College of Medicine Pandemic Response Friday Round-Up – Week of March 22-26
Commencement 2021 final decision – families and graduates can celebrate together
On March 25, Dr. Kevin Black announced that a final decision about commencement has been made. Commencement will be held Saturday, May 15, at 1 p.m. at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in the lodge’s ballroom to safely accommodate our graduating students, commencement speakers and a small number of faculty.
To allow families to celebrate this day in person as well, each student can invite up to three guests where an outdoor location at the lodge will be available adjacent to the ballroom to watch the ceremony via livestream.
Ramping-up research – moving to 100% lab capacity
On Monday, March 29, on-site laboratory research activities will transition from phase 4 to a modified phase 5 of our COVID-19 Ramp-Up plan. Guiding principles for phase 5 are available on the dedicated coronavirus section of our website. As of March 29, laboratory research capacity will return to 100%. However, even at 100% capacity, it is the PI’s responsibility to ensure the physical distancing policy (at least 150 square feet per person; at least 6 feet between individuals) is strictly adhered to along with all other safety precautions related to masking and hand hygiene, regardless of the vaccine status of lab personnel. This physical distancing requirement may prevent some labs with an already high density of research from moving to 100% at this time. Email Chuck Lang at chl1@psu.edu with questions regarding lab capacity. Read the full email.
All non-laboratory research faculty, staff and trainees continue to work remotely
The increase in research capacity is directed specifically toward personnel who are involved with laboratory research activities. Our policy continues to be that all faculty, staff and trainees who can work remotely continue to do so to minimize the overall population density in the College. Data analysis and other research, where possible, should continue to be performed remotely. Please continue to use Zoom for all meetings and activities where in-person attendance is not essential and for those in-person meetings where an individual cannot join because of health-related concerns.
Small group research meetings are now permitted with safety guidelines
Small group research meetings are now permitted, but attendees need to adhere to masking, distancing and room occupancy restrictions. The size of a research meeting will be dictated by the availability of appropriately sized meeting rooms where physical distancing requirements can be maintained. Meeting duration should be minimized, and no food or drink is permitted. Please remember formal education instruction remains the priority for room space.
In-person meeting guidance
- Meetings or events with 10 or more participants are still suspended.
- Meetings should not exceed the room capacity. The capacity for each room can be found on BookIT to reflect the reduced capacity allowed in each room. The occupancy limit is also posted outside the door and chairs are marked in each room to comply with social distancing.
- Reminder that all meeting schedulers should remove any previously scheduled BookIT events that are not occurring to allow others to use the space. Please note that all room use must be scheduled. Empty rooms may not mean they are available. Please use only dedicated lunch and break spaces.
Event and gathering guidance
As we approach the season of celebration for our graduates, please consider that any University-funded event or gathering (on-campus or off-campus) needs to adhere to University policy, which states 15% capacity for indoor events and 25% for outdoor events.
Academic presentations (visitor and vendor policy)
Reminder that the existing vendor and visitor policy is still in place, which includes external speakers who you may want to bring to Hershey in the future. Please continue to handle all academic presentations remotely. Refer to the visitor and vendor policy before bringing an outside vendor on-campus.
Daily check-in
Faculty, staff and students are reminded that you are still required to provide a daily COVID symptom attestation via the online check-in.
Employees working at or traveling to multiple campuses
Employees who will be working at or traveling to multiple campuses should inform all impacted units (i.e., the campuses to which the employee will be traveling) of their planned travel.
COVID-19 resources
See the latest policies, information and resources for both on-campus and remote working and learning by visiting med.psu.edu/coronavirus.
In case you missed it
See last week’s email for more information.
If you're having trouble accessing this content, or would like it in another format, please email the Penn State College of Medicine web department.