Faculty and staff commitment to community health
Our ability to offer an in-person educational environment hinges upon all of us sharing the responsibility to be vigilant about eliminating behaviors that foster the spread of COVID-19. Our students, faculty, staff, and the Easton community rely on every member of our community to exercise sound judgment and goodwill in refraining from risky actions. This pledge must be reviewed and signed by all employees returning to campus for the spring 2021 semester. All students accessing campus are required to commit to a similar Pard Pledge.
I pledge to do the following:
Any employee feeling sick or experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms must not report to work on campus and must notify their supervisor before returning to work on campus.
Daily self-monitoring check: Employees must complete the daily symptom checker and follow that guidance each morning.
All faculty and staff will undergo COVID-19 testing in accordance with the College’s protocols if they are coming to campus for any length of time. Those coming to campus at least once a week will be tested weekly. Employees working remotely will agree to follow a modified testing protocol if they need to visit campus less than once a week.
All employees must wear a face mask covering their nose and mouth and maintain 6 feet of distance (about two arms’ length) from other people at all times. Employees working alone in a single office may remove their mask if their office door is closed but must put it back on whenever they leave their personal office.
Limiting the number of close contacts each individual has helps to thwart the spread of COVID-19. Therefore it is critically important that community members make every effort to spend as little time as possible within six feet of others.
Close contacts of an individual who tests positive for COVID-19 will be required to self-quarantine in accordance with institutional guidelines for 10 days. Making every effort to limit the amount of time you spend within six feet of individuals affords you the best protection from quarantine.
Congregating in groups makes it more difficult to keep six feet apart from others. Gatherings in enclosed spaces are highly discouraged.
I will consistently monitor my Lafayette email account and promptly report for testing when requested.
I will complete the daily symptom tracker accurately and promptly each morning.
I will ensure that Lafayette has a working cell phone number so I can be reached in the event that I am either identified as having a positive COVID-19 test or being a close contact for an individual with a positive COVID-19 test. I will register for Leopard Alerts with that same cell phone number.
I will comply fully with all requests made by the contact tracers and be honest in my reports of contacts with them.
I will comply with requests to isolate or quarantine as directed by the contact tracers and other staff. If I am asked to quarantine or isolate, I will only return to work after receiving clearance from my supervisor.
Employees are expected to contribute to a culture that promotes healthy behaviors. This includes a willingness to accept requests and feedback from others. We know that at one time or another, we may each forget to put our masks back on after exiting a solely occupied room, or we may forget to remain six feet apart when we’re excited to see old friends and coworkers. It does not signal impoliteness to remind one another kindly when we forget, and each of us will need to welcome those reminders with gratitude and graciousness when they are directed at us.
The Pard Pledge is a new set of expectations and safety measures for all members of our community designed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and help protect the health and well-being of community members. The College’s efforts will be consistent with Pennsylvania and federal regulations and laws, and they will align with recommended guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the best available guidance from the medical community. All staff and faculty are required to read, sign, and adhere to the Pard Pledge. The College’s efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and help keep the campus community safe may change at any time, and all employees are responsible for familiarizing themselves with those updates.
I understand that to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and do my part to help keep myself and members of the campus community healthy, I am committed to the rules detailed in this pledge.