COVID-19 Information for Spring 2021

Students enrolled in COD studio courses (which are meeting face-to-face) are required by the College of Design to have weekly COVID testing throughout the spring semester. This requirement is regardless of university policies (or changes in those policies this spring); this is the right thing to do for our community given the in-person, close work environments. This college-driven testing plan (via the University voluntary surveillance testing) should be combined with a daily personal assessment of exposure and symptoms in order to keep each other safe overall.  

We have developed a list of studio students to be given to registration and records in conjunction with studio instructors, faculty and department heads. Two groups were removed from the current required COD studio testing list:

1. Studios which are not currently meeting face-to-face and the students are not using their studio space; and
2. Students who have arranged with their instructors to participate remotely for the spring semester.

Registration and records will send an email to students on this list notifying them that they are required to get weekly COVID testing. This is a weekly reminder every Sunday as well as a notification when a student is overdue for a test at 10 days and *very* overdue at 17 days. 

A student’s failure to meet this or other community standards will result in one or more of the following:

• referral to the Office of Student Conduct, 
• loss of access to studio and COD facilities (including all in-person resources). 

Until the student gets tested, the student will not be allowed to return to studio or permitted to use COD facilities and resources in-person. 

The closest location to the College of Design for testing is currently Clark Dining Hall (7am – 4pm). Testing days below are recommended by discipline:

• D studios: Monday or Tuesday
• Art and Design: undergrad on Wednesday; grad on Thursday
• Architecture: undergrad on Monday; grad on Wednesday
• Graphic Design: undergrad on Thursday; grad on Monday
• Industrial Design: undergrad on Monday; grad on Tuesday
• Landscape Architecture: Wednesday
• COD students not enrolled in a studio are encouraged to get tested on Fridays

If you miss your recommended testing day, get tested the next day. Students who test positive for COVID do not have to be tested weekly for 90 days.

If you test positive, isolate – stay home, self report using a short form which begins contact tracing, and contact your instructor.

If you end up on the mandatory testing list and are not attending face-to-face or using college resources in-person, please email Associate Dean Sharon Joines (smbennet@ncsu.edu) to discuss being removed from the mandatory testing list. Include your full name, student ID number and an explanation of why you should be removed from the list.

Your health and the health of our community is of prime importance to us. Be sure to stay up to date with the Protect the Pack website, as well.

Please read below for key information regarding access to College of Design studios, the Materials Lab, and the Bayley IT Lab.

Please find the following policies for conduct on the College of Design campus and in our spaces. We encourage you to take breaks – while the facilities are open 24/7, we encourage students to leave the studios by midnight to care for their own mental health and physical well-being.

• Positive Environment for Learning and Working Policy
• Safety and Facilities Use Policy

Studio Access:

Studio spaces are open 24/7 to those who have been assigned a studio desk. Anyone coming to campus must be tested weekly and comply with the community standards for masks, distancing, disinfecting workspaces before and after working, etc.

Details on how to comply with testing requirements and who should be tested can be found above.  

Materials Lab:

The Materials Lab hours are:

• Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
• Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Saturday–Sunday, 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Materials Lab Policies:

• Capacity in the Materials Lab is limited to 20 people. 
• Instructors must pre-arrange a scheduled time with Materials Lab staff prior to bringing a class or group for work or orientation sessions. 
• Individuals arriving at the Materials Lab must check in with staff when they arrive. 
• Laser cutters are open. Users must be certified and must schedule time through the Laser Cutter Reservation system. https://academics.design.ncsu.edu/it/kb/laser-cutter-reservations/.
• Access to CNC routers and other specialized tools must be scheduled with Materials Lab staff. 

Students registered in Design courses may check out tools from the Materials Lab. All tools should be disinfected before and after checkout. 

Anyone coming to campus must be tested weekly and comply with the community standards for masks, distancing, wiping workspace before and after working, etc.

Details on how to comply with testing requirements and who should be tested can be found above.   

Bayley IT Lab:

The Bayley IT Lab hours are:

• Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Sunday, 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Bayley IT Lab Policies:

• Capacity in each Bayley IT Lab classroom is limited to 12 people. Every other computer is marked off for physical distancing. 
• Instructors must pre-arrange a scheduled time with IT staff prior to bringing a class or group for work or class sessions. 
• Individuals arriving at the Bayley IT Lab must check in with staff when they arrive. 
• Access to 3D printing must be scheduled through Lee Cherry, lee_cherry@ncsu.edu.

Students registered in Design courses may check out equipment from the Bayley IT Lab. All equipment should be disinfected before and after checkout. 

Computer clusters are open 24/7. Anyone coming to campus must be tested weekly and comply with the community standards for masks, distancing, disinfecting workspaces before and after working, etc.

Details on how to comply with testing requirements and who should be tested can be found above.   

The university’s COVID-19 community standards have been updated with some key changes around face-covering requirements. NC State has also made adjustments to provide additional clarity to the rule about personal safety requirements related to COVID-19.

Face coverings are now required for all students, faculty, staff and visitors everywhere on campus, indoors and outdoors, even when alone, unless:

• You are alone in a private, enclosed residence room, apartment or office with the door closed.
• You are actively eating or drinking while maintaining physical distancing.

In addition to adhering to face covering requirements, all students, faculty, staff and visitors should adhere to the following community standards:

• Practice good hand hygiene.
• Maintain an appropriate physical distance from others (at least 6 feet).
• When sick, stay home from work or class.
• Follow all directions given by university officials and public health authorities.
• Adhere to mass gathering limitations.
• Comply with all local and state laws and ordinances.

