[Nsac] Fwd: Research Relaunch Plan

Fri Jun 19 17:06:08 PDT 2020

Hello all:

I hope y'all are doing well. I wanted to share this message with you
because we are going to be overseeing the research innovation grants that
we awarded, and I want us to be clear that we are to expect reasonable
progress on the research proposed to the Council for funding and further
support for publication and/or presentation.

I am going to be sending a report to Teenie Matlock and Gregg Camfield
about our accomplishments this year. I will be sure to share it with the
group next week.

Thanks!

Iris

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Chancellor Nathan Brostrom <chancellor at ucmerced.edu>
Date: Fri, Jun 19, 2020 at 4:43 PM
Subject: Research Relaunch Plan
To: <iruiz4 at ucmerced.edu>

Phased Return Agenda
Re: Research Relaunch Plan
To: Faculty, students and staff
June 19, 2020

Dear Campus Community,

Research is a central component of the University of California’s mission.
Thus, UC Merced administrators, faculty and staff have been working
together on a plan to restart on-campus research as soon as possible. Last
week we announced preliminary plans for instruction this fall as well as
students’ return to a campus residential experience, and today we announce
principles and plans for a resumption of on-campus research in our labs,
offices and other spaces, on July 1.

Our phased return to a robust research agenda — which has been developed in
consultation with the Senate Committee on Research and vetted by the Merced
County Department of Public Health — is guided by three principles:

   - We will follow local, state and national public health authority,
   campus and UC System directives for maintaining COVID-19 risk reduction
   strategies that include physical distancing, face covering and disease
   surveillance.

   - We will protect the mental and physical health and safety of the
   entire research workforce, including faculty, clinical patients and human
   research subjects.

   - We will ramp up research activities in such a way as to mitigate
   faculty, employees’ and students’ risks of contracting COVID-19, in
   compliance with public health, UC System and campus guidelines.

Guided by these three principles, and the need to integrate research
related COVID-19 mitigation strategies with those of the UC Merced campus
at large, it was necessary to delay the research relaunch until July 1 to
ensure that we have sufficient COVID-19 testing , contact tracing and
disease surveillance processes in place prior to bringing additional
researchers to campus (beyond previously approved essential research
personnel).

The process for requesting to resume on-campus research activities will be
as follows:

   - Submitting an operational plan: Before resuming research activities
   that have previously been suspended, researchers will submit operational
   plans for each independent research program. Researchers can find guidance
   on how what to write in their operational plan here
   <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-jYXD4zFAWgJaAyV-3c-yLLJRTgLFTbP_Nl2-Bg3WHoarSwdY1lKG1Ccr1R7ceHk6uF8NNGYrUuLuhR8yEXExhVQ8HAiIKB8RV1N6PObKAfTnF3HwMaKfmcxIBAB3HV1W4ntSLTJGTptKsQh0bl1mJNDFRCnquwiSXllSpP0xK9gWWzqsy6dvcJDpXGVBhD-1P4PYjq8XV9B6ocHbZbDyea7kPpmejgR2N7dEQbQ0RUAVtztISGxEgZO6QiCkS12&c=OPPAdyPdLXIKVz8hFWiRDo3TRnMyeNaIp728gcuQvXn99DpJ6aIk6Q==&ch=looHiV-qCYsu-HedTjlR1sqpSjtaqS_Ld3UYlqX0kwbFWUl7GinWnQ==>(a
   template can be found on page 29).

   - Approval of plan: Researchers will submit the plans to the appropriate
   department chair or program director for provisional written approval. The
   plan will then be forwarded to the school dean (or dean’s designee), and
   finally to the vice chancellor for research and executive vice
   chancellor/provost for final written approvals. Approval from Environmental
   Health and Safety may also be required depending on the nature of the
   research. If more than one dean/school is involved, consultation and
   approval should be sought from each unit. If there are changes to
   operational plans (for example, changes that impact operations, personnel,
   and density), researchers must resubmit through this same process. Appeals
   of negative decisions will be handled in an escalating process.

   - Research resumes, with monitoring: Once plans are approved, department
   chairs, deans, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, and
   Environmental Health and Safety personnel will all have access to
   operational plans. The burden for compliance with research ramp-up
   operational plans is on principle investigators (PI). The Office of
   Research and Economic Development staff will conduct spot checks, making
   sure that appropriate density, distancing and protective measures are being
   followed in all spaces. Maximum occupational densities will be posted in
   each research space in each building. These will be based on large common
   areas in a laboratory and not include associated anterooms. Departmental
   and division leadership should also monitor compliance.

