Back2BU Faculty Support

While the Omicron variant is highly contagious, it appears that vaccinations (and boosters) are effective at preventing serious disease. BU’s vaccination (and booster) mandates are essential to protecting our community from serious illness. We have set February 4, 2022, as the date by which every eligible member of our community should have received the booster. Please get the booster as soon as you are eligible. Don’t wait for our deadline.

In addition to public vaccination sites around the city and state, members of our community may also choose to receive their booster at the Boston Medical Center Vaccination Clinic at the Dowling building. This site is located next to our Boston University Medical Campus and a short walk from the BU Medical Campus shuttle stop. Boston University will also be offering a limited number of booster clinics on our Charles River campus again in January and will update our Back2BU Vaccination page accordingly with these dates. More information on spring 2022 public health protocols and booster clinics can be found on the Healthway website.

Once you have received the booster, please upload your credentials through the employee portal on the Healthway website (Kerberos protected).

Classes being held between Monday, January 3, and Wednesday, January 19, 2022.

Several graduate programs in the School of Medicine, the Goldman School of Dental Medicine, and the School of Social Work, as well as a number of intensive (short duration) graduate programs began classes on Monday, January 3.These programs are being taught using remote learning through January 19, when we plan for the programs that are still on-going to resume in-person learning with the rest of our programs.

Spring semester classes scheduled to begin on January 20, 2022.

Because our community is highly vaccinated, we are not anticipating major changes in our plans to start the spring semester on January 20. Classes will be taught in person.

To help minimize the spread of the virus at University functions, however, BU will suspend the service of food and beverages at all events on campus, except in our dining halls and those external events that are ticketed, such as events in Agganis Arena, where proof of vaccination is required.

Because of the possibility of increasing numbers of students and faculty members in isolation as a result of a positive COVID test, we are putting in place special protocols for the first month of the spring semester. We ask faculty, when possible, to make recorded lectures (via either lecture capture or Zoom recordings) available to students who cannot attend class because they are in isolation. The University has posted a set of FAQs online for addressing student absences related to COVID during the spring 2022 semester.

Faculty members who test positive for COVID but are well enough to teach are asked to contact their dean (or the dean’s designee) and will be allowed to move their class to remote learning via Zoom for the duration of their isolation period, normally five days.

Faculty members who need to transition to remote teaching for any period or reason should first notify their dean or dean’s designee for permission to do so. Faculty members will then need to communicate directly with their students as early as possible to notify them of the change. Please note that while room assignments for spring 2022 are retained in 25live, classes cannot be designated remote for individual sessions and then flipped back to a classroom within that software.

We acknowledge that the high transmission rate of the Omicron variant has created special concern for many, including parents of young children and caregivers for elderly or immune-compromised individuals in particular.  We are likely to see disruptions in the lives of faculty and staff caregivers as daycare, eldercare and schools are closed or compromised as a result of Omicron. Faculty members should work with their dean (or the dean’s designee) to make temporary arrangements to teach their classes remotely via Zoom until the disruption is resolved.

These protocols will be reassessed as we have additional data about the evolving situation. We hope to be able to return to our normal, fully in-person protocols after February 18, 2022.

We are changing our protocols for isolation and quarantine to align with the new guidance from the state and the CDC. Accordingly, isolation for individuals who test positive is being reduced from 10 to 5 days if the individual has no symptoms or their symptoms are resolving (no fever). Also, an individual who is a close contact to someone who has tested positive will not be required to officially quarantine if the individual is vaccinated and has received a booster shot or is not yet eligible for the booster. Masking for a full 10 days is a critical component of these newer guidelines.

The details of the new isolation and quarantine policies will be forthcoming. All other public health protocols will remain as described in the December 13 memo from Dr. Judy Platt, Chief Health Officer.

The Office of Research has created an online Research Recovery Toolkit, informed by public health advisories, with guidance and templates for resuming on-campus research. You may also contact the office directly at research@bu.edu.

