March 5, 2021
Dear Faculty and Staff,
The New York State telecommuting program is in effect until April 2, and SUNY Potsdam will approve all telecommuting applications through that date. At this time, we have not heard if there will be an extension to the statewide telecommuting program.
In a recent communication to students, we announced that we are going to begin easing restrictions on in-person activities. Given our weekly surveillance testing, on-campus COVID-19 processes and protocols, and continued diligence of our entire campus community, we know that our campus offers a safe learning and working environment.
Interactions with our faculty and staff members are a critical component to the Potsdam experience. With that in mind, we are going to begin transitioning all employees back to campus in early April. Your President’s Council designee will be working with your area supervisor to begin developing a plan to transition employees back to campus (for departments and offices that remain fully remote). This transition will consider office sizes and locations. Daily office staffing should be no more than 50 percent of the fire occupancy for the space. Questions regarding the occupancy limits should be directed to Patrick O’Brian, Director, Environmental Health and Safety. Teaching modality will remain the same during the Spring 2021 semester, regardless of the telecommuting program.
Now that vaccine eligibility has expanded considerably, many of our employees qualify to receive immunizations, and we will continue to provide information about opportunities to do so. As part of this phased return, any employees who have been fully remote will be required to begin mandatory weekly surveillance testing and to complete the symptoms tracker questionnaire any time they report to campus. All public health guidelines will remain in place, including requirements for face coverings and social/physical distancing measures.
While it is the campus expectation that where possible employees begin to return to campus, if an employee currently has an approved plan through the Reasonable Accommodation policy, these will continue to be reviewed through the Department of Human Resources.
Should you have any questions, you may contact Human Resources and Environmental Health and Safety. Thank you for all you continue to do to uphold our academic mission and support our students.
Sincerely,
Melissa Proulx
Director of Human Resources
(315) 267-2086