Faculty and Staff

Yes. UWRF employees working on campus will be required to be tested every two weeks, in line with UW System Policy. Testing will be conducted on campus at our testing site located in Hagestad Hall.

Find out more about mandatory testing.

Know YOUR testing obligation by visiting the COVID-19 portal

If an employee has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been on campus while infectious, they are required to inform their supervisor. Supervisors are being provided further instructions from Human Resources. The employee and supervisor will identify any on-campus close contacts. Close contacts are defined as being within six feet of the person for more than a cumulative 15 minutes during a day that the person was infectious. Someone who tests positive is considered infectious starting two days before symptoms developed or two days before the positive test was collected if no symptoms. If an employee has off-campus close contacts, Pierce County Public Health is asking that they be notified and told to quarantine for 14 days and consider getting a test. Close contacts may reference this handout. If questions, call or email HR at 715-425-3518 or hr@uwrf.edu.

• All public or student serving offices are to have a front desk presence and maintain regular office hours.
• Decisions regarding on-campus staffing of back office functions are up to supervisors.
• Any long-term telecommuting arrangements must be approved by supervisors who are also responsible for ensuring the employee can effectively perform their full responsibilities while working remotely.
• Any employees needing to telecommute for childcare reasons can still access the extended-FMLA option and must contact HR. Those wishing to telecommute because of pre-existing health conditions should work with their supervisor and HR.

Face coverings shall be required in all indoor public spaces, including classrooms, and strongly encouraged outside when physical distancing is not possible.

Reasonable accommodations will be made for individuals unable to wear a face covering. Requests for reasonable accommodations are considered on a case-by-case basis. It is the responsibility of the individual requesting the accommodation to contact the appropriate office below to obtain an approved reasonable accommodation.
 
• Employees requesting a reasonable accommodation should contact Human Resources and complete the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form located here.
• Students requesting a reasonable accommodation due to disability should contact Ability Services. Find more information here.
• Students requesting a reasonable accommodation for a reason other than a disability should contact the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Excellence & Student Success.
 
Students with an approved reasonable accommodation will receive an approved accommodation form from the Ability Services Office and must present that upon request to a university official or instructor. Return to Campus COVID-19 Policy, Page 3 A student or employee who has been granted a reasonable accommodation by the university is not required to explain to others the underlying basis for the accommodation.

Employees considered to be at high risk for serious complications of illness, including COVID-19, should consult with their supervisor to develop an appropriate work plan. Employees may arrange to work remotely pursuant to UW System telecommuting policies. Use of sick or other leave such as vacation will be handled pursuant to existing UW System and UWRF policies and procedures. 

In this situation, the best thing to do is discuss your concerns with your immediate supervisor. 

Each day prior to work, all UWRF employees working on campus are required to complete a screening questionnaire. The questionnaire includes questions and/or statements about symptoms, exposures and travel. Visit this page for additional details.

If you are feeling sick after arriving at work, notify your supervisor immediately. A supervisor may direct you to leave work. Additionally, contact your health care provider and/or local health authorities. Use of sick or other leave such as vacation will be handled pursuant to existing UW System and UWRF policies and procedures.

We will prioritize our efforts based on where people are coming back. In the early stages, we will open one restroom per building. As more departments and employees come back, we will increase custodial staffing and open more restrooms. While we can't disinfect after each person, we will disinfect on a recurring basis. In regards to HVAC systems, we are researching ventilation rates based on CDC guidelines.

Individuals may utilize their own sanitizers and cleaning supplies to care for themselves or their own personal items. Sanitizers and cleaning supplies should be checked for effective composition against the CDC guidelines and should not be used to treat common spaces outside the individual’s personal space.

Please use this form for submitting concerns relating to violations of UW-River Falls policies and directives regarding COVID-19. Do NOT use this form to relay concerns that you or someone else has COVID-19.

Examples of what to report include: failure to wear a face covering, failure to physical distance, failure to quarantine or to follow contact tracing policies or other violations (intentional or unintentional) related to COVID-19 policies, etc. 

If you would like to discuss an incident with the Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards, please call 715-425-4507.

They should stay home, contact their supervisor and seek guidance from their health care provider.

They should call their health care provider for medical advice, including whether or not they should be COVID-19 tested.

If an employee has a confirmed case of COVID-19, public health will reach out to initiate the tracing process.

• Employees should NOT reach out to everyone they think might be a contact, including persons from their place of employment, as this will just create panic and misinformation.

• Public health authorities work with each case to identify close contacts and then reach out to those contacts about what they should do.

• Further sharing of information regarding specific circumstances will be determined by public health authorities.

An employee being tested for COVID-19 should self-quarantine until cleared by test results.

Employees are encouraged to limit non-essential personal travel. If an employee travels outside their community and was unable to follow public health orders, it is recommended that they self quarantine for 14 days before returning to campus.

• All employees are expected to adhere to public health orders.

• If an employee’s personal travel has impacted their ability to work due to a required public health order self quarantine and they are not eligible to telecommute, then the employee must contact their supervisor for guidance and approval to use accrued paid time off or any available COVID-19 leave.

Information about an employee’s health cannot be shared. Employee health information is considered protected information and considered confidential by law and cannot be shared.

Employees should complete the Public Health Release from Isolation Form.

• It is essential that the university properly manage sanitation supplies, protective equipment and other crisis related materials. The supply chain for these types of materials is stressed and group purchasing through UW System is being leveraged to obtain large quantities of materials. We must be diligent in being good stewards of these resources.
• Central Stores and Receiving has expanded their services to provide sanitation supplies and basic protective equipment for departments to purchase from a central supply. All units should acquire these items through Central Stores.
• Use of P-Cards to purchase items through suppliers like Staples or Amazon is prohibited. Contact Purchasing Services for assistance.
• Units should not hoard any supplies and should order only the quantity needed for just in time use. It is recommended that you have a two-week supply on hand.
• To purchase items through Central Stores, departments should use the Central Stores BP Logix form located on the UWRF Central Stores website.
• Campus will use pandemic relief funds to cover 50% of costs related to PPE and sanitation supplies. Fifty percent of the cost will be charged to the department’s S&Ebudget.  
• Individuals may utilize their own sanitizers and cleaning supplies to care for themselves or their own personal items. Sanitizers and cleaning supplies should be checked for effective composition against the CDC guidelines and should not be used to treat common spaces outside the individual’s personal space.

Supplies can be ordered for each unit through Central Stores.

Individual units are responsible for their office spaces. Each user within a unit will want to be sanitizing their items on a regular basis. In terms of public spaces, Alan will consult with custodial staff.

Supervisors should contact UWRF Human Resources if they have additional questions.