Returning to Campus: Information for BU Researchers
| TO: | Boston University Faculty |
| FROM: | Gloria Waters, Vice President and Associate Provost for Research  |
| DATE: | May 7, 2021 |
| SUBJECT: | Returning to Campus: Information for BU Researchers |
In his May 6 letter to the BU community, President Brown shared that the University would begin repopulating our campuses with “the goal of achieving 50 percent staffing levels by June 14, in line with current state and city guidelines.”
This goal applies to all BU research groups. The guidelines, however, do not bring any immediate changes for safety protocols or occupancy limits in labs, which were already set at 50 percent for non-experimental/”dry” labs and above 50 percent (at limits set by PIs in their approved research recovery plans) in experimental/”wet” labs.
Furthermore, there are no changes to BU’s COVID guidelines for research based on vaccination status. Vaccinated employees should continue to submit daily attestations and remain on their current testing schedule until further notice. All research groups should likewise continue to maintain social distancing practices, wear masks, and adhere to their research recovery plans. In addition, the University is now requesting faculty, staff, and students to submit proof of vaccination. Only with accurate vaccination numbers for our community will we be able to make informed decisions about reducing current restrictions over time.
ACTION REQUIRED
For those research groups that have already submitted recovery plans: Please visit the Research Recovery Toolkit to submit an updated personnel list reflective of any new students or staff returning to campus this summer, as well as an updated recovery plan if you need to adjust your occupancy levels. Please note that all personnel lists submitted must include a full roster of on-campus research personnel, not just new additions.
For those research groups that have yet to return to campus: Please visit the Research Recovery Toolkit to submit a recovery plan and personnel list as you ramp up for the University’s target repopulation date of Monday, June 14.
President Brown noted in his letter that we anticipate public occupancy standards to be adjusted upward over the course of the summer, with full population of the campus likely before the end of August. We will share further details about how these changes affect BU’s research community as they happen.
Thank you for your continued dedication to the safety of our campus community during this challenging year. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Office of Research at research@bu.edu.