Messages
Throughout the preparation and implementation of Bucknell's reopening plan, the University has worked hard to keep faculty and staff informed by sending regular email updates.
This page compiles and preserves those messages so members of the Bucknell community can return to them at any time.
Each message is listed with the date it was sent and a brief description of its contents. Click or tap the message name to see the full announcement.
Messages
Dear Colleagues,
As the first day of classes approaches, the omicron variant of the virus has caused increasing case counts nationally and locally. To keep our community as safe as possible during this time, we have made several updates to our COVID-19 operations for the spring semester. Please review this information carefully, as it affects every employee and student.
KN95 Masks
We know that masks are our first line of defense against airborne transmission of COVID-19, and that KN95 masks are more effective than most other masks. The University strongly recommends the use of KN95s (or N95s) for all employees and students until further notice, effective immediately. Campus signage and other University messaging will soon be updated to reflect this.- Masks for employees: Our Facilities department has a large supply of KN95s in stock, and more are on the way. These and other PPE items can be ordered through your office’s PPE liaison.
- Masks for students: Those living in University housing may obtain KN95s in their residence halls or through the Housing office. All students, including those residing off campus, may also pick up KN95 masks from stations in the Office of the Dean of Students, the ELC, the library and the KLARC. We will encourage students to bring an adequate supply of their own KN95 masks for the semester.
Although the University is not mandating the use of KN95s at this time, faculty will have the authority to require students to wear them in classrooms and labs. They will receive a separate communication this morning with additional details.
COVID-19 Testing
As previously shared, all students are required to take a pre-arrival PCR test in order to begin spring classes. While return testing for employees is not mandatory, we strongly encourage you to be tested if you have traveled outside of Union County in the past 10 days, regardless of your vaccination status. For your convenience, we have expanded testing hours to include Thursday, Jan. 13, through Sunday, Jan. 16. Testing takes place in the Graham Building lobby, and appointments should be scheduled in the Aura app.Weekly PCR testing continues to be available to all employees and students, regardless of vaccination status. Please be aware that the turnaround time for test results may be extended due to national testing issues and staff shortages. Unvaccinated employees are still required to test weekly.
Results of positive tests not taken at the campus testing site should be promptly reported to Human Resources. Please refer to the website for information on what to do if you test positive.
Weekly testing of wastewater samples from 11 sites on campus will continue this semester. We are looking into the best way to regularly share testing results with the campus community. I thank the Facilities and faculty colleagues involved with this effort, which will alert us to possible spikes in the virus among our student population.
Vaccination
Our COVID-19 dashboard shows that 86% of employees have self-reported being fully vaccinated. This is significantly higher than the vaccination rate for Union County and reflects your concern for your own health as well as that of others — thank you for doing your part. If you have not yet submitted your vaccine or booster documentation via Workday, please do so as soon as possible.If you are not yet vaccinated, I again urge you to consider it. While vaccinated individuals can still become infected, particularly with omicron, the vaccine significantly reduces COVID-19 symptoms and complications. As our local hospitals are dangerously overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients — the vast majority of whom are unvaccinated — this is an important step you can take to protect the entire community as well as yourself.
Provost’s Welcome
Please mark your calendars for a special event on Tuesday, Jan. 18, when we will kick off the spring semester with a special Provost’s Welcome for all employees from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Weis Center. Our program will include employee awards and recognition, presentations on student readiness and mental health, and my update on our spring 2022 operations and goals.Thank you again for your continued dedication and support during these challenging times.
My best,
John
John C. Bravman
PresidentDear Colleagues,
As you can see on the University's COVID-19 dashboard, our reported employee COVID-19 vaccine rate has reached 85%. This is encouraging, and I am grateful to those of you who have taken this important step toward protecting our community.
Please remember that faculty and staff who are working on campus and who have not submitted documentation of COVID-19 vaccination are required to participate in weekly, sequential testing on campus. Thank you to those who are following our testing policy. Unfortunately, this is not the case for everyone. As I said at the September Staff Forum, this is simply a condition of employment at Bucknell University. If you have not submitted proof of a COVID-19 vaccine, failure to participate in weekly testing may result in disciplinary action.
