MTU Flex Updates Blog

Author: Megan Ross

IPEC Addresses the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

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by Institute for Policy, Ethics and Culture (IPEC)

So many aspects of our lives have been challenged and changed since the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. To bring some understanding to the turmoil, IPEC members have been contributing 1,000-word essays offering insight on the complex nature of the pandemic.

Each essay addresses a unique interdisciplinary component of the crisis, thereby adding to understanding the significance of what we are living through. These essays can be found on the IPEC website. Three new essays have been added with more to follow:

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COVID-19 Testing Lab Moving to GLRC

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by Kelley Christensen, University Marketing and Communications

The Michigan Tech COVID-19 Testing Lab is relocating from the Dow building to the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) in July.

The lab is run at the biosafety level 2 in compliance with CDC recommendations and uses certified biological safety cabinets to contain the COVID-19 virus if it is present in a patient sample. This is the same level of safety that is taken in a hospital lab. The lab worked closely with the state of Michigan to develop testing protocols and appropriate safety measures, including personal protective equipment (PPE) and engineering controls. Lab staff is provided with all the needed PPE for the work. All precautions are being taken to ensure no one contracts COVID-19 while working in the lab and no one risks exposure to the virus by working in the same building or going near the laboratory.

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Return to Campus: PPE

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by University Marketing and Communications

Last week, Michigan Tech began Step Two of our Return to Campus Plan. As the University prepares for Step Three this fall, students and employees, understandably, have questions. Today, we discuss personal protective equipment (PPE). We spoke with Sarah Schulte, general counsel and secretary to the Board of Trustees, and Joel Isaacson, senior associate athletic director. Schulte says, “We’re asking everyone to Be Smart and Do Their Part, with an emphasis on Husky Spirit and a collective effort to protect those most vulnerable in our community.” Isaacson added, “We are all in this together as we work towards reopening campus this fall. PPE is an important part of our return to campus plan and we are asking everyone to help do their part to make campus as safe as possible.”

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MTU Flex: The Daily Symptom Monitoring Form

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by University Marketing and Communications

Employees coming to campus during Step Two of Michigan Tech’s Return to Campus Plan must self-monitor for symptoms using the COVID-19 Daily Symptom Monitoring Form. It’s one of three things everyone must do in order to resume working on campus — along with getting your supervisor’s approval and completing your assigned COVID-19 training.

How it Works

During Step Two, your HuskyCard tap access turns off at midnight each night. Submitting the Daily Symptom Monitoring Form turns it back on for the day. If you don’t have a computer or smartphone, you can call Public Safety and Police Services at 906-487-2216 before coming to campus, and dispatch will assist in submitting the form on your behalf.

Where to Find It

The COVID-19 Daily Symptom Monitoring Form is located on the MTU Flex Portal. That’s also where you’ll find any future forms related to the University’s fall 2020 return to campus.

MTU Flex is a resource for all of us, so students, employees and families can get the latest details on academic experiences, campus experiences and campus operations. Check back often, as new info is still being added. And, if you have questions, email them to mtuflex@mtu.edu.

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MTU Flex for Academics Update for the Week of June 15

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by Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

In an effort to provide continued communication from the MTU Flex for Academics group, the following is a recap of the topics discussed by the group during the week of June 15.

After determining that instructors will wear a face shield while teaching and a mask to and from the classroom, Michigan Tech’s 3D printing group, headed by Joshua Pearce (MSE/ECE) and David Holden (Van Pelt and Opie Library), will test a third face shield prototype that they designed specifically for instructors. The design is intended to promote safety in the classroom while making it easy for students to see instructors’ faces. Will Cantrell’s (Physics) research group will test the shields in the coming weeks to learn more about how aerosols are dispersed away from the wearer. The group’s agreement that shields can be used in the classroom is made under the assumption that all students in the class will be wearing some sort of face covering — typically cloth masks.

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Process for Employees Requesting COVID-19 High Risk Accommodations

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by Institutional Equity

For the fall semester, accommodations will be provided for employees who are identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as being at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, and those who are caring for someone at risk in their immediate household, if requested.

Employees can make this request, or an accommodation request for other medical reasons specifically related to COVID-19—for example, being medically unable to wear a face covering—by contacting Michigan Tech ADA Coordinator Susan Sullivan. It is important to note that applying for a COVID-19 High Risk Accommodation uses a different process from ADA Accommodations for a disability.

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MTU Flex: COVID-19 Training

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by University Marketing and Communications

Before Michigan Tech moved to Step Two of our Return to Campus Plan, the University assigned “Coronavirus (COVID-19) Prevention in the Workplace” training to all employees on payroll who did not complete it during Step One. This training is one of three requirements you must complete in order to start working on campus again during Step Two—the other two are obtaining your supervisor’s approval and submitting the COVID-19 Daily Symptom Monitoring Form.

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