In order to protect personal health information Texas A&M University at Galveston legally is not able to release personal information about any students or University community members who are being monitored or tested for COVID-19. When a campus member is diagnosed with COVID-19, the relevant local health department and the University initiate appropriate protocols to protect the health and privacy of anyone deemed to be at risk.

The Operations Center, staffed by Texas A&M University, Brazos County Health District, and Texas A&M System personnel, is contacting and interviewing individuals who have either tested positive for COVID-19 or have been in close contact to someone with COVID-19. If there is any known risk that a campus member may have been exposed to COVID-19, then the Operations Center will reach out to those individuals directly.

Students are encouraged to notify their instructors of personal illness via the Explanatory Statement for Absence from Class form.  If they wish to provide the diagnosis of a positive test, they may do so.

The student will be isolated and contact tracing will be conducted to quarantine anyone who meets the definition of an exposure. The masking and physical distancing requirements in the classroom would likely enable the course to continue unless contact tracing determines it should be moved to remote delivery, at which time the instructor and students will be notified.

No. Faculty can reserve both indoor and outdoor spaces. Whether indoor or outdoor, the group must comply with physical distancing and face covering policies and be prepared to communicate how you will comply with occupancy restrictions.

• If you are feeling ill, make an appointment with your healthcare provider. Students can make an appointment at Student Health Services by visiting the website or by calling (979) 458-8310.
• Please do not show up at a clinic, urgent care or other healthcare facility without calling first. Your provider may need to take special measures to protect other people in the clinic. Telemedicine may also be available, enabling you to consult a provider from home.
• Check with your health insurance provider. If you are a student enrolled in the TAMU Student Health Insurance plan, MD Live is available for you (a medical visit copay applies). If you have symptoms such as a cough, fever, or other respiratory problems, contact your primary care doctor first.
• Do not go to an emergency room. Emergency rooms need to be able to serve those with the most critical needs.
• Practice physical distancing. Stay indoors and avoid contact with others, just as you would with the flu. Those with contagious diseases should stay home from work or school until they are well. People with fever, cough and respiratory issues should seek immediate medical attention.

While self-isolation is considered a University Excused Absence (Student Rule 7), students are encouraged to keep up with any class activities that can be completed away from campus, especially if they have no or mild symptoms. However, you are required to stay away from campus during your self-isolation period. If you attempt to attend class sessions in person during your isolation period, your instructor will temporarily remove you from class (Student Rule 21).

To keep up with your classes and other on-campus activities, we recommend you take the following actions as soon as your self-isolation begins:

• Contact your instructors to let them know that you will not be able to participate in any on-campus course activities. Ask about opportunities to access course materials and assignments electronically so you can work from your isolation location.
• Graduate Students:
  • If you are defending your thesis or dissertation, please contact your committee chair and/or academic advisor to reschedule or discuss possible alternatives.
  • If you are taking preliminary, qualifying, or comprehensive departmental exams, contact your committee to reschedule or discuss possible alternatives.
• Undergraduate Students: Contact their academic advisor, graduate students should contact their committee chair and/or academic advisor, and all students should check Howdy to make sure you don’t miss any deadlines related to pre-registration, degree plans, etc.
• If you are employed, contact your employer to explain that you are self-isolating and identify the date when you can return to work or inquire about opportunities to work from your isolation location. If you are a graduate assistant, contact your department chair or supervisor so that arrangements can be made to fulfill your duties in your absence.
• If you experience barriers to accessing online course materials (poor/no internet access, lack of appropriate technology, etc.), contact your college dean’s office.
• If you need support for self-care (counseling, health services, emergency aid, etc.) or access to items and facilities for daily living (medicine, groceries, laundry, personal hygiene products, etc.) contact Student Assistance Services.
• If you experience symptoms of COVID-19, contact Student Health Services at (979) 458-8310 (8am-5pm, Mon-Fri). Dial-A-Nurse if available after hours at (979) 458-8379, or you can contact your primary care doctor immediately.