COVID-19 testing is available by appointment on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. in the Graham Building lobby. As a reminder, fully vaccinated Bucknell employees and students may also use the Aura app to schedule up to one COVID-19 test per week at no charge.
Thank you for your attention.
John
John C. Bravman
PresidentDear Colleagues,
As I referenced in my July 30 email, the delta variant of COVID-19 is highly transmissible and presents our campus with new challenges. We've handled the pandemic well, and I have full confidence that together we can adjust to changing circumstances and continue to thrive as a community. Please note that as COVID-19 conditions remain fluid, we must continue to remain flexible regarding campus operations.
Informed by Monday's Emergency Response Team meeting, there will be several changes regarding daily operations, effective immediately. A summary of that meeting will be shared soon. The University website will reflect current guidelines, and we will communicate with students separately.
Masking
In response to the recent significant increase in COVID-19 cases in Union County, masks are now required of everyone in all public and academic indoor campus spaces, regardless of social distancing or vaccination status. Please always have a mask available when you are on campus.- In dining facilities, masks must be worn except when eating or drinking.
- Masks are not required in private spaces, such as individual offices.
- Masks are not required outdoors.
- Masks are required in public areas of the KLARC.
Testing
Beginning Aug. 11, weekly on-campus testing will be required for the following Bucknellians:
- Employees who have not submitted vaccination documentation or who are not yet fully vaccinated. This applies to all unvaccinated or partially vaccinated employees working on campus, regardless of their level of contact with students.
- Students with University-approved vaccine exemptions.
- Students who have begun the vaccination process but are not yet fully vaccinated.
Testing will be available every Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. in the Graham Building and should be scheduled through the Aura app.
Vaccine Documentation
If you are vaccinated but have not yet submitted your documentation, please do so immediately. We depend on this self-reported information to make decisions about health and safety guidelines. We will develop a system that monitors and compares documented status and testing for all unvaccinated employees and students.Please follow this link in the Announcement section of your Workday dashboard to submit documentation. If you have already submitted documentation to Human Resources via email, there is no need to re-submit it. Detailed instructions on how to submit, review or update your vaccine information in Workday are available here. Questions may be directed to Human Resources at hr@bucknell.edu or 7-1631.
If you have not yet been vaccinated, I again urge you again to thoughtfully consider doing so. It is the single-most important step you can take to protect yourself and others against COVID-19 and the delta variant, which is spreading rapidly.
Thank you for your continued attention and cooperation.
My best,
John C. Bravman
PresidentDear Colleagues,
I hope you are enjoying your summer and finding time for family, for friends and for yourselves. We’ve been through an ordeal during these past 16 months, and we’ve accomplished great things by working together as a community on behalf of our students and in fulfillment of our mission. Despite the struggles and setbacks, we delivered on the Bucknell Promise to a degree many thought unlikely. Whether you have been working on campus, remotely, or in some combination, thank you again for all that you have done to make this possible. Our ability to transition to a hybrid mode so quickly and effectively is, I hope, a source of great pride for all of us; it certainly is for me.
Shortly before Commencement, our provost wrote to the Bucknell community to announce the return to fully in-person instruction in the fall, without remote or hybrid classes — a move made possible by our decision to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for all students. As Elisabeth wrote, “This will allow us to return to what we do best: teaching and learning in a residential environment with highly personalized, face-to-face instruction.” This is the heart and soul of Bucknell, and, recalling John Zeller’s famous dictum that “we are all teachers here,” it is not limited to the classroom setting — the majority of staff members also interact with students and influence their Bucknell experience on a regular basis.
I am heartened to return, for the most part, to our usual operations, and I hope you are too. As the return of our students draws closer, and as we prepare to come “Back to Bucknell,” there are more steps we must take as faculty and staff to prepare for the academic year.