No. The transition back to in-person teaching will mean the discontinuation of the Learn from Anywhere (LfA) model and remote learning for all undergraduate programs and all but a few graduate programs. Exceptions are noted above in the “Planning for January to February 2022” section, in the event of an emergency.

Digital Learning & Innovation (DL&I) has partnered with offices across the University to compile tools for select faculty still doing remote or hybrid teaching, including pedagogical resources and technology trainings. Access resources to transform your teaching, teach with technology, and accelerate academic innovation at BU.

The transition last fall back to in-person classes means that we will no longer offer recording or live-streaming of classes as a substitute for attendance.  We do, however, encourage faculty to consider alternative strategies for helping students maintain academic continuity should they be in quarantine/isolation due to COVID-19. Some strategies for supporting student learning may include:

• At the beginning of the semester, you might assist students in identifying a classmate who could share notes and review material virtually should they need to quarantine/isolate due to COVID-19.
• You could also ask students in your class to contact you if they would be willing to share notes and review material virtually with a peer who needs to quarantine/isolate. You can keep a list of these students and connect them with a student in quarantine/isolation, if necessary. If you have a TA or TF, you might ask the TA/TF to serve in this capacity.
• You might consider sharing any presentation materials or notes you have for missed classes.
• You might consider whether there are supplemental readings or activities you could suggest to a student that might fill in any gaps from a missed class.
• Consider meeting with the student, perhaps during office hours, to review the material covered in the classes they miss or answer questions they may have about materials/notes shared with them from missed classes. There are currently very few students in quarantine/isolation, but if more than one student misses a given class, you might set up a group meeting.
• If a student needs to miss an in-class project, quiz, or exam, you might consider allowing them to do a substitute assignment, allowing them to make up the work later in the semester, or re-weighting other assignments toward the final grade.
• For classes with a participation component, students might demonstrate that they have engaged with the assigned material in other ways.
• Check out the resources and consider scheduling a consultation with the Center for Teaching & Learning to assist with course adaptations or ideas specific to your course needs.
• For courses where peer tutors have been identified, you might recommend that a student contact the Educational Resource Center to set an appointment following their isolation/quarantine due to COVID-19.
• If, due to ongoing illness, the student indicates they will miss more class than the standard isolation/quarantine periods, have them contact Disability & Access Services to discuss possible accommodations.

• College of Arts & Sciences
  • Joseph Bizup, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Programs and Policies
    email: jbizup@bu.edu, phone: 617-353-2409
  • Mathematical and Computational Sciences: John Byers, Associate Dean of the Faculty
    email: byers@bu.edu, phone: 617-353-8925
  • Social Sciences: Nazli Kibria, Associate Dean of the Faculty
    email: nkibria@bu.edu, phone: 617-358-0641
  • Humanities: Karl Kirchwey, Associate Dean of the Faculty
    email: kirchwey@bu.edu, phone: 617-358-7344
  • Natural Sciences: Michael Sorenson, Associate Dean of the Faculty
    email: msoren@bu.edu, phone: 617-353-6983

