shall be considered “Authorized” absences.

2.2.4 Zoom Policies

This section of the syllabus will only apply if we switch to having class remotely.

If we have to meet via Zoom, there will be several additional policies to note:

1. Attending via Zoom is required. There is not an alternative means for completing this course. If you have a concern about technology, internet access, or other barriers to regularly attending class via Zoom, please let me know as soon as possible.
   • If there is a need for some or all of you to change from learning on-campus to learning from home or another location, we will work together to identify strategies for you to successfully complete the course.
2. Do not share Zoom details, including login information, links, and passwords, with anyone outside of this course.
3. Using your camera is strongly encouraged during group discussions, but is not otherwise required.
4. Please keep your microphone muted unless you are actively speaking.

The Course Docs contain some additional tips for using Zoom. Please review them closely.