Our Return to Campus
So what does “Back to Bucknell” mean? First and foremost, it means that faculty and staff across the University will return to on-campus spaces to conduct our work. In our residential model of college education, this is what our students expect, and this is why they come to Bucknell.At the same time, however, Back to Bucknell requires maintaining an environment for employees that is productive, rewarding and safe as we work to fulfill our mission and meet the goals of the University’s strategic plan. To this end, we must also recognize that the pandemic has changed the world of work in some important ways — permanently, I believe — and that certain types of work are ever more likely to be performed remotely, leading to opportunities for employment away from Bucknell that have no restriction on location whatsoever. Certain IT positions, for instance, fundamentally do not require face-to-face interactions, while positions with “student–facing” functions absolutely do. This is both an opportunity and a challenge for the institution.
Our path forward therefore must address both sets of realities: one based on our identity for the past 175 years as an esteemed institution offering highly personal, residential education, and one born of technology and the changing world of work. We must also recognize that while each of our various divisions supports the central mission of the University, they vary greatly in terms of their day-to-day functions. I thus have empowered deans and vice presidents, in consultation with the offices of finance and human resources, the provost and myself, to develop plans for their areas that will seek to balance these realities. These plans will likely differ in some notable ways — which may be discomforting to some — but they will all recognize and be faithful to our core identity as a residential university. I have also specified that, with rare exceptions, fully remote work will not be approved, and that all student–facing functions will be fulfilled in person.
Back to Bucknell will take effect on Monday, Aug. 9, which also marks the end of summer office hours. Most students will move in soon thereafter — some are here already — and classes will begin on Monday, Aug. 23. As you’ll recall, our academic calendar for the fall 2021 term has returned to normal, and includes both a short fall break and a full week of no classes at Thanksgiving.
Some units are well along in developing their return-to-campus plans, while others are at an earlier stage. We won’t get it right the first time, in part because this is new territory, and there is no one right way. I’m confident, however, that we can work together and yet again cope with change — embrace it, in fact — while building a better Bucknell. We understand that you may have questions related to your personal circumstances that will require discussion with your supervisor, who will be equipped with the tools, resources and support necessary to help you navigate these changes.
COVID-19 Vaccination
As I noted above, earlier this year I announced that students must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Aug. 1 or obtain an approved medical or religious exemption to be in attendance this fall. (There are currently almost 600 colleges and universities that have made the same decision, including every Patriot League institution.) This is, I believe, the most important step we can take to safeguard our community and to avoid the deep challenges of last spring to the greatest extent possible. Although the majority of Bucknell families seem to agree with this decision, it was not uniformly applauded. We continue to receive documentation of vaccinations from our student population, with responses increasing daily as we near the Aug. 1 deadline.Some of you have asked whether vaccinations will be required for employees. While I’m glad to report that an estimated 70% of Bucknell employees have been vaccinated so far, this number is too low to achieve herd immunity within our campus community, especially given the emergence of the highly transmissible Delta variant of the virus and the fact that most state masking rules have been relaxed. While we all understand that we cannot create a “bubble” at Bucknell, we need to get to a higher level of vaccination in our campus community — perhaps 80% or more of employees.
I see this as an important community moment, and I am thus asking all employees who have not yet been vaccinated to thoughtfully reconsider their decision. I will not speak here to some of the deep divides in our country over this issue; I will speak, again, only to this community, adding, however, a personal note: I deeply believe in science, and the science here is real. The vaccine is available, it is free, and it works. It is saving lives every day, and more than anything else has allowed a partial return to our normal lives. The many of us who have lost friends or loved ones to COVID-19 are especially grateful for the vaccine.
We made it through the past year together; we prioritized everyone’s safety and employment, trying as best as we could to protect the University’s mission as well. As I stated above, despite the struggles and challenges, we achieved our broad goals, and did so without imposing a single furlough or layoff and without reducing benefits, while also providing a large number of “COVID days” at full pay and extraordinary work–schedule flexibility wherever we possibly could. These were communitarian decisions, and I’m proud of them. In this same spirit, I implore each of you now to ask yourself what you can do to protect our community, just as our community has worked to protect you.