• College of Communication
  Tammy Vigil, Senior Associate Dean
  email: tvigil@bu.edu, phone: 617-358-6683
• College of Engineering
  W. Clem Karl, Professor and Chair of Electrical & Computer Engineering
  email: wckarl@bu.edu, phone: 617-353-1237
• College of Fine Arts
  John Amend, Associate Dean for Finance and Administration
  email: jamend@bu.edu, phone: 617-353-8781
• College of General Studies
  Lynn O’Brien Hallstein, Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Development
  email: lhallst@bu.edu, phone: 617-358-0180
• College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College
  Gael Orsmond, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
  email: gorsmond@bu.edu, phone: 617-353-2703
• Faculty of Computing & Data Science
  Chris Devits, Director of Administration
  email: cdevits@bu.edu, phone: 617-353-8829
• Kilachand Honors College
  Carrie Preston, Director of Kilachand Honors College
  email: cjpresto@bu.edu,  phone: 617-358-5900
• Metropolitan College
  Lou Chitkushev, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
  email: ltc@bu.edu, phone: 617-353-3000
• Questrom School of Business
  Marcel Rindisbacher, Senior Associate Dean, Faculty & Research
  email: rindisbm@bu.edu, phone: 617-353-4152
• Pardee School of Global Studies
  William Grimes, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
  email: wgrimes@bu.edu, phone: 617-353-9420
• School of Dental Medicine
  Joseph Calabrese, Associate Dean of Students
  email:  jobean@bu.edu, phone: 617-358-6853
• School of Hospitality Administration
  Leora Lanz, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs
  email: lhlanz@bu.edu, phone: 617-358-2112
• School of Law
  Anna di Robilant, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
  email: robilant@bu.edu, phone: 617-353-3099
• School of Medicine
  Hee-Young Park, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
  email: hypark@bu.edu, phone: 617-358-9600
• School of Public Health
  Lisa Sullivan, Associate Dean for Education
  email: lsull@bu.edu, phone: 617-358-1489
• School of Social Work
  S. Wade Taylor, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
  email: swade@bu.edu, phone: 617-353-7912
• School of Theology
  Bryan Stone, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
  email: bpstone@bu.edu, phone: 617-353-2456
• Wheelock College of Education & Human Development
  Melissa Holt, Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs
  email: holtm@bu.edu, phone: 617-358-4668

The main protocols that will remain in place are testing, attesting, and wearing facial coverings indoors. For specific questions, we encourage you to check out the University’s new guidelines for working on campus.

At this time, University-established public health protocols will apply to all persons on campus regardless of vaccination status, although we are strongly urging everyone who is able to get vaccinated and upload their documentation.

BU’s health and safety protocols currently require that people in Testing Categories 1, 2, and 3 be tested on the first day they return to campus and once within every seven days thereafter. You will be assigned a testing category prior to your return to campus. You will be able to test on campus if your testing category requires it.

BU’s Healthway website has a video that walks you through this process. Staff at the testing collection sites are also able to help you while you take the test and answer any questions. Staff at the Faculty & Staff Assistance Office are available for confidential assistance.

As President Brown announced earlier this spring, in order to safely return to a residential, in-person experience in the fall, Boston University will require all students enrolled in classes on our campuses to be vaccinated for COVID-19 before the start of the fall 2021 semester.

At this time, all COVID-19 vaccines will satisfy the BU vaccine requirement. If the Commonwealth of Massachusetts imposes its own vaccine requirement for residents, we will need to abide by any restrictions it imposes. But at this time, BU plans to accept all vaccines, including those without World Health Organization (WHO) or US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization or approval being offered outside the United States. While BU will accept all vaccines, current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance exempts only fully-vaccinated individuals who have received a WHO/FDA-authorized or approved vaccine from having to quarantine after travel or close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19. If this remains the case in the fall, students who arrive on campus with a vaccine from another country may still be subject to close contact quarantine, travel quarantine, or other requirements set by the Commonwealth.

The University is taking a number of steps to ensure that students are complying with the mandated safety protocols and their compliance with these measures is monitored by a team dedicated to compliance through the Dean of Students.

All students returning to campus will be required to be vaccinated (or have an approved medical or religious exemption), to comply with their assigned testing cadence (generally once per week), to attest to symptoms daily, and to follow any mask mandate that is in place.

Our goal for testing and attestation of symptoms is to detect cases of COVID-19 in the BU community and quickly move individuals who test positive into environments where they can obtain needed medical attention and prevent spread of the disease.  The Dean of Students will receive regular reports about completion rates for testing and attestation and will be responsible for monitoring/implementing compliance with requirements.

A student’s individual medical information, which includes their vaccination status, is protected information, and so faculty may not ask about vaccination status. Remember in order to return to campus, all students must be vaccine compliant (defined as either having proof of vaccination or being approved for a medical or religious exemption), so all students in your classes will be compliant with the vaccine requirement.