• If you are feeling ill, make an appointment with your healthcare provider. Students can make an appointment at Student Health Services by visiting the website or by calling (979) 458-8310. Please do not show up at a clinic, urgent care or other healthcare facility without calling first. Your provider may need to take special measures to protect other people in the clinic. Telemedicine may also be available, enabling you to consult a provider from home. If possible, request a medical provider’s note to document your illness.
• Contact your instructors to notify them of your illness.
• Personal injury or Illness that is too severe or contagious for the student to attend class may be considered an excused absence under Student Rule 7.  The student is responsible for providing documentation substantiating the reason for the absence, including reasons stated in Student Rule, Section 7.2. This documentation must be provided within three business days of the last date of the absence, unless otherwise stated in this rule.
• If your illness is impacting your ability to make progress in your courses and you can’t get in to see a medical provider this form may be used in lieu of a medical confirmation note as required in Student Rule 7 during Spring and Summer 2020 terms only. Please refer to Student Rule 7 for guidance on class attendance and absences. This form must be submitted to the instructor within 2 calendar days of return to class.

International Student Services continues provides information about health insurance, immigration status, travel, employment, ISS office operations and programming on its website. Visit the International Students Services site for more information.

The Department of Information Technology has a number of resources available to students, faculty and staff. Additional audience-specific support is also available through the sites listed below:

A virtual academic helpdesk has been created, Keep Learning Galveston, which provides a number of resources traditionally offered on campus, including an AskAgs Help Desk for immediate assistance.

Additionally, the Adobe Creative Cloud produces are free for student access. Instructions for activating this suite is available here.

Library Laptops and Desktops
Some laptops are available for checkout for the semester. Please contact the Library for additional information.

The Studio
The Studio is available for assistance with creating videos and other media. There will be no equipment check-out at this time. The One Button Studio is available to easily create videos and we will provide walk-in assistance. In addition students can walk in to get assistance with:

• Zoom
• Camtasia
• Filming
• Adobe products (with temporary free at-home access)

Information Technology
The department of Information Technology is developing a variety of resources to assist students in this transition to online learning. More details will be provided as they are finalized; please visit the Department of Information Technology website for ongoing updates.

Internet
Please know that wifi.xfinity.com hotspots across the country are available to anyone who needs them for free – including non-Xfinity internet subscribers. Once at a hotspot, students should select the “xfinitywifi” network name in the list of available hotspots and then launch a browser. (It works best if students download the app.) Galveston has a number of hotspots: hotspots.wifi.comcast.com/mobile/.

Please work with your instructor to make arrangements for this situation.

To assist students who have needs related to computer hardware and internet access, wifi.xfinity.com hotspots across the country are available to anyone who needs them for free – including non-Xfinity internet subscribers. Once at a hotspot, students should select the “xfinitywifi” network name in the list of available hotspots and then launch a browser. (It works best if students download the app.) Galveston has a number of hotspots: https://hotspots.wifi.comcast.com/mobile.

Student employees including graduate assistants are not in leave-eligible positions; therefore, they do not qualify for any type of paid leave in accordance with System regulations.

Student employees, (including graduate assistants) who are not self-monitoring or self-isolating and are otherwise able to return to work, may choose not to return for whatever reason but they will not be paid. Managers should be flexible with student employees and not penalize them if they prefer to avoid campus.

Student workers should contact their supervisor regarding their ability to work. Students feeling ill should not come to work and should self-monitor and seek medical care if needed. Students not ill and not wishing to work in person will not be required to do so and will continue to be paid only if remote work is a possibility per above and approved by their supervisor. If students are unable to work in person or remotely, the student will not be paid.  Departments are encouraged to provide as much flexibility regarding duties as feasible.

University guidance regarding student employment is available here from the Student Employment Office in Scholarships & Financial Aid.  Please direct questions to workstudy@tamu.edu or leave a voicemail at 979.845.0686.

Yes. We encourage departments to be creative in identifying mechanisms to allow student workers to work remotely with the provision that appropriate duties can be assigned and that the department has mechanisms in place to monitor that work. Students on work study may also work remotely. Although strongly encouraged, you are not required to provide remote work opportunities.

No. As always, regulations and university Standard Administrative Procedure 33.99.08.M0.01 do not allow students to be scheduled for work during scheduled class times. This includes online courses.

Please use zoom, skype, face time, or a combination of these things and stay on schedule. OGAPS will be providing additional guidance about getting signatures on forms and sending forms in electronically.

