COVID-19 Response Center
Faculty and Staff Information
Spring 2021 will bring continued challenges and require ongoing innovation from all TAMIU students, faculty, staff and administrators.
This TAMIU Back Together Spring Plan is the product of five committees formed last Fall by President Arenaz that included faculty, staff, students and administrators. Their recommendations, along with guidance from The Texas A&M University System, continues to guide our safe return to campus this Spring. Our goal has always been to create an environment that is as safe as possible for all our community members, while ensuring our mission – excellence in learning, teaching, and scholarship – continues.
We all need to take personal responsibility to respect and follow the guidelines and restrictions that now affect our daily lives. This University is no different from any other campus or community entity responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Each of us must resolve to do our part to help and protect not only ourselves, but others as well.
Below are details of our TAMIU Back Together Plan for Spring 2021.
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- All faculty and staff must complete a mandatory COVID-19 safety- video course in TrainTraq and sign a certification form before returning to work. You will not be allowed on campus until you complete the training. For staff, the certification must have been completed by Monday, January 4, 2021. For faculty, training must be completed by Monday, January 25, 2021. All administration and staff will be required to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 Test conducted no earlier than Jan. 5, 2021. Testing will also be required for returning faculty and student employees. Testing will be available on campus or at various community sites.
- All students must complete a mandatory COVID-19 safety-training video and sign a certification form before they can return to campus. The training video will be available in Blackboard approximately one week before the beginning of the Spring 2021 Semester. All students are encouraged to explore on or off campus COVID-19 testing options before they begin their first class of the Spring Semester.
- All members of the University community (faculty, staff and students) will be asked to self-certify prior to returning to campus each day that they:
- have not been determined to be actively infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,
- do not have a fever, cough, or other symptoms of COVID-19 as listed on the CDC’s website,
- have not been in close contact with anyone known or suspected to have tested positive for COVID-19 in the previous 14 days, and
- have not returned from travel or traveled in or through an area with federal, state or local travel restrictions that mandate quarantine upon arrival home in the previous 14 days.
- If you are sick or exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, you should NOT come to work or school.
- Students who test positive or believe they have been exposed should follow the Student Health Services process for reporting and/or consultation.
- All faculty, staff, students, and visitors must practice social distancing, wear face coverings, and frequently wash their hands while on campus. It is highly recommended you also carry a personal bottle of hand sanitizer.
- Wearing a face-covering is mandatory and required in all campus buildings and outdoors. Face-coverings must cover both the mouth and the nose. Exceptions are:
- When you are alone in a private office, however, you will need to put your face covering on any time someone enters your office;
- When eating or drinking while practicing social distancing, including in campus dining facilities;
- For students, when alone or with a roommate in an assigned dorm room;
- When an alternative such as a face shield has been approved as part of the Americans with Disabilities or religious observance accommodation.
- Community members are required to wear a face-covering while on campus. This is required in all campus buildings and outdoors.
- Hand sanitizer will be available across campus, and disinfectant (spray and/or wipes) will be available in each office and classrooms.
- Water fountains will be turned off, but those fountains with bottle fill stations will remain functional.
- High-traffic work stations/areas will have the added protection of plexiglass shields.
- Air handlers in all buildings have been refitted with higher efficiency filters.
- On campus testing will continue with assistance from The Texas A&M University System. Instructions for accessing testing are available.
- Internal contact tracing for TAMIU community members who test positive for COVID-19 will continue. All information provided to our contact tracers will follow public health privacy requirements.
- Only two people will be allowed in an elevator at a time and there will be a limit on the number of people who can use restrooms at one time.
- Campus signage will reinforce current CDC guidelines, including social distancing.
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- The Spring 2021 semester begins Monday, January 25, 2021. Instruction will end Tuesday, May 4, 2021. Final exams will be given online beginning Tuesday, May 5 – 7, 2021. For additional information, visit the University’s online calendar and select the Academic Calendar.
- Each learning space/classroom has been assessed for maximum capacity in accordance with COVID-19 CDC guidelines for social distancing, and furniture has either been blocked off or otherwise marked as unavailable to ensure adherence to the new capacity. Classes will only be assigned to rooms where social distancing can be maintained.
- Face coverings will be required for students and faculty in all classrooms.
- Face coverings are required in all buildings and outside on campus grounds.
- For most courses, students can attend in-person or livestream.
- There will be three modes of delivery for classes:
- In-Person or Face to Face (F2F): These are courses where at least some essential material can be acquired only through in-person attendance. Students enrolled in a fully F2F class will attend class on campus during regularly scheduled class meetings.
- Online Classes: Classes developed and designed so that students can attend class online. Students who are enrolled in fully online courses must adhere to the participation expectations outlined in the course syllabus.
- TAMIUFlex Classes: Students in TAMIUFlex classes attend class in-person, whether on campus or synchronously, on the days and times when the class is scheduled to meet.
- In face to face and TAMIUFlex courses, lectures will be livestreamed and recorded for asynchronous viewing to allow students who have legitimate reasons for missing class and have been excused from attendance by their instructors.
- Should reduced room capacities require it, a course may have to be changed from one mode of delivery to another (e.g., from in-person to TAMIUFlex). This decision will be made by the Dean of the College or School on the recommendation of the department chair. If such changes are made, all students enrolled in an affected course will be notified. Students will be given the opportunity to make schedule changes after consulting with their advisors.