Students who are up to date with testing and attestation will receive a green-colored badge that is available on their mobile device. You are not required to verify that each student has the green badge. If, however, you (or students) are concerned about compliance with the testing and daily attestation requirements, you may choose to follow some or all of these options:

1. Clearly state how you will plan to verify compliance in your syllabus or during the first class meeting of the semester.
2. Ask all students in your classes to show you their badges on their mobile devices prior to starting class.

If a student is unable to show a green badge, ask that student to leave and to rectify any issues with their testing or attestation before their next class. Be clear that the student should not come back to that class session and must resolve any issues they have with testing or attestation before attending class again. If the student refuses to leave, inform the class that you will not proceed with instruction until the student leaves the room. If the student still refuses to leave the room, dismiss the class and contact your dean’s office (or the office designated by your dean for this purpose).

In general, all faculty, students, and staff must adhere to the indoor mask mandate that is currently in place

We recognize that there are some activities core to the work that we do that are very difficult, if not impossible, while wearing masks. Therefore, under very limited circumstances, exceptions to the indoor mask requirement may be considered for academic or programmatic activities. Specifically, an individual faculty member, lecturer, TA, or student speaking at the front of a classroom may choose to remove their mask while they are speaking. In these cases, we strongly recommend that the speaker move to a twice-weekly testing cadence and remain 12 feet away from others while unmasked. Similarly, mask exceptions may be considered for programmatic activities that are substantively impeded by masks, including theatre productions, performing arts classes, and athletic competitions. Any time masks are not used indoors, we recommend using badge checks for all in attendance, increasing testing frequency, minimizing the number of people unmasked at any given time, and maintaining enhanced physical distance whenever possible.  You may also consider wearing a face shield and asking all students to show a green badge prior to entering class.

We ask that faculty work with these students and support their ability to make continued progress toward their academic degrees. Faculty might provide any student in isolation with class notes or PowerPoint slides or other materials that would allow the student to keep up with the class while they are unable to attend. Students will be encouraged to contact their faculty and advisors if they must miss class due to illness. We likewise encourage faculty, to the extent feasible, to continue to make themselves available via scheduled office hours and work with students to be as flexible as possible during this time.

Faculty should, as in any semester, include expectations about attendance requirements. It may be necessary to exercise some flexibility if a student tests positive for COVID and must isolate or quarantine for ten (or possibly more) days. In these instances, we ask that the faculty consider some leniency in attendance due to a COVID diagnosis.

Students seeking accommodation for a documented disability must work with the Office of Disability & Access Services (“D&AS”) to determine appropriate accommodations. A student with an approved accommodation will have a letter from D&AS that articulates the specific accommodations.  Individual faculty should not give in-person students permission to attend classes remotely for any reason.

Grades should be an assessment of academic performance and should not be used to penalize students for non- compliance with safety protocols. The Dean of Students Office oversees student compliance and has a disciplinary system in place to monitor and address serious issues. If you must ask a student to vacate a class because of non-compliance, you may treat that absence in accordance with your course’s attendance policy. If you have concerns regarding a student in your class, you should reach out to the Dean of Students Office.

While the University will not share information about individual positive tests, students are free to share this information with faculty and staff if they choose. If a student shares information about their testing results with you, please respect that student’s privacy and do not share the information with anyone else, including other students enrolled in your class.

Anyone who is identified as a close contact will be contacted by the University’s contact tracing organization and will receive specific medical guidance about quarantining and other next steps. If you have not been identified as a close contact, you should plan to continue teaching in-person. Following a positive test result, Facilities staff will conduct deep cleaning of all potentially exposed spaces, including classrooms.

