College Guidance on Governor Polis’ “Stay at Home” Order

March 27, 2020

URGENT MEMORANDUM

TO: College Council & CMC Community
FROM: Matt Gianneschi, Chief Operating Officer & Chief of Staff
DATE: March 26, 2020
RE: Revised College Response to Colorado “Stay at Home” Order

Background

On March 25, 2020, Governor Jared Polis announced the implementation of an emergency “Stay at Home” Order (Public Health Order 20-24) for all Colorado residents. The order is in effect from 6:00a on Thursday, March 26, 2020 to 11:59p on April 11, 2020.

On the morning of March 26, 2020, Governor Polis issued Amended Public Health Order 20-24, which includes language specifically intended to accommodate the unique circumstances related to the delivery of instruction in an online/remote format. The new language, found in section 13 of the order, permits limited physical presence for specific “critical businesses,” as follows:

Postsecondary institutions, including private and public colleges and universities, for the purpose of facilitating distance learning or performing essential functions, provided that Social Distancing Requirements are observed, such as security, medical and mental health services, housing, food services, and critical research.

In response to this new section 13, Colorado Mountain College directs all employees to comply with the order by performing work from home except for those instances where physical presence in a college facility is necessary to facilitate distance learning or perform essential functions.

Essential Functions at Colorado Mountain College

The College declares the following as the college’s “essential functions” so long as the specific activities or work performed while physically present on a campus facility cannot be performed remotely but are necessary and are limited to the minimum basic operations needed to perform one or more of the following essential functions:

• The delivery of distance learning, including accessibility to computing services (computer equipment and broadband internet), instructional delivery, and technology support.
• Providing housing and food service to students residing in any of the college’s residence halls, including residential advisors, food service staff, and supervisors of residential facilities and staff.
• Building maintenance and cleaning, building and personnel safety, including maintenance and custodial personnel, supervisors of maintenance personnel, and managing supervisors of campuses or campus sites.
• Managing college financial and critical personnel services, including payroll and benefits, employment management, contracts and legal services, and banking and accounting administration.
• IT support and computer services to support distance learning and the essential functions listed above.

Active enrolled students are permitted to enter campus facilities solely for the purpose of accessing computers or internet needed to participate distance learning. However, the college may limit student access to particular times and locations. All students must follow social distancing requirements at all times.

Positions Eligible for Accessing College Facilities

Colorado Mountain College requires full compliance with the Governor’s “Stay at Home” order, but authorizes the following positions to enter Colorado Mountain College buildings during the effective period of the Governor’s order provided all individuals maintain strict compliance with

Social Distancing Requirements and limit their time in college facilities to only that needed to complete tasks that cannot be performed remotely:

List A: Positions that May Access College Facilities Without Additional Approval from the President’s Office

• Residence hall staff and managers of residential facilities (including Associate Deans of Student Affairs, Dean of Student Affairs, and the Vice President of Student Affairs)
• Food service staff needed to provide meals to residents in campus residential facilities
• Custodians, building maintenance staff and their supervisors (including campus Vice Presidents, site directors, and the college Director of Facilities)
• Skilled tradespeople (i.e., electricians and plumbers)
• Information technology staff who work on communications networks and equipment and/or who support essential college functions
• Individuals involved in the care of animals and livestock
• Individuals involved in child care services (if operating)
• Faculty members assigned to courses in the current term. Faculty may access the college only during days and times when they are scheduled to teach if teaching remotely is not feasible from home or to use college equipment in order to prepare online lessons and lectures
• The College President and the Chief Operating Officer

List B: Positions that Must Receive Approval from the President’s Office Prior to Accessing College Facilities

• Risk and insurance managers
• Individuals involved in the manufacturing of “critical equipment” (i.e., the production of personal protection equipment)
• Individuals involved in payroll, benefits, employment, legal and contract services, and institutional accounting services
• Individuals involved in internal mail and shipping services
• Individuals involved in student services necessary for preserving distance education.
• Academic administrators (deans, associate deans and assistant deans) supervising instructors assigned to courses in the current term

Except for emergencies, and subject to future interpretations from the state, no other college personnel are permitted to enter college facilities during between March 26 – April 11, 2020.

Except for the positions designated above, college personnel shall perform their work remotely or use available leave during the “stay at home” order. Positions not designated above that cannot be performed remotely will be handled by the college on a case-by-case basis by way of the Department of Human Resources.­­­

Authorization Process

Employees whose positions are identified on List B above may request access to college facilities from their supervisor. Requests for access to college facilities must explain why tasks that would be performed in a college facility cannot be performed remotely as well as identify the days, times and locations desired.

Campus and functional area vice presidents must review and recommend all requests for access made by qualifying personnel. Requests that are recommended by campus and functional area vice presidents shall be submitted to the Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff for a final decision. If approved by the COO, the Department of Human Resources will prepare and distribute an authorization letter to the employee and the employee’s supervisor (which may be needed to demonstrate compliance with the Governor’s Executive Order to local and county law enforcement).