- In-person, TAMIUFlex and online courses are assessed the same tuition and fees.
- Every course will have an instructional continuity plan should we be forced to modify delivery mode because of COVID-19 or in the event of instructor illness.
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- New faculty members report to campus on January 19, 2021. All other faculty members report January 25, 2021.
- All faculty members developing online courses must undergo the full QM training, develop their courses to meet QM criteria, and have their course(s) submitted for QM certification by the end of the academic year. For courses previously developed without QM, we are requiring that they be revised to achieve QM certification and be submitted for QM certification by the end of the academic year.
- Faculty teaching TAMIUFlex courses and FTF courses must teach them on campus, on the days and times those courses are scheduled, and in the rooms assigned. For both types of course, faculty must record their classes for viewing for those students who have presented legitimate and instructor approved excuses for missing class. For TAMIUFlex courses, faculty must stream course meetings live (synchronously) for those students who choose to attend class virtually rather than on campus.
- Faculty members teaching in-person must observe social distancing when lecturing and conferring with students and colleagues. Faculty members will be provided with a face shield.
- Faculty members may choose to hold office hours on campus while adhering to campus safety, face-covering and social distancing guideline, or virtually via WebEx or similar platform.
- Faculty members with medical conditions or other risk factors, as defined by the CDC that place them at high risk for COVID-19 may request a temporary workplace modification. Please contact Human Resources for further information.
- Faculty members who have a COVID-19-related childcare limitation concern should explore flexible work processes and review leave options with Human Resources.
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- Staff members with medical conditions or other risk factors that place them at high risk for COVID-19, as defined by the CDC, may request a temporary workplace modification. Please contact Human Resources for further information.
- Staff members who have a COVID-19-related childcare limitation concern should explore flexible work processes and review available leave options with Human Resources.
- Student employees should work with their supervisor to determine their work location and schedule.
- We encourage supervisors and employees to work together to find solutions to address any current or future concerns.
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- Together with the Lone Star Conference, we have created a plan to safely play Fall, Winter and Spring sports that began with Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Men’s and Women’s Golf in September. Men’s and Women’s Basketball will begin their regular seasons on Dec. 11. Volleyball will begin their season on Jan. 26, with both Men’s and Women’s Soccer beginning their seasons on Feb. 16 and 17 respectively. Baseball, Softball and Men’s and Women’s Golf will begin their Spring seasons in their normal time frames beginning Feb. 1.
- Policies have been implemented for the return and monitoring of student-athletes and coaches. For more information, please read the Department of Athletics’ COVID-19 Guidelines.
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Most buildings will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday – Friday. Specific campus buildings may have different operating schedules.
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TAMIU's Office of Instructional Technology (OIT) team has created several pages to assist professors' transition to the online environment.
Faculty and Staff Frequently Asked Questions
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Avoid sharing food, beverages, and utensils. Avoid close contact with those who may be ill. Stay home when you are sick or have flu symptoms. Cover cough/sneeze with a tissue or cough/sneeze into your elbow. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects or surfaces. Get your annual flu shot.
We recommend you also follow all CDC and State guidelines and City of Laredo ordinances.
TAMIU has augmented its cleaning of facilities, using hospital-grade disinfectant on surfaces and supplementing its regular cleaning schedule and staff. We are in ongoing communication with the CDC, State Department, our Texas A&M University System and the City of Laredo Health Department regarding any additional precautions or actions that should be considered.
TAMIU has an online form submitted by all students, faculty, and staff traveling from or through any country that is designated as a Level 2 or 3 by CDC for COVID-19 in order to register their travel. These individuals are also required to self-isolate upon returning from those countries for up to 21 days before returning to campus.
If a COVID-19 virus is confirmed, then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protocols will be followed. Those who have had close contact with the patient will be contacted and monitored by the City of Laredo Health Department. TAMIU will fully support that effort.
- If you are feeling ill, make an appointment with your healthcare provider. Students can make an appointment at Student Health Services by visiting the website or by calling (956) 326-2235.
- Please do not show up at a clinic, urgent care or other healthcare facility without calling first. Your provider may need to take special measures to protect other people in the clinic. Telemedicine may also be available, enabling you to consult a provider from home.
- Do not go to an emergency room. Emergency rooms need to be able to serve those with the most critical needs.
- Practice social distancing. Stay indoors and avoid contact with others, just as you would with the flu. Those with contagious diseases should stay home from work or school until they are well. People with fever, cough and respiratory issues should seek immediate medical attention.
Members of the TAMIU community seeking help with stress now have an online ally at their fingertips: Therapy Assistance Online (TAO). It’s open to all actively enrolled students and employees too. Use your University email and login to TAO.
You’ll be redirected to login with your current University credentials (University email and password). Employees must use the enrollment key: Wellness19-20 (case sensitive/no spaces). Students do not need an enrollment key.
After logging in, you’ll complete an approximately 5-minute wellness survey and then will have access to all available assistance modules and a mindfulness library. Additional services will be added online as available.
Read our dedicated COVID-19 Self-Care Packet, produced by TAMIU Student Counseling and Disability Services for Students.
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