The below linked document has a number of detailed resources for you to provide guidance for Spring 2021 teaching. Most important, though, please remember:

• Communicate early and often about any changes in your course; remain ready to implement your continuity plan to accommodate remote participation (e.g. students who are quarantining); being nimble and agile during these evolving times is critical (and understandably difficult, at times).
• Remain flexible and kind to students, your colleagues, and yourself throughout this pandemic; the health, safety, and well-being of our community is most important.

Things likely will not be perfect but having designed your instructional plans with empathy will make all the difference.

As always, if you have questions – direct them to your School, Department, or Program Head. Directors of Undergraduate or Graduate Programs and members of the Student Services Office are among your best resources.

The College of Design continues to follow the Research Restart Phase III-B guidelines when conducting research on/off-campus (including fieldwork). All research activities (per project) will continue to be considered for return to campus but must be approved by the department, college assistant dean for research and the Office of Research and Innovation. This is also a requirement for the PhD students/candidates who are working on their research and/or collecting data on/off-campus associated with their dissertation work.

Following the instructions received from ORI, the process of review and approval for research in College of Design’s research/lab facilities, workspaces, as well as field work (with or without human subjects) will involve the following steps:

1. Researchers/PIs filling out this updated form.
2. Departmental review and approval/denial by Department Head.
3. College level review and approval/denial by the Assistant Dean for Research and Extension.
4. NCSU’s Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) will review and approve/deny based on the current occupancy/human contact guidelines.
5. Notifications and specific guidelines will be sent to the Assistant Dean for Research and Extension for dissemination to faculty.
6. All approved PIs and project team members (including students, research staff, etc.) returning to work on/off-campus need to have a COVID-19 PCR test three to five days prior to returning to campus. For additional information please visit return-to-campus testing webpage.

In Phase III-B, all research activities will be considered for return to campus but must be approved by the department, college associate/assistant dean for research and the Office of Research and Innovation. Research requests must follow the approved submission process and no research may begin on-site/campus before receiving the university approval.

If you have additional questions, please contact Celen Pasalar, assistant dean for research and extesnsion, at celen_pasalar@ncsu.edu.

The university’s COVID-19 community standards have been updated with some key changes around face-covering requirements. NC State has also made adjustments to provide additional clarity to the rule about personal safety requirements related to COVID-19.

Face coverings are now required for all students, faculty, staff and visitors everywhere on campus, indoors and outdoors, even when alone, unless:

• You are alone in a private, enclosed residence room, apartment or office with the door closed.
• You are actively eating or drinking while maintaining physical distancing.

In addition to adhering to face covering requirements, all students, faculty, staff and visitors should adhere to the following community standards:

• Practice good hand hygiene.
• Maintain an appropriate physical distance from others (at least 6 feet).
• When sick, stay home from work or class.
• Follow all directions given by university officials and public health authorities.
• Adhere to mass gathering limitations.
• Comply with all local and state laws and ordinances.

To help ensure a safe and successful spring semester, NC State is regularly testing members of our community, including students living on campus and select employees working in face-to-face roles. Ongoing surveillance testing will help us identify cases earlier, quickly activate our contract tracing program, and isolate and quarantine individuals as needed to help prevent spread.

Beginning in mid-January, designated faculty and staff, residential students and select student employees will participate in required surveillance testing. Testing locations will be expanded as needed. Surveillance testing on campus is free for all faculty, staff and students. The process itself can be completed in five minutes or less, which we hope helps participants incorporate testing into their weekly routine.

Following are the steps for the surveillance testing process:

Step 1: Selected surveillance program participants will receive an email with details to conduct a test on specific days.

Step 2: On the day of the test, participants should visit one of the campus collection locations (information below).

Step 3: Participants should arrive at the test site with their NC State ID and phone. Participant ID information is required for check-in.

Read more about testing requirements, including available testing locations, on the Protect the Pack Website.

University Human Resources has developed resources, guidelines and FAQs regarding a pandemic and communicable disease event at NC State.

Resources:

• Return to Work Onsite Resources
• COVID-19 FAQs from HR
• COVID-19 Leave Provisions
• HR Updates

Select employees and students were identified for required weekly surveillance testing, based on their work roles and responsibilities. Identified individuals will receive weekly communications of testing, be tracked for compliance in MyPack Portal and subject to disciplinary action for non-compliance. 

If an employee has changes to their mandatory testing status, please contact Assistant Dean for Finance Felicia Womack (fdwomack@ncsu.edu).

For more information on compliance expectations and COVID monitoring, visit the EMAS website.

Additional resources:

• Surveillance Testing FAQs
• Testing Protocols
• Travel Exception Request Form
• Event Exception Request Form
• Testing and Tracking Dashboard
• Supervisor Guide to Employee Conduct Expectations

The university’s COVID-19 community standards have been updated with some key changes around face-covering requirements. NC State has also made adjustments to provide additional clarity to the rule about personal safety requirements related to COVID-19.

Face coverings are now required for all students, faculty, staff and visitors everywhere on campus, indoors and outdoors, even when alone, unless:

• You are alone in a private, enclosed residence room, apartment or office with the door closed.
• You are actively eating or drinking while maintaining physical distancing.

In addition to adhering to face covering requirements, all students, faculty, staff and visitors should adhere to the following community standards:

• Practice good hand hygiene.
• Maintain an appropriate physical distance from others (at least 6 feet).
• When sick, stay home from work or class.
• Follow all directions given by university officials and public health authorities.
• Adhere to mass gathering limitations.
• Comply with all local and state laws and ordinances.