Messages

• Jan. 15, 2020: Patriot League Competition Update

  Dear 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
  President

  Jermaine Truax
  Director of Athletics & Recreation 

   

• Aug. 12, 2020: New Testing Options for Students, COVID Dashboard and Contact Tracing

  Dear 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: 

  1. 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.
  2. 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. 
  3. 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.
  4. 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

   

• July 30, 2020: COVID-19 On-Site Employee Testing Program

  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