Coronavirus Update (July 1, 2020)

Next Weekly Update: Wednesday, July 8

Fall 2020 Reopening

BU has announced its Fall 2020 semester plans. The plan is for the Fall 2020 semester to begin on Monday, Aug. 17, one week earlier than originally planned. It will consist of two condensed sessions and one full semester. One-third of all courses will be offered within one of these three sessions.

The Fall semester will conclude on Tuesday, Nov. 24. Winter session dates are still pending. Spring semester will begin Feb. 1.

Fall I — Aug. 17 to Nov. 24 
Fall II — Aug. 17 to Oct. 6 
Fall III — Oct. 7 to Nov. 24 

Through the past several weeks, we have appreciated your patience as we have worked to get to this point in answering your questions about how we will operate this coming fall. Details will continue to evolve, but our commitment to the health of all and to quality academic instruction remains paramount. Fall 2020 Frequently Asked Questions

The campus remains closed until further notice, including the upper campus fields and track at Redman Stadium. In the interest of securing the safety of our faculty, staff, and students, as well as our communities, the Chancellor is following the Governor’s directive regarding continuation of no in-person instruction occurring at our 14 universities during all scheduled 2020 summer sessions.

Students

Fall 2020 On Campus Housing: Fall 2020 on campus housing assignments are scheduled to be posted in MyHousing on Monday, July 20. An email will be sent to students when assignments are posted.

(NEW) Scheduling: While we are making updates to class schedules, we have temporarily locked both students and BU staff from performing any enrollment activities for Fall 2020. We have also temporarily shut down the ability for students to view their fall schedules in MyHusky. Since updating the fall schedule of classes continues to be a fluid situation with multiple updates, it is best if we don’t allow students to view class and section details at this time.

Once the fall master schedule is considered more stable and the student schedules have been reviewed for conflicts, we will open fall schedule viewing in MyHusky for students and once again open up scheduling to all for the term.

Incoming New Students: All incoming undergraduate students and supporters should sign up for our new student orientation event referred to as HOWL Days. Participants will hear from the deans, receive Fall Semester updates, and information on different technological resources from some of our student leaders (HOWLs). In addition, please register for additional live webinars being offered throughout the summer.

2020-21 Academic Calendar

• Fall I — Aug. 17 to Nov. 24 
• Fall II — Aug. 17 to Oct. 6 
• Fall III — Oct. 7 to Nov. 24 

Winter dates still pending

•  Spring I — Feb. 1 to May 11
• Spring II — Feb. 1 to March 23
• Spring III — March 24 to May 11 

Government COVID-19 Resources

• PASSHE Coronavirus Information
• CDC
• PA Department of Health
• World Health Organization
• Governor Tom Wolf

CARES Act Funding: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act gives Bloomsburg University the ability to award funds to students for expenses related to the disruption of normal campus operations due to the coronavirus. Additional funding may be available for summer and fall 2020. For current BU students seeking emergency aid funds due to COVID-19 for tuition, food, housing, textbooks, technology, health care, and child care, the Summer 2020 ONLY application is now available. The application for Fall 2020 will not be available until Aug. 3. Please email buaid@bloomu.edu if you have questions about your financial aid.

Student Assistance Form: Students, if you have a concern or need help with something simply click on this request link and tell us what we can assist you with.

Academics

Writing and Literacy Engagement Studio (WALES) is open for summer sessions: For the summer, WALES will offer online consulting through Zoom. To arrange for an online session, send an appointment request to wales@bloomu.edu from your Huskies email address at least 24 hours in advance.

Library Online Support Hours in Summer Session: Virtual library services and support, during Summer Sessions, is available to students and faculty according to the following schedule. For research assistance and resources: guides.library.bloomu.edu/remotestudy.

Faculty and Staff

HR – Employees’ Return to Campus Update: As we begin the process of returning employees to campus, we have provided the Bloomsburg University COVID-19 Workplace Guide. As a matter of public health and safety, it is imperative that every employee reviews the complete Bloomsburg University COVID-19 Workplace Guide, which has been developed in consideration of the health and safety of all Bloomsburg University employees and in accordance with health directives provided by the Governor, the Department of Health and following Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidance.

In addition, an Employee COVID-19 Inquiries Guide has been developed to assist employees with appropriate contact information for COVID-19 questions. Please refer to your immediate supervisor for questions pertaining to your work status. For questions about your leave or unemployment compensation, please reach out via HR Connect at hrconnect@bloomu.edu. Additional guidance for employees seeking workplace flexibility due to underlying medical conditions is forthcoming.

HR Connect: the new one-stop service center for all BU employees designed to assist with all Human Resources needs, is available through the following methods:

• The HR Connect team is available to promptly answer all of your HR questions at extension 4415.
• Any Human Resources inquiry can be entered as a “HR Help” ticket. Simply press the “HELP DESK” button from the HR Connect home page and enter your inquiry for a faster way to ask your question and increase visibility of your inquiry status.
• HR help requests can also be sent via email to hrhelp@bloomu.edu. A “HR Help” ticket will automatically be opened on your behalf when using this method.
  The on-campus location for HR Connect is the Waller Administration Building, Room 111. The HR Connect team is currently teleworking but is readily available to assist you by phone or through the HR Help Desk.

Human Resources is available to help with your questions and can be reached at 570-389-4415.

Student Assistance Form: If you have a student with a concern or needing assistance, please direct them to the webform.

Events and Athletics

Go to buhuskies.com for athletic updates. Through the end of July, all events have been canceled until further notice. We will seek opportunities to move programming online if possible and will communicate accordingly.