Over the next two months we will again offer free on-campus vaccination for employees. If by the beginning of October we have not achieved a significantly higher employee vaccination rate, and depending on the case count on campus and in the community, we may then have to take a different approach, including that of a mandate. If you have been vaccinated and have not yet provided documentation to Human Resources, please do so immediately; if you have any questions, please contact hr@bucknell.edu.
In the meantime, we will continue to require all unvaccinated employees to mask indoors and to participate in weekly sequential testing. While I wish this were not the case, my obligations as president, and my commitment to avoid outbreaks like we experienced last spring, demand that I take these steps.
We are entering our third academic year of COVID-19. We are all fatigued, and we all want this to be over — but it’s my duty to remind you that it’s not. But because we are in this together, I know that we can succeed again.
Thank you for your attention and concern. Thank you for making Bucknell what it is.
Yours,
John C. Bravman
PresidentDear Colleagues,
I indicated at the recent Geisinger Town Hall that I would provide updates as soon as possible on the state’s vaccination implementation plan. There are no definitive updates to share, but here are some points as I know them today. Again, these are not official pronouncements from the government.
Supply chain issues in delivering the vaccine in Pennsylvania continue. Our state is apparently second to last (49/50) in the percent of vaccine allocated that has been injected. This is partly owing to the fact that Pennsylvania seems to be holding the line with regard to ensuring that second doses will be available for anyone who receives their first dose, unlike what has happened in some nearby states over the past few weeks.
Given the trouble with its supply chain, the state has contracted with a major consulting firm to which it has turned over much of the process implementation. Over the past week, the situation has improved a bit, with a rising number of doses being committed to delivery (the state controls this allocation, institution by institution).
The state seems to have reversed its recent decision to de-emphasize large medical systems and physician groups as service points for vaccination. Nonetheless, many systems in the state have put plans for any public vaccination on hold, and are only vaccinating their employees and/or some of their patients.
The only system I can speak for (Geisinger) remains committed to a broad, public distribution but is limited by the supply chain. Geisinger is still not taking any new appointments given the supply chain uncertainties. As soon as that changes I will let you know.
Approval of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine is expected within weeks. Pending an emergency-use authorization, such as what governs the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the J&J vaccine would clearly help the supply chain.
Right now the best estimate for the state moving to Group 1B eligibility is four to eight weeks, but this could change at any time. Group 1B includes "education workers."
I'll share more as I know it.
My best,
John
John C. Bravman
PresidentDear Faculty and Staff,
First, I would like to recognize all the employees who were tested during the first semester. Thank you for your cooperation in this important program. The team has been working over the break to make some changes to the testing process.
To alleviate waiting lines and protect our community, beginning on Jan. 25 you will be required to have a scheduled appointment in order to be tested. No walk-ins will be accepted.
If you are experiencing symptoms or have had a possible exposure to a COVID-19 positive individual, DO NOT come to the testing site. Contact your health-care provider or go to one of the area testing sites.
For more information on spring semester testing, see COVID-19 Employee Testing Program
Testing will resume the week of Jan. 25 at Sojka Pavilion. Testing times are as follows:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Thursday from 6 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Please note that there will not be testing on Friday, Jan. 29 to alleviate congestion during student move-in.
You will receive a personalized email with your testing group — High, Moderate, Low or Remote. Please follow the instructions in that email regarding testing frequency. If your testing group has changed, please let me know so that I can update your information.
How to Access Herd Health (Aura)
We recommend that you access the Herd Health (Aura) tool on your mobile device through the Bucknell app, where it is located on the main screen and in the Reopening 2020-21 section. The first time you use Herd Health, you will be prompted to download the Aura Sequential Testing app. Using the app on an iOS or Android device will improve your user experience and collect GPS data needed to assist the Bucknell Contact Tracing Team. Please be assured that this information will only be used for COVID contact tracing efforts.
If you do not have access to a mobile device, you can access Herd Health from a computer through the Herd Health link in myBucknell Quicklinks.
How to Login to Herd Health
Herd Health (Aura) can be accessed from the Bucknell Mobile App in the Reopening 20-21 section. It can also be accessed from the Campus Information & Resources section of the myBucknell Quick Links.
Click the Login button and select the Sign in with Google (iOS & Android apps) or Google Login button.
