School of Pharmacy COVID-19 Updates – Fall 2021

(Revised August 5, 2021)

Campus continues to provide updates on COVID-19 and how it’s impacting the campus community. Learn more about the university’s response.

In response to campus’s message on August 3^rd, students, employees and visitors will be required to wear masks when inside all campus buildings, including inside Rennebohm Hall. Masks may be removed if you are working alone inside an office or lab with the door closed. Masks are being provided free of charge from campus so if you require a mask for yourself or for a visitor, please use the SoP online order form and note that these are for work in the building. If you require a large order of masks please reach out to Josh Cutler to discuss your need.

Learn more about campus plans for fall 2021 including information on the following topics:

• What to expect this fall
• Content to support employees returning to campus
• Inclusive hybrid meeting guide
• Guidance and resources for employees on remote work

SoP employees interested in requesting a remote work agreement must complete internal paperwork and discuss this request with their supervisor. Please review the SoP Remote Work Guidelines doc and complete the steps as listed.

If an employee’s remote work request is denied or revoked at any stage in the process, they may request a review of the decision by the Dean. To do so, please send all completed SoP internal remote work forms and a summary of why the request was denied or revoked to dean@pharmacy.wisc.edu. Dean’s Office staff will forward this information to the Dean for his review and will follow up with questions and a decision on the appeal.

What is the difference between remote work and workplace flexibility?

Remote work is defined as a work arrangement in which some or all work is performed at an off-campus work site such as home or in an office space near home and follows a regular, repeated scheduled.

Example: Working from home every Friday, every week.

Workplace flexibility is a flexibility in which work is performed at an off-campus work site on a sporadic basis and does not follow a regular, repeated scheduled.

Example: Working from home on Wednesday to complete a project.  This is a one-time occurrence and not repeated each week.   OR Working from home while awaiting a delivery during the work day.

If you have concerns related to your own underlying medical condition or disability, difficulty successfully performing duties of your job due to limitations from a disability or medical condition, or if you need leave related to a medical condition/disability, contact SOP Divisional Disability Rep (DDR) Jenni Regan by email: jenni.regan@wisc.edu or phone: 890-0317 for a confidential conversation.

Resources available include:

• Disability and Medical Leave Resources: A Guide for Employees (PDF)
• Employee guidance on Accommodations and Workplace Flexibilities (PDF)
• Family Caregiving Resources

Building Access

Effective August 9^th, the building’s perimeter doors will return to pre-pandemic access hours and remain unlocked from 7 am until 5 pm Monday – Friday for the remainder of the summer. During the academic year beginning on August 23rd, the hours will change to 7 am until 9 pm Monday – Friday. All other times the building will remain accessible by Wiscard.

Events

Effective June 2, campus policies for events were updated. Please see the campus message for guidance on event guidelines and to read the policies associated with student organizations and schools/college/divisions. We expect these to be updated once again as we get closer to the fall semester. Please continue to check the campus COVID-19 Response page for updated information.

Due to the recent campus masking requirement, SoP is reviewing how to best support events in the building. More information will be shared with school employees soon. In the meantime, please work with your supervisor and with Anna Reinhart on all event requests and to receive guidance on planning. More tools to assist with event planning are coming soon.

Traveling soon? Check out the CDC’s Guidance page.

University-sponsored Travel

University-sponsored domestic travel is now allowable. Employees traveling domestically for business purposes should follow existing campus travel policy guidance. The Concur online travel booking function is now available.  For assistance or questions please contact Julie Steinle.

Limited Travel Exceptions

International travel remains restricted. In limited cases, leadership may approve essential international travel. If you need an exception:

1. Download and complete the Essential Travel Exemption Form
2. Obtain approval from Dean Steve Swanson with a copy of the request to Julie Steinle (julie.steinle@wisc.edu)
3. Send to Dan Langer for final approval at dan.langer@wisc.edu.

Reimbursement

The school will reimburse airfare, registration lodging deposit costs, and cancellation fees paid personally by staff for travel prior to August 17, 2020. Please work with Julie Steinle (julie.steinle@wisc.edu) to get reimbursed for these costs. Business Services is also currently working on canceling these same expenses that were charged directly to school funding and will be contacting individual travelers.

As we have seen nationally, in our local communities, and on the UW–Madison campus, fears of the coronavirus has led to increases in racist and xenophobic comments and behaviors. Chinese people are not responsible for the virus simply because the first cases were reported in China. But that has not stopped people from using stereotypes to make jokes, verbally harass, and in some cases, physically assault Asian, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders. Remember that the virus — not people with COVID-19 or affected by COVID-19 — is the enemy.

Our SoP community needs us to stand up and intervene when they see or hear biases and microaggressions.  In essence, asking members of our community to become an ally and support our students, faculty/staff colleagues, and others who identify as Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islanders.

Here are several resources that offer techniques you can practice to become more comfortable speaking up for all vulnerable individuals and communities:

LifeLabs Learning — How to practice allyship as individuals and as an organization

1. Build empathy through education — Learn more about the current experiences of Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islanders.
2. Make impact visible — Give timely feedback.  When you hear a comment or see an action that you perceive to be biased or discriminatory, give quick, private, and non-judgmental feedback to help the individual understand the impact of their words or actions.
3. Elevate identity — See yourself as an ally, advocate, or role model.

Teaching Tolerance offers allyship training and recommends a four-step process for speaking up against racism: interrupt, question, education, and echo.

1. Interrupt — Interrupting a person verbalizing racism or biases means taking a time out. It demonstrates that what they have said is important enough to pause the conversation to address it.
2. Question — “Questions” can be used as a warning (an effective technique used by parents around the world: “What did you just say to me?”). However, the goal of questioning someone in the context of allyship is to better understand why this individual said what they did.
3. Educate — Educating means continuing the conversation with the goal of providing facts to the other person. Explain why their racist words need rethinking.  Someone may not understand that their coronavirus joke is considered racist. Share that WHO has purposely established guidelines to avoid naming diseases after its place of origin and the name of COVID-19 was carefully chosen to avoid associating this disease with specific groups of people.
4. Echo — It takes effort to speak up against racist ideas and language.  So, it is important that we support each other by echoing those who speak up. Emphasize or amplify their message any way you can.  Thank them for speaking up. Echoing can be done while physically distancing.  Share anti-racist messages in online chats or social media platforms. Respond positively to others who respond by offering agreement and support.

If we all commit to fighting racist and xenophobic words and actions, we can start making our campus and communities safer for everyone.

Reporting Bias or Discrimination

If you experience harassment or discrimination, please report the incident so we can take the appropriate action.

• Students are encouraged to file a bias incident report.
• Employees may file a complaint with the Office of Compliance.

Support is also available by reaching out to Lisa Imhoff, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, who is here to listen and help you with your concerns at the School of Pharmacy.