Further information:
Possible future ramp-downs: Positive tests for COVID-19 or new directives
from health officials may require another ramp down of research in some
labs or buildings, or a section of campus, as determined by the Emergency
Operations Center.

In the event of a ramp-down phase, authority on research activities returns
to the vice chancellor for research.

Approved operational plans will be accessible to department chairs, deans,
the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, and Environmental Health
and Safety personnel. In the event of a subsequent ramp-down phase, due to
campus conditions or directives by health officials, authority on research
activities returns to the vice chancellor for research.

Positive tests for COVID-19 may require ramp down of research in some labs
or buildings, or a section of campus as determined by the Emergency
Operations Center.

Noncompliance: The campus policy for mitigating risk
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-jYXD4zFAWgJaAyV-3c-yLLJRTgLFTbP_Nl2-Bg3WHoarSwdY1lKGyC9AkdXVka7Gspb1_lJ72d9vneeJcw5383wbiJpNwv9hrZSQrugqW0Wv6WJUt0ABg5UWkF-_2PuoS2-yta-JZQacX_20YVAeggYszRY-efjdhrvX537Y4p4SLqxrXUAclB-MNuP4gBP_vHndoo_vcY95PW4bc-79RODBklXjsNXTW_rKXsFuP_uFOSX51FsIq6wDfWTBh0lAzmqVET9Vem4ucg_-LZegV4qEio9uH2KLnKnp420hBy09ZJGq5oFkw==&c=OPPAdyPdLXIKVz8hFWiRDo3TRnMyeNaIp728gcuQvXn99DpJ6aIk6Q==&ch=looHiV-qCYsu-HedTjlR1sqpSjtaqS_Ld3UYlqX0kwbFWUl7GinWnQ==>
specifies what is required for all people working on campus properties.

Complaints regarding non-compliance may be submitted to UC Merced Emergency
Management at emergency.mgmt at ucmerced.edu. Non-compliance with existing
safety policies and principles could lead to the shutdown of on-campus
research in the noncompliant lab or research space. Noncompliance could
also result in discipline under applicable University of California or UC
Merced policies.

Communications about research: Campus communications — including the
scheduled building-by-building reopening of research facilities — will be
distributed by email and on UCM’s Emergency Preparedness
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-jYXD4zFAWgJaAyV-3c-yLLJRTgLFTbP_Nl2-Bg3WHoarSwdY1lKGwKJtS5HeN3lmxF-p8zDJu6puQWP8JhYWXT-IMq1V96FRraPzP9LifWwba_0HMbs-HNre6yZbCt6UdYHJ7Dvny4RMWxj4VYTo-qm6o0UTJMTmycuGb6Utrk=&c=OPPAdyPdLXIKVz8hFWiRDo3TRnMyeNaIp728gcuQvXn99DpJ6aIk6Q==&ch=looHiV-qCYsu-HedTjlR1sqpSjtaqS_Ld3UYlqX0kwbFWUl7GinWnQ==>
coronavirus website. Research guidelines will be updated as necessary as we
learn from our experiences during the initial ramp-up phases.

Timeline: Researchers may begin the process of writing their operational
plans for approval now, and this process will remain in effect for the
foreseeable future.

Research is at the core of UC Merced’s mission. As we continue to build the
future through intellectual discoveries that can transform our planet,
right from the heart of California, together we will do so with the health
and safety of our campus community as our highest priority.

Best,

Nathan Brostrom
Interim Chancellor

Gregg Camfield
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

This is an important message from UC Merced. Please share with colleagues
who may not have ready access to email. If you require
a Spanish translation, please email pr at ucmerced.edu.
University of California, Merced | 5200 N. Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343
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Sent by chancellor at ucmerced.edu

-- 
Iris Ruiz on "Pedagogue" https://www.pedagoguepodcast.com/episodes.html

Iris Ruiz on "Race and WPA" https://sparkactivism.com/ccgpodcast/
DR. IRIS D. RUIZ
she/her/hers

CONTINUING LECTURER
MERRITT WRITING PROGRAM

5200 Lake Road | Merced, California 95343
writingprogram.ucmerced.edu/iruiz |559.389.3651
BUILDING THE FUTURE IN THE HEART OF CALIFORNIA
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