From the list of Google Accounts, select your username@bucknell.edu account.
If prompted, please enter your Bucknell password and complete DUO authentication.
To schedule a test click the Testing icon. Select Sojka Pavilion and then a date and time for your appointment.
For step-by-step login instructions and other how-to information, please see the Herd Health Frequently Asked Questions.
For technical assistance with the Herd Health app, please contact techdesk@bucknell.edu.
The COVID-19 dashboard details the current reported COVID-19 cases among students, faculty and staff in or around the Bucknell University campus community (i.e., students living on campus or near campus, and employees working on campus).
Thank you for your commitment to keeping Bucknell as healthy as possible.
Sincerely,
Cindy Bilger
Human ResourcesDear Colleagues,
As referenced in the recent Emergency Response Team update, we write to provide you with additional information about plans for Patriot League athletics competition during the spring semester.
You may know that competitive seasons in the sports of men's and women's basketball and wrestling began on Jan. 2. Last Friday the Patriot League announced a significantly modified scheduling framework for additional sports traditionally played in the fall, winter and spring to compete during the Spring 2021 semester. As that announcement states, "League play will be contingent on the League and its member institutions being able to conduct competitions in ways that protect the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches, staff members and their communities."
The decision to return to athletics competition this semester was not made lightly. The League's Council of Presidents has been meeting frequently on this subject, and will continue to do so throughout the winter and spring. The discussions there have been vigorous. While each institution retains autonomy, membership in a league requires a commitment to united decisions as well as active and ongoing participation by each of its members. The decisions made by the league directly affect the 20 percent of our students who participate in Bison athletics. For these reasons, the University is moving ahead — carefully — with plans to run our spring sports programs as well as the fall sports programs that were unable to play last semester. Everyone is aware, however, that our plans are indeed contingent, and may or may not result in ongoing competition.
The following information describes the safety measures that have been put in place in order to move forward with athletics competitions. Bucknell Athletics has developed an extensive COVID-19 action plan, based on principles from the CDC, the NCAA's independent COVID-19 Advisory Panel, the NCAA Sport Science Institute and the National Athletic Trainers Association. Additional information can be found on the BucknellBison.com COVID-19 resource page.
COVID-19 Testing
Our primary goal is to limit student-athletes' interaction to individuals who are subject to comparable safety protocols. As such, Bucknell teams will only compete against schools that have equally stringent safety procedures in place. This is one reason why non-league competition in basketball was canceled this season.All student-athletes in competition, along with their coaches, trainers and other essential personnel, are subject to rigorous testing and safety protocols. Sports have been categorized based on risk of virus transmission. Student-athletes in sports in the "high" risk category, such as basketball, football, water polo, wrestling and volleyball (if unmasked during competition), are to receive three PCR tests per week while in season. Student-athletes who compete in the "intermediate" and "low" risk categories receive one PCR test per week throughout the semester — same as the general student body — with the test conducted three days before a competition. More information on the categories can be found in the COVID-19 athletics plan.
Please note that the cost of additional testing, and other COVID-related expenses required to conduct athletic competitions, is funded by donors and does not detract from other campus resources.
Travel
Because student-athletes are participants in Bucknell-sponsored trips, they are not subject to current restrictions that limit student travel to a 30-mile radius of campus. As mentioned above, athletics schedules for this semester have been significantly modified, resulting in a much smaller geographic footprint for travel. With rare exceptions, there will be no overnight stays. Our teams will travel directly to the event venue with no stops along the way, compete, and return immediately to campus. Student-athletes will only interact with the opposing team, and many competitions will only occur on the weekends.All travel will be by bus, with passengers masked and socially distanced. Our contracted bus company is following and in all instances exceeding the requirements for charter bus operation instituted by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
With these protocols in place, student-athletes will be traveling in a highly controlled environment and will not be required to quarantine upon return to campus. The Academic Response Team is aware that some faculty have questions related to the impact of increased student athletics participation on classroom instruction and will be addressing this issue at their Jan. 20 meeting.