The Galveston Campus is following the same guidance and protocols issued by Texas A&M University. Research laboratories and facilities are expected to continue operations, under the guidance being provided. Researchers are advised to consider ways to scale back or delay research projects in the event it becomes necessary to further reduce or even halt laboratory research operations. Individual labs need to carefully evaluate how to reduce staffing and to allow students, post-docs, and other lab staff to work remotely as much as possible. Social distancing and other public health measures should be practiced at all times. Additional guidance from Texas A&M and the Galveston Campus is available here: https://vpr.tamu.edu/covid-19.

Graduate and professional students should contact their respective programs for guidance. Graduate students (GARs. GATS, GANTS) should return to work on March 16

Graduate assistants are expected to return to work on Monday, March 16, and continue to perform their duties, which may be modified if need be. The goal is to maintain continuous employment status for graduate assistants to the fullest extent possible.

Graduate assistants who are self-monitoring, self-isolating, or at higher risk of getting sick from COVID-19 and need accommodations to continue their employment should notify their supervisor, PI, and department head.

GATs (Graduate Assistant Teaching)
Please consult with your lead instructor/department head regarding how your assigned classes (including laboratory sections) will operate remotely and how you will be expected to provide support/remote instruction.

GARs (Graduate Assistant Research)
Research operations will continue. Please consult with your PI/supervisor/coordinator and department administration to determine whether you will continue working in your typical research location or an alternative work location.

GANTs (Graduate Assistant Non-Teaching)
Please consult your supervisor or report to your regular work location to discuss whether you will continue working in your typical location or an alternative work location.

Preliminary and Qualifying Exams, and Final Defenses are to proceed as scheduled. These may be done fully online at the discretion of the student and Advisor. In-person final defenses and exams should be limited in attendance to the committee and zoom for audience members. Hybrid in-person/remote meetings for the committee are recommended.

In person exams and research meetings are still allowed but must be held in a room that allows for the social distancing of 6 ft.  Virtual/remote meetings are recommended whenever possible.

Students teaching should consult their respective PI/ faculty and/or department head for guidance.

All courses are required to be available online. Requests to meet face-to-face to meet course requirements are limited to no more than 10 students and must be requested via the process listed below.

Requests should be sent Joe Pettibon (jpp2@tamu.edu), Texas A&M University Vice President for Enrollment and Academic Services and cc to Karen Butler-Purry (klbutler@tamu.edu), Texas A&M Associate Provost for Graduate and Professional Studies and Antonietta Quigg (quigga@tamug.edu) Galveston Campus Senior Associate Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies. This should be from the instructor to the provost through the department head. The request should include:

• Course designation
• Number of enrolled students
• If the current classroom is large enough to allow the social distancing of students and instructor, provide the building and room location (i.e. 30 seats for 10 students). If the classroom is not large enough, please indicate that you need a larger classroom.
• A justification from the faculty as to why the class would not be appropriate to move online
• A discussion on how the faculty intends to accommodate any grad students who is unable or unwilling to attend the face to face class

For all other matters relating to Graduate and Professional Studies, please refer to the email you received from Karen Butler-Purry (klbutler@tamu.edu), Texas A&M Associate Provost for Graduate and Professional Studies.

Yes. Individual students, faculty, staff, and/or student organizations can reserve both indoor and outdoor spaces. Whether indoor or outdoor, you must comply with physical distancing and face covering policies and be prepared to communicate how you will comply with occupancy restrictions (invitation, controlled access, etc.). However, if non-University units and Sponsored Student Organizations seek to reserve an outdoor space for more than 10 persons, you will first be required to get approval from the mayor/county attorney.

As part of executive orders GA-28 and GA-28 amended, Governor Abbott directly delegated approval authority for outdoor gatherings in excess of 100 people (GA-28) and later lowered to outdoor gatherings in excess of 10 people (GA-28 amended). Neither of these executive orders was assigned an expiration date and remain in effect until individually or collectively rescinded.

Yes. Sponsored Student Organizations are those aligned and affiliated with a university department. However, the sponsoring department will be asked to ensure that the outdoor activity is presently critical to the university’s mission or the function of the department. UCEN will review these requests and may seek additional information from the department direction in addition to the approval from the department advisor.

Yes. While the current executive order requires approval from the mayor/county judge for outdoor gatherings in excess of 10 persons, it does not guarantee space availability or campus approval. Texas A&M’s principle mission is education and research and therefore reserves the right during this pandemic to restrict use of space in manners that could further jeopardize our ability to meet our mission.