Communications

All people, regardless of vaccination status, must wear masks when indoors in the presence of others. Masks are not needed when alone in a private space or when eating. Unvaccinated people must also wear masks when outdoors in crowded settings. 

Your concern for the health and safety of the RIT community is appreciated. Here are some tips for responding if you encounter an unmasked individual on campus who is not in a private office, living space, or eating: directly ask the individual to put a mask on, share a general reminder about the mask requirement with everyone in the space, or connect with a responsible party, such as a supervisor or lab manager for assistance. If you observe ongoing violations and/or blatant refusal to wear a mask even when requested, please notify Public Safety for appropriate follow up.

Faculty will be notified as needed by the Registrar’s Office through email regarding students who are entering or released from quarantine or isolation due to  COVID-19 related circumstances. Please be alert to these notifications throughout the semester. Students will also have a message through the myLife portal that they may share with you. You may ask to see the message; however, you may not ask for any details about their health or for additional documentation.

Since masking is required for everyone, we won’t know anyone’s individual status. If you have specific concerns, please discuss with the individual and your supervisor.

At this time, since everyone is required to wear a mask, there is no reason to ask anyone about their vaccination status. Exceptions may be made if there is a legitimate business reason. Curiosity does not constitute a legitimate business reason for asking. Questions about what constitutes a legitimate business reason should be directed to your supervisor. Please check the RIT Ready Site for updates. 

In person meetings and events can be planned in alignment with RIT’s Safety Plan and a unit’s budget capabilities. There are no limitations on size of the events or physical distancing requirements. Masks are required, and even in larger events held outside, masks are encouraged.

Unvaccinated people (faculty, staff and students) will be tested weekly.

Follow all masking requirements for visitors on the RIT Ready Site.

Faculty and staff may travel with the appropriate approvals. International travel must be approved by the provost and the senior vice president for Finance and Administration.

No, because we are all masked, faculty and staff are not required or encouraged to distinguish between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.

Please see the RIT Ready Flexible Work Arrangements page and speak with your supervisor for the options available in your unit.

Please see the HR COVID-Related Benefits information page.

At this time there are no mandates from the state or the CDC regarding social distancing.

A vaccinated faculty member does not have to wear a mask behind Plexiglas; an unvaccinated faculty must wear a mask, even behind Plexiglas. If the vaccinated faculty member moves out from behind the barrier, the faculty member needs to put on a mask.

Our goal is to provide robust and engaging in-person experiences for our students this academic year. Our facilities are safe, our on-campus procedures are designed to maintain safety of everyone, and the vast majority of our faculty/staff/students are vaccinated so there should be no hesitation to have in-person meetings. That said, there may be times when Zoom meetings are appropriate. Faculty and staff should use their judgement in providing the best experience for students. Zoom meetings can be held if necessary to meet student needs or at the student’s request. If a faculty member is meeting with a student in person, they must follow the appropriate health and safety guidelines. If office space is an issue, it is suggested that an alternate meeting place be identified.

Since the campus is fully open, the expectation is that most meetings will be in-person.  Each campus unit will need to make individual decisions about meeting modality when logistics/scheduling make remote access to meetings necessary.

There is no expectation for faculty to change the designated course delivery mode.

There is no remote start option for undergraduate students. The only remote start option is  for masters’ students living outside the US. A very small number of graduate students will be utilizing this and have signed on for the remote start option. Diane Ellison, Senior Associate Vice President, is the contact person and is working with the appropriate graduate directors.

If a student is delayed past the add/drop deadline, the student should consult with the program chair.

Faculty should provide access to all materials through MyCourses. It is understood that instructors may have limitations in the amount of remote support they can offer and synchronous or asynchronous access is not possible for all courses. Electronic access to course materials and flexibility (i.e. quizzes/tests) on deadlines would be a suitable alternative. Current standard for isolation is 10 days. Unvaccinated, close contacts go into quarantine may be as long as 10 days. Each case may vary and may occur anytime during the semester. 

Food and drink are allowed in classrooms at the faculty member’s discretion. Please note that masks can be removed while eating and drinking if food is allowed. Food and drink is not allowed in labs and studios unless approved by Environmental Health and Safety.

No. Masking makes disinfecting voluntary in classrooms.

Yes, faculty do have to wear a mask in a large auditorium unless they are behind a plastic barrier.  This is a temporary measure and will be reevaluated as the semester progresses.

The policy revisions apply to undergraduate students only.  

The course withdrawal policy revisions, D05.IV, apply to undergraduate students and requires students, including part-time students, who wish to withdraw below 12 credit hours to request approval from academic department leadership. Situations will vary, and decisions will be based on each student’s circumstances.  It is possible that some requests may not be granted.  If you are thinking about withdrawing from a course, I encourage you to talk with your faculty, access support resources, and check in with your advisor before withdrawing

 The revisions to the academic action/probation policy, D05.1.II, also apply only to undergraduate students. Academic probations will be limited to two over the course of a student’s degree program, and academic suspension will be for a minimum of one term rather than a year. If a suspension appeal is granted, a student will be placed on deferred suspension. Students on academic probation, deferred suspension, or returning from suspension will work with their program to create an academic success plan.

Please review the Grades policy (D05.0) and Academic Actions policy (D05.1) for more details on these  policies.  Questions should be directed to either your assistant dean or associate dean.