Staff
Covid-19 Information
Cleaning protocols
If you are a staff or faculty unit leader and you’d like to coordinate a cleaning and disinfection plan for your workspace or building, contact Custodial Services. You can locate your building’s custodial leadership member on the Custodial Services website.
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)
FS HVAC teams, in partnership with the University Engineer, studied the effects of increasing our MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating and it resulted in an exponential drop in air exchange rates and therefore a drop in the introduction of fresh air in the spaces. This would have an overall negative effect on the health and safety of our buildings (stagnant air). Increasing outside air intake and optimizing exchange rates are far more important than filtering. Mask wearing reduces the likelihood that the airborne particles make it back into the return air system at all.
To further enhance the ‘in room’ filtration, air purifiers have been installed in classroom and shared spaces. Filter units use hospital-grade filters to continually scrub and circulate the air.
Adapting common facilities
- Most buildings have at least one entrance with a touch-free door opener.
- Hand sanitizing stations available in hallways, typically located near elevators.
- Most restrooms have touch-free flushing and faucets.
- Drinking fountains remain unavailable, but most buildings have at least one water bottle filling station.
- One-way restriction on stairs removed.
- Common areas open.
- Break rooms open and restrictions of food storage lifted.
- Conference and meeting rooms open.
Classrooms
- Alcohol wipes still available for cleaning desktops.
- Rolling plexiglass barriers can be made available by request through KU’s established accommodation process.
- Classroom seating designed for an optimal teaching and learning environment based on the Higher Learning Commission recommendations.
- Regular seating capacity in lecture halls.
Study Spaces
Outdoor tents with electricity and WiFi are available for study breaks.
KU staff members who have been financially impacted by the pandemic may be eligible for the Rosalie Lanier Gray KU Staff Assistance Fund, which assists those who are experiencing financial hardship due to natural or personal disaster.
Guidance for Staff
Anyone concerned about potential exposure should do the following:
- Complete the KU COVID-19 Health Assessment Form and follow the recommended guidance.
- If you feel well and pass the health assessment test, you may return to the office.
- If you feel unwell, please stay home!
- You should take a COVID test in 3-5 days from the date of possible exposure. Tests are free and available to you on campus. Details about where and how to test can be found on the Testing Information page
- If you are positive, you should immediately isolate and notify your supervisor of your absence. Your supervisor will notify coworkers who may have been exposed so that they can take precautions if needed. Unless you provide consent, the information should be shared anonymously.
Employees, supervisors, and colleagues, are discouraged from discussing an employee’s health at length.
When an Employee's Dependent Needs to Quarantine or Isolate
Supervisors and department leaders are encouraged to provide flexibility to meet the needs of their employees. If an employee’s work can be completed from home, supervisors and employees should make a plan to provide temporary remote work. No formal request is required to be submitted to Human Resource Management for a temporary quarantine period. If an employee needs to be absent from work, they should use their provided vacation and sick leave accruals.
Hybrid, Fully Remote, Flexible Schedule
The COVID-19 pandemic has made a huge impact on workplace designations for people everywhere, including KU. Flexible work arrangements can look differently based on the position, job duties and customers an employee supports. A flexible work arrangement might be a schedule modification, a change as to where the work is performed, or both. Click on the links below to learn more about flexible working arrangements.
Campus Health Protocols
We are taking a comprehensive and coordinated approach to provide for our community’s health and wellness this school year. These efforts include:
- Enhanced cleaning methods and schedules across all campus classrooms, dining, transportation, and facilities.
- Posting hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes in all classrooms and around campus.
- Providing personal protective equipment and sanitizing supplies to students and employees.
We ask that all Jayhawks follow appropriate safety guidelines to help protect our campus community.
Contact tracing and voluntary reporting
In accordance with Kansas law, KU will not conduct or authorize contact tracing or mandate contact tracing for any person. Participation in contact tracing is voluntary and will be conducted solely through the Douglas County Health Department.
Employee health coverage
Visit the State Employee Health Plan website for information on health benefits related to COVID-19.
We ask that all Jayhawks follow appropriate safety guidelines to help protect our campus community.
Masks
Effective at March 28, our mask policy is as follows:
- Masks ware no longer required in classrooms.
- Masks are no longer required on KU buses (as of April 18, 2022).
- Masks are no longer required in non-classroom settings such as libraries, dining halls, research labs, hallways, athletics facilities, offices, meeting rooms and similar areas.
- The only settings in which masks are still required are Watkins Health Center, and childcare facilities.
You can read the Chancellor's announcement regarding the phased approach to remove the mask mandate on the Lawrence and Edwards campuses by clicking on the following link: Masks no longer required in classrooms on Lawrence, Edwards campuses beginning March 28 | Office of the Chancellor (ku.edu)
Please contact employ@ku.edu for any questions regarding new employment at KU.
Parking
Additional parking options, such as short-term permits, are now available in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to better accommodate our hybrid population.
Permit information for Faculty & Staff can be found on the Parking website.
Bus Service
- Masks are no longer required on public transportation, including KU buses.
Researchers are no longer required to create and maintain individual lab and fieldwork COVID-19 safety plans that are approved by deans, department chairs or center directors and kept on file with the Office of Research. Research facility managers are no longer required to track vendors or other visitors to buildings.
GTA offices are open to use as needed. There are no longer COVID-19 related distancing requirements.
Refer to the Protect KU Research page or visit Graduate Studies for more information.
Hoteling Spaces
In response to an increase in our hybrid and remote workforce, KU Operations, in partnership with KU Information Technology, established “hoteling spaces” throughout the KU Lawrence campus. Hoteling spaces are workstations that can be reserved by KU employees who do not have a designated workspace on campus due to their status as a hybrid or remote employee. Details on how to reserve a space, where the spaces are located, features/attributes of each space, and general use guidelines can be found on the Hoteling Spaces webpage.
Testing at KU
Tests are available all KU students, faculty, and staff at Watkins Health Services.
To reduce risk of transmission, please contact Watkins Health Services before arriving for a test:
- STUDENTS - call Watkins Health Services Nurse Helpline at 785-864-9583
- FACULTY/STAFF - call the Faculty & Staff Clinic at 785-864-9565
Cost & Billing
- Symptomatic COVID-19 tests will be billed to insurance.
- All asymptomatic COVID-19 saliva tests and testing of close contacts of positive cases will be provided at no cost to those who meet the criteria to receive these tests.