Previous COVID-19 Updates

I want to provide an update as it relates to the recent announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on new guidelines for facemasks.  At this time, HCC’s protocols will remain unchanged, and we will continue to require facemasks and physical distancing at all of our facilities.  As the community transmission rate of COVID continues to decline, we do anticipate receiving specific direction from the Florida Department of Education and Governor DeSantis in the coming days on this issue.   In the interim, HCC will continue to support those measures that we know have successfully prevented the spread of the virus – facemasks, social distancing and hand washing.  

Thank you for your continued vigilance and cooperation, and I look forward to updating you with revised protocols as soon as new information becomes available.

I want to provide an update to the College community regarding the two executive orders issued by Governor DeSantis yesterday. We have been provided specific guidance from the chancellor of the Florida College System as it pertains to yesterday’s orders.

• First, EO-21-102 only impacts city and county governments and does NOT impact Florida College System (FCS) institutions or K-12 public schools.
• Moreover, EO-21-101 and EO-21-102 only impacts restrictive COVID-19 orders/ordinances that are adopted through emergency enactment.
• Neither EO-21-101 nor EO-21-102 impacts any FCS institutions’ policies for the remainder of the 2020-21 fiscal year (year ending June 30, 2021). 

As such, we will continue to maintain the rules and protocols that we currently have in place at HCC, including our mask and social distancing requirements, until such time as the CDC issues new recommendations and/or we are directed to do otherwise by the state.

As the COVID-19 vaccination rollout is underway, I want to extend my sincerest thanks to everyone helping to execute the targeted vaccination events at the Dale Mabry, Brandon and SouthShore Campuses.  To date, we have successfully vaccinated 7,351 students, faculty and staff in our HCC community. It gives me much pride to know that we, as Hawks, have been a part of the solution to keep our community healthy and safe.

Although more individuals are getting vaccinated, the College will continue to adhere to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) safety guidelines.  Every person coming onto HCC property—whether a faculty member, staff member, student, vendor or visitor—is expected to follow health and safety guidelines. College policies, including the Student Code of Conduct and Employment Procedures, will be used to ensure compliance. 

All faculty, staff, students and visitors are:

• Required to wear a face mask or covering while on college property, including when entering and exiting buildings, using restrooms, moving about campus and in buildings when in a shared space and when social distancing is not possible.
• To observe social distancing.
• To frequently wash hands.
• If soap and water are not readily available, to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.  Hand sanitizer stations have been widely deployed across all College facilities to complement good handwashing practice.
• All faculty, staff and students who test positive, display symptoms or who have been exposed to COVID-19 should direct this information immediately to the HCC Campus Point Persons team at covid19vaccine@hccfl.edu.

With the growing number of fully vaccinated individuals and the increased traffic on campuses, we are closely monitoring CDC guidelines. There has been a recent change to the K-12 social distancing guidelines from six feet to three feet in the classroom. Currently, no changes have been made in the higher education sector. However, we are anticipating changes in these guidelines and will notify the HCC community and modify college operations when appropriate. Specifically, as the CDC guidelines change, and with more vaccinations, remote working arrangements may no longer be necessary, but we will continue to be guided by safety concerns as our number one priority.

Further, HR will be working with staff who have accommodations as guidelines change. Beginning on April 5, all individuals age 18 and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine. We highly encourage the college community to take the opportunity to get vaccinated.  Staff who choose not to receive a vaccine may still be required by their supervisor to return to in-person work on a set date, including those with a religious or medical-related accommodation. Additional information will be provided as modifications are made to the guidelines. If you have any questions related to accommodations, please email Hradarequest@hccfl.edu.

These are changing times, and we will update the college community after Commencement on May 7, or sooner as needed. 

Please stay safe, and thank you for all you are doing.

I want to provide an update on the College’s COVID response as conditions continue to evolve with the pandemic. With the spring term well under way, it is imperative that we remain vigilant and do our part to help maintain the health and safety of our college community. 

As a reminder, every person coming onto HCC property—whether a faculty member, staff member, student, vendor or visitor—is expected to follow the health and safety guidelines established by HCC as guided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The College will use College policies including the Student Code of Conduct and Employment Procedures to ensure compliance.  