You should follow these steps if a student comes to your class and is not wearing a face covering:

1. Ask the student to put on their face covering if they have one with them. If they do not have one, suggest that they check with the Dean’s office to see if any emergency masks are available.
2. If the student refuses to put on a face covering, inform the class that you will not proceed with instruction until the student complies or leaves, whichever is applicable.
3. If the student still refuses to wear a face covering or to leave, dismiss the class and contact your Dean’s office (or the office designated by your dean for this purpose).

Try to be a good model for your students. Make sure you are current on your own attestations and testing and always wear a face covering properly.

In addition, consider including wording in your syllabus that sets forth COVID-19-related requirements clearly (including your approach for failure to comply). Please consult your associate dean for academic affairs to determine if your school or college has developed sample paragraphs for this purpose.  You should also feel free to adapt the following wording:

I am committed to offering the best possible class. To succeed, I need your help. We all must be responsible and respectful, which means wearing face coverings while in class together. I am committed to wearing a face covering during class and other meetings to protect you. Here is what I expect from you:

COVID-19-Related Class Expectations

Within class and other related meetings:

• comply with University-mandated COVID-19 testing and health attestation requirements;
• wear a face covering at all times during class, inside the building, and in campus public places; and
• contact Student Health Services at 617-353-3575 if you experience symptoms of COVID-19 (see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html).

If any student shows up without a face covering and refuses to leave, the class or meeting will be dismissed in order to protect everyone.

In accordance with current CDC, state, and local guidance, Campus Planning & Operations custodians will regularly clean and disinfect spaces. Trash and recycling containers should be left outside of offices for pick up.

Yes. Facilities Management & Operations (FMO) will assess and clean office spaces and leave a card indicating that the space has been cleaned by FMO. Thereafter, normal pre-COVID cleaning schedules will resume.

Yes. Labs should coordinate cleaning schedules with their area manager.

In summer 2020, Campus Planning & Operations’ Facilities Management & Operations group created an integrated, multidisciplinary team composed of University Engineering & Building Systems staff, HVAC technicians, external HVAC consultants, building area managers, and Environmental Health & Safety staff to review and monitor building HVAC system performance and maintenance on a continuous basis. This group continues to regularly evaluate the air quality of classrooms, offices, laboratories, and other spaces on the three primary campuses in Boston and Brookline.

BU will continue to follow guidance regarding air-quality standards to ensure HVAC systems are operating per their design specifications while increasing fresh air and filtration consistent with the CDC and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) guidance.

Yes. Throughout the 2020–21 academic year and going into the 2021–22 academic year, BU Facilities Engineering and its HVAC consultant (EH&E) studied classroom air quality and upgraded filtration and ventilation throughout the three campuses by:

• Upgrading filters for central-air filtration systems
• Increasing ventilation and outside air volume
• Adding supplemental filtration to classrooms with insufficient or no mechanical ventilation

Yes. We have confirmed that existing air-quality measures will not be adversely impacted with higher density. Additionally, from a ventilation perspective, classrooms can be safely occupied to pre-COVID occupant densities in the fall with current ventilation and filtration levels.

BU has implemented CDC and ASHRAE recommendations for ventilation and filtration in offices and workspaces.

For shared workspaces with central mechanical ventilation systems, HVAC systems have been checked to ensure they are operating as designed and meet ASHRAE-recommended outdoor air ventilation rates. Building HVAC systems have also been upgraded to MERV 13 air filters. In addition, faculty and staff may request portable HEPA units. Units may be ordered through your unit coordinator.

For shared workspaces in buildings that do not have central mechanical ventilation systems, faculty and staff should open windows to provide natural ventilation. Natural ventilation meets CDC/ASHRAE ventilation guidance for offices. Faculty and staff in naturally ventilated buildings may also order portable HEPA units through their unit coordinator.

There are postings throughout the campus outlining physical distancing, cleaning, and traffic pattern protocols. Regular cleaning with soap and water decreases the amount of the virus that causes COVID-19 on surfaces and objects, which reduces the risk of exposure. You are encouraged to wipe down your workspace at the start and end of every work shift. Frequent cleaning of surfaces and objects that may be touched by multiple people (e.g., tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, touch screens, printer/copiers, and coffee makers) is important.

