SUNY Oneonta’s pandemic plan is in accordance with the full SUNY Continuity of Operations Plan for a State Disaster Emergency Involving a Communicable Disease plan, noting the additional and specific campus information below:
The chart below specifies those essential positions which will support the well-being of individuals who remain on campus as well the maintenance of SUNY Oneonta's property and resources in the event of a disaster emergency involving a communicable disease. The designation as essential* may be changed at any time in the sole discretion of the President or designee. The Office of Human Resources will provide written notification of designation as “essential” to employees as applicable.
| MISSION ESSENTIAL POSITION | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| President | Executive Leadership |
| Deputy/Chief of Staff | Executive Leadership |
| Chief/Academic Officers | Executive Leadership |
| Office of Communications, External, Government and Community Relations | Executive Leadership |
| Vice President Finance and Administration Administrative/Business Functions | Providing support and direction of all functions designated as essential, maintaining finances, emergency purchasing and processing |
| University Police | Maintenance of order on SUNY Oneonta properties; ensuring safety of campus population |
| Office of Information Technology/SICAS** | Help desk, web and network services, email, telephone, etc. |
| Facilities | Preserve buildings and grounds, provide cleaning services, provision of required energy sources |
| Health Care/Testing Center | Deliver necessary services within a potentially expanded Scope of Practice (under the direction of the NYS Department of Education |
| Residential Services/Quarantine and Isolation Services | Provide appropriate level of residence life and housing assistance and supervision |
| Food Service/Auxiliary Services | Ensure provision of food and water to campus residents |
| Environmental Health and Safety | Provision of PPE and related training; site safety preparation and advice |
| Emergency Management/Incident Command | Emergency Manager and Incident Command employees per Emergency Plan; Implementation of the campus emergency response plan as directed by NYS, SEMO, System Administration, or other appropriate entities. |
| Research | Ensure the preservation of research and research subjects |
| Headstart/Child Care Center Leaders | As needed to ensure safety of individuals on campus in their direct care |
*Essential employee defined as anyone whose job function is essential to the effective operation of the university or who must be physically present to perform their job, or who is involved in the existing emergency response. Non-essential refers to a designation made that a public employee is not required to be physically present at a work site to perform their job. Such designation may be changed at any time in the sole discretion of SUNY Oneonta.
**Provides IT services system-wide
SUNY Oneonta will participate in the designated Statewide or SUNY telecommuting program to the extent employee presence on the campus is appropriate and necessary to respond to a communicable disease emergency disaster. Employees will be directed to report to work as usual absent a determination by university leadership and/or closure by the Governor. University leadership will determine and communicate through the Office of Human Resources which functions are essential and if any essential personnel will be excused from reporting to work and/or a physical work location. Please refer to additional information in Sections C and F below.
SUNY Oneonta will follow its established distribution and installation of technological equipment and program protocols to support its remote workforce. Telephone coverage, transfer of phone lines, remote access to phone calls and voice mail, and call forwarding protocols will be available for employees working remotely. In addition, the university will periodically assess its technology needs for telecommuting and work with ITS to ensure that appropriate information technology resources are available.
SUNY Oneonta has developed plans for essential campus operations employees to modify shifts and work schedules to reduce density. In addition, where feasible, essential employees will be separated into small work groups that do not interact with other work groups. Break times will be staggered and/or breaks will be taken in different locations.
Heating plant operators will be isolated from other members of the maintenance staff and no staff will enter the plant operations area. Plans are in place to operate the heating plant at a lower temperature/pressure and run a single-person watch in the event of a critical shortage of staff due to illness.
The need for and type of PPE required will be determined through a job hazard analysis which is regularly reviewed. Safety training will include training in PPE donning, doffing and disposal. The campus Health & Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring that PPE needs are met, stored; inspected; rotated and protected from degradation. SUNY Oneonta will comply with all applicable governmental regulations regarding the use of personal protective equipment.
SUNY Oneonta will at all times maintain a reserve inventory of 1,000 N95 masks. In the event of an outbreak, N95 masks will be prioritized to health care workers and first responders until sufficient additional quantities can be procured. Contacts with suppliers will be periodically renewed to ensure that they are still available as sources of PPE. Other PPE inventory such as gloves and hospital gowns will be reviewed, and sufficient reserves retained on hand to allow a quick response to an outbreak.
In accordance with NYS Department of Health and SUNY guidance, SUNY Oneonta has established testing and health screening protocols for its students and employees in response to the current pandemic. Related technology programs provide tracking and monitoring capabilities, including building access and testing frequency, to ensure compliance with all applicable guidelines. In addition, SUNY Oneonta has developed and widely communicated and posted strict face covering, social distancing, and population density requirements. Cleaning and disinfecting protocols are in place as well as procedures for notification to exposed building occupants and employees. SUNY Oneonta will follow employee leave policies as directed by SUNY and related NYS agencies.
SUNY Oneonta will utilize engineering controls, safe work practices and PPE in order to minimize exposure in a future state disaster emergency caused by a communicable disease which will be dependent on the communicable disease that causes such disaster emergency. The university will provide periodic updates, as information becomes available, on the communicable disease and its transmission as part of its exposure protocols in order to assist with reducing transmission.
In the event employees, contractors or others who have been present on university property are determined to have contracted the communicable disease, their work area will be isolated by affixing tape and signage or locks for a period of 72 hours following their departure from campus; the work area will be thoroughly cleaned by trained staff at the close of the 72-hour period. If the area cannot be isolated, cleaning will take place in full PPE.
As indicated in Section E above, SUNY Oneonta has developed technology to track building access and testing compliance. All employees, including those who work remotely, are required to complete an online Daily Health Screening, responding to questions about symptoms, presence on campus, exposure to suspected/positive cases, etc. In addition, all employees working remotely are required to submit a weekly report of planned and completed work assignments. A team of contact tracers, under the direction of the Health Center Director has been trained to determine close contacts of suspected/positive students and to continue daily contact to ensure compliance with quarantine and isolation requirements. The Office of Human Resources conducts contact tracing through interviews with positive employees to determine contact with other employees and presence in campus buildings. Notifications of contact and quarantine/isolation requirements are provided as needed. These protocols and automated systems will be available in the event of a future communicable disease disaster.
SUNY Oneonta provides limited emergency housing for essential employees at the Morris Hall complex.
SUNY Oneonta’s pandemic plan is in accordance with the additional requirements listed in Section H of the SUNY Continuity of Operations Plan for a State Disaster Emergency Involving a Communicable Disease.
SUNY Oneonta will also comply with all executive orders and emergency regulations related to the state disaster emergency.