Athletics Operations
The safety measures that helped us successfully complete the fall semester will continue to be in place. Student-athletes must socially distance, wear face masks at all times (except during live competitions), and pay careful attention to personal hygiene, in addition to meeting other requirements of the Community Responsibility Agreement signed by all students. Team practices, meetings, and strength and conditioning sessions will continue to be modified to comply with safety measures.In addition, Athletics will continue to operate under reduced occupancy in all indoor and outdoor facilities. Spectators will not be permitted at competitions, per Patriot League policy, until further notice.
As we have all learned over the last 10 months, circumstances can change rapidly in the pandemic. We will continue to adapt as needed and will keep you apprised of any changes to these plans.
Sincerely,
John Bravman
PresidentJermaine Truax
Director of Athletics & RecreationDear Colleagues,
Move-in has officially begun, and many of you have volunteered to help make the process a smooth one for our students. We have all come a long way to greet this day, and I am extremely grateful for your commitment to a successful reopening.
As I have previously shared, the University enacted a testing protocol that, while not without its challenges, is one of the most rigorous in the nation. When delays mounted late in the process, I’m proud to say that we worked tirelessly to bring same-day testing to campus so students will be able to start classes on time and in person. For details of the on-site testing process we are providing for students during move-in, please refer to the email you recently received from Dean Badal.
As students continue to arrive, we are faced with the reality that despite all possible precautions, there will inevitably be positive cases on campus. Indeed, there has been one already. A student received a positive test, notified the University and was quickly moved to isolation. Bucknell is not immune to the reality of this pandemic, but we have seen that our process is working.
Bucknell is a relatively small community, and sharing information about its health related to COVID-19 requires careful consideration of privacy and confidentiality. I’m pleased to share that we are fine-tuning a dashboard that will display current information about COVID testing and results on campus, which we will make publicly available. In addition, we are taking steps to improve contact tracing capabilities on campus.
Contact Tracing
As you may know, the state has primary responsibility for contact tracing during a pandemic. However, we recognize that many states, including Pennsylvania, are experiencing strained resources. To be adequately informed about exposure to illness on campus and therefore able to make critical decisions for University operations, we will be best served by developing our own contact tracing program for campus.
It’s important to note that, for a variety of reasons, Bucknell’s contact tracing program will not extend beyond our campus community, and we will be unable to contact those who are not University students or employees.
Bucknell’s contact tracing process will be as follows:
- The Contact Tracing Team is notified of a positive test, either by the Bucknell community member who was tested, a testing service authorized to release results, or by the state health department.
- The Contact Tracing Team contacts the Bucknell students and/or employees who tested positive, makes sure they are receiving the appropriate care and, importantly, are isolating.
- The Contact Tracing Team interviews the Bucknell students and/or employees to determine with whom on campus they may have come into close contact. In this context, “close contact” is defined as being within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes during the two days prior to the positive test result. The team will also have access to GPS data collected from the Herd Health app (from those who choose to use it), as well as WiFi connectivity point data from the campus network.
Please note that this data will be accessed only for contact tracing purposes. Bucknell contact tracing efforts will maintain privacy and confidentiality. - Based on this information, the team will contact potentially exposed Bucknell students and/or employees to notify and instruct them on next steps as appropriate.
This is a significant, essential undertaking by the University. In order to succeed, we will assemble a team of trained employees to do this important work. We are fortunate that some of our Athletics and Human Resources staff members have already completed contact tracing training. We will provide training to those employees who are able to be redeployed, and may hire casual employees to support our contact tracing effort. If you are interested in serving as a contact tracer, please email contact-tracing@bucknell.edu.
This is an extraordinary time, and I am proud of the extraordinary effort each of us is putting into reopening our campus. This is an unexpected but necessary step to make that happen safely, and I thank members of our new contact tracing team for stepping up.
My best,
John
Dear Colleagues,
As we continue our efforts to protect the health and safety of students, faculty and staff this fall, we will be partnering with Geisinger to conduct employee testing. This partnership should supplement the vigilance already exercised by our employees in monitoring symptoms of COVID-19, and in following the advice of health care providers.