No. The COVID-19 workplace adjustment request process has concluded and will not be offered in the fall.

Faculty members should review BU’s reasonable accommodations page to determine if they may qualify for an accommodation due to a disability or a pregnancy-related condition. PhD students should consult Disability and Access Services. These sites provide some explanation of relevant processes as well as resources to contact with questions.

Yes. A few changes have been made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic including:

• Health and Prescription Drug Changes
• Telehealth is available through the BU Health Plans
• Benefits Deadline Extensions
• BU Retirement Plans – Resumption of BU contributions, effective July 1, 2021

The discounted, COVID-19 Daily Parking Program rate on the Charles River Campus will continue as dictated by public and University health guidance. Carpooling with a BU colleague is a great way to save on parking. You can find neighbors who are interested in carpooling to BU by signing up for GoMassCommute. You might also consider Boston’s Park & Pedal program, which provides free parking for those who complete their commute by bike. It’s just a 20-minute bike ride to campus from the Herter Park lot in Lower Allston. You might be surprised to find that, from some locations, riding a bike is nearly as fast or sometimes faster than riding public transportation. Visit our webpage for more information on Bicycle Commuter Benefits and Resources, including information on discounted Bluebikes memberships for BU employees.

Charles River employees should re-enroll via the Transportation Request Form. Medical Campus employees should fill out a BUMC-BMC Parking Permit Application.

Yes. The BU Shuttle is running its summer schedule along the 1BU route with 20-minute frequency during peak service periods. Please refer to Terrier Transit or the BUS website for live arrival times and schedules.

Facial coverings are still required to be worn on MBTA property, trains, and buses, as well as on the BU Shuttle. BU Shuttles and MBTA buses are being disinfected multiple times each day. BU Shuttle protocols may change as updates are made to federal, state, and MBTA protocols.

BU now provides faculty and staff with a Back-Up Care benefit for children, adults, and elders for planned as well as last-minute circumstances.

As the University continues to face daily uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic, back-up care services are being made available to ease concerns about continuity of caregiving for both children and adults. Back-up care is designed to provide alternative care until regular care arrangements can resume. This benefit provides a national network of vetted caregivers for children and adults. Employees have round-the-clock access to services through the web, a mobile app, and by phone. For more information, please visit the Back-Up Care website.

COVID-19 Paid Absence was designed to cover family care interruptions caused by COVID-19; it is not intended to provide coverage for summer vacations. Employees should use vacation time to cover the typical gaps in family care.

There are several resources available to assist faculty and staff in the transition back to on-campus work.  Your direct manager, Employee Wellness, FSAO, HR, Ombuds are all great resources.  In addition, the COVID-19 Employee Support Line at 617-358-4990 and  covidhelp@bu.edu are available to help with your individual issues.

FSAO and Employee Wellness are great resources.  Please reach out to fsao@bu.edu and they will be happy to help.

• Work Life for Faculty & Staff 
• Back to On-Campus Work
• COVID-19 Safety and Health Compliance Protocols for Faculty and Staff

Central Resources

• BU Classrooms Tech Support (IS&T)
• Center for Teaching & Learning
• Digital Learning & Innovation

Teaching Tools and Targeted Resources

• Academic Continuity Coordinators (Healthway)
• Shipley Center (Digital Learning & Innovation)
• Lightning Talks Video Resource Library for Remote & Hybrid Teaching and Learning (Digital Learning & Innovation)
• Remote Teaching Resources at BU (Digital Learning & Innovation)
• Resources for New Faculty (Digital Learning & Innovation)
• Teaching & Technology Faculty Resources (Digital Learning & Innovation)

Technology Training

• Educational Technology Workshops & Trainings (TechWeb)
• Zoom, Blackboard, and MyMedia Basics