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Academic Personnel & Staff

All UC Merced staff, faculty, academic personnel, and student employees are required to comply with UC COVID-19 Vaccination Program Policy and UC Merced's Directive on COVID-19 Mitigation Measures (read full policy documents here). As we continue to navigate forward together, this page will serve as a central resource for this policy and other information.

 

Jump to Faculty & Academic Personnel Info | Jump to Staff Info | Essential Information Snapshot

Complete your annual COVID19 Vaccination Attestation

Use one of the buttons below to either complete your COVID19 Vaccination Attestaion, request a COVID-19 vaccination medical exemption, or request a COVID-19 vaccination religious accommodation.  If you are a student employee, please submit through Student Health Services here.

EMPLOYEE PORTAL TO COMPLETE COVID19 ATTESTATION
Employee Request For Medical Exemption
EMPLOYEE REQUEST FOR RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Need Help?

 

For more details about Face Coverings and Exempt Situations, click here.

Information for Faculty & Academic Personnel

COVID Leave Options and Guidance

Visit the Academic Personnel page for specific COVID Leave Options and Guide for faculty, instructors, and other academic appointments.

Information for Instructors

Instruction

Please click here for the latest information for fall 2022 semester instruction.

Click here to read guidance and best practices, updated January 8, 2022.

Full capacity occupancy of our instructional classrooms and labs is expected. Only courses with prior approval from the academic senate may be taught in online, hybrid, or hyflex modalities.

  • Instructors and TAs with functional limitations due to medical condition can apply for medical accommodation through Disability Management Services. 

Instructional Spaces When Merced County is at High or Medium COVID-19 Community Levels

Face coverings are required for students, regardless of vaccination status, at all times in the classroom. 

Face coverings are available at no cost at several campus locations.  

Students who are not complying with masking requirements should be handed as outlined in the campus policy for “Dealing with Disruption”, which outlines steps for escalation: 

  1. Remind the unmasked student to put on a face covering. 
  2. If non-compliant, ask the student to leave the classroom. If the student refuses to leave, you may dismiss class early for the well-being of all.
  3. After class, report non-compliant students to the Dean of Students Office or the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities (OSRR). If you do not know the identity of the student, report the situation regardless, which will allow further intervention as needed.  

Classrooms will not have increased cleaning protocols or ingress/egress procedures. Individual cleaning kits can be found at several campus locations. 

Supporting Students

Vaccination Status: Instructors may not ask students about their vaccination status, nor will this information be shared by the University. Students with questions about vaccinations should be referred to Student Health at (209) 228-2273. 

Instructors may not make individual arrangements with students for long-term remote participation, as this would require Senate approval. However, instructors should allow students to catch-up on missed in-class materials or assignments per their absence policies. Students who cannot participate fully in-person for Spring 2022 should be referred to their academic advisor. 

Student Illness & Quarantine  

  • Students are not permitted to participate in campus activities if exhibiting any COVID symptoms and are expected to stay home if sick. 
  • There will not be an immediate, uniform notification system for instructors for students who test positive for COVID or are quarantined due to exposure. Students are expected to notify their instructors of any absence due to illness or quarantine.  
  • Instructors are not required to record or broadcast lectures for students who are unable to attend class due to illness or quarantine. However, instructors are encouraged to be accommodating for ill or quarantined students. 
  • More information about the notification and quarantining process will be shared as soon as possible, pending UC Office of the President and Cal-OSHA guidance. 

Instructor Illness & Quarantine 

  • Instructors are not permitted to participate in campus activities if exhibiting any COVID symptoms and are expected to stay home if sick. 
  • Instructors who are ill, test positive for COVID, or are quarantined should connect with their department chair to plan for course coverage, which may include online synchronous or asynchronous instruction for short-term course coverage as allowable by departmental policy. 

    Information for Staff

    Telecommute Agreement and Alternative Work Schedules

    For staff who have a telecommute schedule approved by their supervisor, a Telecommute Agreement Form must be submitted and up-to-date. Information on establishing a Telecommute Agreement and instructions are available on the HR website. Click Here to complete the Telecommute Agreement Form.

    COVID Benefits Information

    Click here for benefits information

    Hybrid Work Force Resources

    Hybrid work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal flexibility.  Click here to learn more about Hybrid Work Arrangements from HR.

    IT Continuity

    OIT has curated strategies, tools, and resources to facilitate remote work and collaboration. Click here to learn more about IT Continuity from OIT.

     

    When Merced County is in "Low" Community Transmission Levels and Face Coverings Return to "Highly Encouraged"

    What Faculty and Staff Can Do

    • Request that individuals mask indoors and during interactions with others. Sample language: “Many people in our community remain apprehensive about COVID transmission. Out of courtesy for them, I will be wearing a mask indoors and I request that all of you do the same.”
    • Remind individuals that masking is strongly recommended by the campus and Merced County Public Health. Sample language: “I remind you that wearing a mask indoors is strongly recommended by the campus and Merced County Public Health.”
    • Hold office hours remotely, as long as you do not allow only masked or vaccinated students to attend office hours in person.
    • Seek employment accommodations or permission to teach remotely due to personal or household health vulnerabilities. Contact benefits@ucmerced.edu for information about requesting an accommodation.

    What Faculty and Staff Cannot Do

    • Require masks or face coverings in your department, office, laboratory, or classroom when there is not a campus-wide indoor mask mandate in effect.
    • Require unmasked individuals to leave your department, office, laboratory, or classroom when there is not a campus-wide indoor mask mandate in effect.
    • Departments and academic units are not permitted to enact local pandemic restrictions.
    • Require the wearing of a mask to participate in office hours or require students to be vaccinated to attend office hours.
    • Refuse to provide educational services (inclusive of instruction) to students who are not wearing a face covering if face coverings are not mandated by the campus.
    • Call UCM PD to report failure to wear a face covering. UCM PD is not charged with enforcement of face-covering requirements and failure to wear a face covering is not a police emergency.

    Universal Resources for Faculty, Academic Personnel, and Staff

    Insight EAP
    Office of the Ombuds
    Communications Playbook
    Keep Calm and Work Forward
    People's First Workgroup
    Managing Remote Employee Resources
    Hybrid Work Resources