Included below are details of a faculty and staff testing program that will enhance many of the other actions we've been taking to protect the health and safety of our campus community. Testing leads to quick identification of cases and appropriate steps such as isolation to help prevent spread and early treatment for a speedy recovery.
In addition to helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Bucknell's employee testing program is free of charge and does not require a doctor's order. Paid release time will be provided as necessary, and turnaround time for test results is expected to be faster than many other testing programs.
Bucknell's on-site testing program does not preclude employees from seeking testing elsewhere or under the direction of their health care provider or public health officials. For those covered under Bucknell's health insurance plans, co-pays, coinsurance and deductible expenses associated with COVID-19 testing elsewhere will be waived. Employees who are tested elsewhere and have positive results must contact Human Resources by completing a COVID-19 intake form. This form is also available in the Absence worklet in Workday. If assistance is needed, please contact Danielle Kraus at 570-577-1710 or dkraus@bucknell.edu.
Details regarding the onsite testing program are outlined below.
Who Should Be Tested
A COVID test is required for all employees who are planning or required to be on campus at any time in the fall semester with the following exceptions:
- If your presence on campus will be limited and your work will be primarily remote, please speak with the OMG leader responsible for your department for a possible exemption from the initial test.
- Any employee who has been tested after Aug. 2 outside of Bucknell's testing program does not need to be retested.
- Anyone who has previously tested positive for COVID-19 does not need to be retested.
Testing Dates and Times
Thursday, Aug. 6: 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 7: 6 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 8: 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 10: 8 a.m.–6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 11: 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 12: 6 a.m.–2:30 p.m.NOTE: Please schedule your test at least 48 hours in advance so that Geisinger can prepare labels for processing. Additionally, employees who are experiencing symptoms the day of their scheduled test should not present for the test. They should stay home, contact their health care provider and notify their supervisor.
Testing Location
Tests will be conducted at Upper Stadium, Lot 65. The site will be tented with free airflow and three drive-through lanes to support five employees every 10 minutes.
Employees should drive to the testing site at the time of their scheduled test. If unable to drive to the site, please arrive on time for limited walk-in testing.
Testing Process
All employees will receive an email from Cindy Bilger, director of HRIS and benefits (cbilger@bucknell.edu), with a personal link to either schedule an appointment or to indicate that they will not be on campus during the Fall 2020 semester. As part of the testing process, employees will be required to complete a release form allowing test results to be shared with Bucknell. Results will be used to confirm test completion and to allow Human Resources to appropriately support employees with positive results.
Frequency of tests will be administered based on employee level of contact with others, as determined by the most current position description and defined below:
- Employees with a high level of contact with others on campus
- An initial test with follow-up testing planned for every two weeks throughout the semester
- Employees with a moderate level of contact with others on campus
- An initial test with one additional test planned for mid-semester
- Employees with a low level of contact with others on campus
- An initial test only
Employees will receive their group assignment during the scheduling process. Employees who believe they have been incorrectly assigned to a group should proceed with their initial test and then contact hr@bucknell.edu to be correctly identified for subsequent tests. Employees with self-identified high-risk factors can opt into the high contact group by contacting hr@bucknell.edu.
Test Results
Employees with positive results will be contacted by Geisinger. Those employees enrolled in Geisinger's patient portals (myGeisinger and myChart) can also access their results online. Individuals whose results are positive will also be contacted by the Pennsylvania Department of Health for contact tracing. Employees with positive results should contact their health care provider for directions on treatment and care. Human Resources will contact the employee to support them with appropriate workplace assistance, including but not limited to absence management, remote work, reasonable accommodations and eventual return to work. Human Resources will also notify those whose results are negative.
As a reminder, outside of the scheduled testing program, any employee who has symptoms (such as fever, cough or shortness of breath) should stay home, contact their health care provider and notify their supervisor. Sick employees should follow the instructions of their health care provider, including when it is safe to return to work.
My thanks to everyone who has worked diligently on making this plan happen. I appreciate everyone’s patience and flexibility as the start of the semester quickly approaches. Please continue to visit our fall reopening website for updates and information as it becomes available.
All my best,
John
