Fall 2021 Operations Plan

Following guidance from the University and the College, we’ve built an operations plan that balances normalcy with safety. The NERS Re-entry Team (Todd Allen, Rob Blackburn, Besnik Topulli, and Sara Norman) will be continuously checking in with the University and the College, and reassessing this plan to determine if any restrictions need to be reevaluated. 

IMPORTANT: NERS students, faculty, and staff who report to campus—we are counting on you to follow these guidelines:

Daily ResponsiBLUE Screening Check

• Everyone: take the ResponsiBLUE Screening Check using the website or the app before entering a U-M building or property. Before entering a NERS space, take a screenshot of your results and save it for random spot-checking.
• Visitors and vendors: use the guest version of ResponsiBLUE app whenever you come to campus and show it to the host when asked.
• The screening check results are valid for 18 hours. Unless you are on campus for longer than 18 hours, you only need to complete the screening check once each day that you report to campus.

Re-entry Checklist

• Everyone: All students, faculty, and staff are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and must submit their vaccination information before the start of the Fall 2021 term.
• Undergraduate, graduate, and professional students: All undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who live, work on, or enter campus buildings are required to complete weekly mandatory COVID-19 testing through the university. Fully vaccinated students who have reported their status are exempt from mandatory testing requirements for spring/summer terms.
• Faculty, staff, postdocs, and graduate students: before your first time coming to campus after August 2020, complete whichever of these two training modules that you prefer: COVID 19: Working Safely in U-M Research Areas or COVID-19: Working Safely at U-M.

Health/Safety

• In case of emergency, contact, U-M Division of Public Safety and Security (DPSS) at (734) 763-1131. Additional emergency contacts can be found here.
• Follow the University face mask policy. 
• Self-report your vaccine status here.
• Michigan Medicine COVID-19 Vaccination Planning FAQs
• If you receive a positive COVID-19 test, self report it to the University here.
• If you feel sick, stay home and away from others, and alert your instructor/supervisor. 
• If you think you have been exposed to/have COVID-19 in the last 14 days, follow these directions from the University and notify Besnik Topulli. 
• Use the U-M COVID-19 hotline (734-936-7000) for resources and support during the pandemic. The hotline provides a triage structure that allows community members to reach the appropriate unit based on their COVID-19-related needs and follows the recommendation of the Campus Health Response Committee.
• Information from the University about testing can be found here.
• Information from the University about travel can be found here.
• Follow these COVID-19 Guidelines for Campus Facilities.
• Follow these general cleaning guidelines.
• If reasonable ADA accommodation is needed to follow the guidelines laid out in the operations plan, contact Besnik Topulli.
• Report public health concerns by calling the COVID-19 Concerns Reporting Line at 734-647-3000.
• Additional health and safety information can be found here.
• Health/safety questions: Besnik Topulli (NERS Department Administrator) 

Building Access

• SUMMER 2021: You will need your MCard to enter any CoE building. All CoE faculty, staff, and students will have 24-hour access to CoE buildings.  Non-CoE persons have access to CoE buildings Monday–Friday, 7am–midnight, except holidays and season days.
• FALL 2021: (Beginning August 23) CoE buildings will be unlocked Monday–Friday, 7am–7pm. From midnight to 7am and on weekends, access is restricted to CoE faculty, staff, and students with valid MCards.
• Room Access Information.
• Access questions: Rob Blackburn (NERS Facilities Manager)

Designated Common Areas

• NEL King Collaboratory is open as a student study space.
• Meetings Spaces: The Cooley Baer Room, Cooley Small Conference Room, and the NEL Cohn Room are available for student/staff/faculty meeting use. To reserve a room, contact Jennifer and provide the date/time and a list of the people you plan to invite. Hold the meeting only during your reserved time. Wipe down the tables after with the provided cleaning supplies. After your meeting, send Jennifer a list of everyone who attended.
• Learn about the designated common areas for studying and eating provided by the University and CoE here.
• Graduate student and postdoc offices are open.
• The Cooley Student Lounge is open.
• Designated Common Area questions: Rob Blackburn (NERS Facilities Manager)

Front Office

• SUMMER 2021: The front office is open Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 10am–2pm.
• FALL 2021: (Beginning August 30) The front office is open Monday–Friday, from 9am–4pm.
• Instructions for shipping to the front office can be found here. 
• Front office questions: ne-officecoverage@umich.edu

Students

• All advising requires an appointment. Graduate and undergraduate student advising is offered both in-person and remotely.
• Additional University resources for students.
• Undergraduate and Engineering Physics questions: Michelle Sonderman (Undergraduate Program Manager)
• Graduate student questions: Garnette Roberts (Graduate Program Manager)

Staff

• Administrative staff can view individual staff schedules and the front office staff schedule. 
• Current A-Z List for New Faculty and Staff.
• Additional University resources for staff.
• Staff questions: Besnik Topulli (NERS Department Administrator) 

Faculty

• Current A-Z List for New Faculty and Staff.
• Additional University resources for faculty.
• Faculty questions: Todd Allen (NERS Chair)

Research

• Research operates according to the Office of Research Research Re-engagement Guidelines. Check with the lab PI for specific lab SOPs.
• Adding personnel to labs is per the discretion of the PI/Lab/Unit director. NERS is required to maintain an accurate list of researchers added to our labs on or after April 1, 2021, so please email Besnik Topulli when new students or researchers are added to your labs.
• Close Proximity Approval is only required for research and training activities when all members of the team involved in the activity have not self-reported being vaccinated.  Use this form.
• Domestic Travel and Field Research Travel—No College permission is required.
• International Travel and Field Research Travel—No College permission is required. However, they strongly recommend that faculty, staff, and students register all their international travel via the Global Michigan website. Doing so allows travelers to receive information regarding travel-related covid requirements and risks. CDC requirements for anyone entering the country from many international destinations remain in effect and in some instances involve testing and isolation upon return.
• Safety-related research questions: Nick Jordan (NERS Associate Research Scientist)
• General research questions: Besnik Topulli (NERS Department Administrator)

Financial Expenditures

• Effective July 1, 2021, the College of Engineering’s COVID-19 spending restrictions have been lifted.  We may now return to our pre-COVID spending provided that we:
• Observe all other University policies

• Use a “dimmer switch” approach as we return to normal operation, in consultation with both the CDC and University Campus Maize and BluePrint websites for guidelines related to COVID-19.
• Financial Expenditures questions: Besnik Topulli (NERS Department Administrator)

International Students

• Guidance for international students from U-M can be found here. 
• International student questions: U-M International Center 

Updates

• A log of all changes in operations can be found here. 
• NERS Chat questions: Cherilyn Davis (NERS Administrative Assistant)

Feedback

• Concerns and ideas can be submitted with this form.