All faculty, staff, students and visitors are:

• Required to wear a face mask or covering while on college property, including when entering and exiting buildings, using restrooms, moving about campus and in buildings when in a shared space and when social distancing is not possible.  
• To observe social distancing.
• To frequently wash hands.
• If soap and water are not readily available, to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Hand sanitizer stations have been widely deployed across all College facilities to complement good handwashing practice.
• All faculty, staff and students who test positive, display symptoms or who have been exposed to COVID-19 should direct this information immediately to the HCC Campus Point Persons team at C19PointPersons@hccfl.edu.

In many instances, exposures and subsequent quarantines have resulted from a student or staff member who felt ill and decided to come to campus anyway. A day or two later, the individual realized they were getting worse and it turned out they had COVID all along. Please do not hesitate to stay away from campus if you are ill, getting a head cold or feeling congested. Far too often, the College has experienced COVID spread because the early symptoms were ignored.

President Biden has recently signed an Executive Order that modifies travel restrictions. As such, the College has modified our travel rules to align with that order. The current prohibition on any College-sponsored travel, whether international or domestic, remains in effect. Any personal travel remains strongly discouraged; in emergency situations where travel is unavoidable, faculty and staff should discuss their plans with their supervisor to determine whether self-quarantine will be required and should make contingency plans (i.e. working remotely or taking annual leave) should self-isolation be necessary on their return. Faculty and staff who are unable to work remotely on return from foreign travel may not be eligible for Cares Act time off pay. Additionally, all faculty, staff and students who travel internationally will be required to provide documentation of a negative COVID test and will be required to follow the current quarantine protocol of 7-10 days.  

HCC is also working closely with the Department of Health to provide volunteers for community vaccinations. Preliminary meetings are occurring to develop a plan for vaccination of our general college community once the vaccine is made available for our specific group. If you have an interest in volunteering to assist in giving vaccinations, medical and non-medical volunteers are needed. Please reach out to Dr. Todd Wells to see how you might get connected. 

You are encouraged to visit our SharePoint and Return to the Nest sites for the latest COVID protocols and resources.

I want to share some information based on feedback from our recent COVID forums.  First, we will be returning to campus following the winter break under the current operating protocols that have successfully served our College community thus far.  I am extremely proud of the attention and care that each of you has demonstrated.  The COVID teams have managed our cases with great haste and diligence, and as a result, our positivity rate has remained low.  I am optimistic that our students and employees will adhere to the same level of vigilance over the break, but again, we will be carefully monitoring conditions and responding accordingly.  As I have previously stated, we are prepared to modify operations should local health and government officials require us to do so.  The health and safety of the HCC family comes first. 

Second,  the effect of COVID on our communities remains a dynamic one, and as such, so too must our work environment.  The College’s staffing process must remain flexible to accommodate the changing circumstances.  On January 4th, administrators and staff will no longer be working remotely 100% unless there has been an approved ADA accommodation.  Supervisors will determine staffing needs and may continue using staff rotational models to meet the requirements of social distancing and reduced occupancy rates while ensuring that equity remains a key guiding principle in all decisions. Faculty will continue to work as determined by their spring schedule. With respect to our faculty, work assignments are addressed in the recent MOU between FUSA and the College.

I also remain aware of the needs of those employees who could be profoundly affected by COVID’s impact.  Thus, for those staff members requesting to work exclusively from home, we will be following our formal ADA processes and federal guidelines as referenced above.  To request an ADA accommodation or for additional details about the process, please send an email to hradarequest@hccfl.edu. As part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the College will also periodically review both new and existing accommodations in conjunction with supervisors to ensure that the accommodation still reflects the needs of the employee and the department.

Ken Atwater, Ph.D.
College President

I want to provide the college with an update on our return-to-the-nest plans. The campuses have been incredibly busy preparing for their reopening to students next week. As I have previously shared, new signage for social and physical distancing reminders have been installed, in addition to the rearrangement of spaces. Hand sanitizer and masks are available in every College building, and we are in the process of equipping all classrooms and labs with an additional supply of wipes prior to the start of classes. Additionally, COVID kiosks containing infrared thermometers for voluntary temperature checks are being placed at each of our facilities. We have specific details on the College’s intranet as well as Back to Campus for prospective students. I want to draw particular attention to the new employee Q&A that addresses many of the questions that we have been receiving. Also included in the Q&A is the Hawk Tracing protocol that is now in place should we receive information about a positive test. Student-specific information is included on their respective intranet, and we are continuously updating the college’s external website. 

I have been closely monitoring the volume of local cases as well as the decisions being made by the School District of Hillsborough County and our sister institutions. I want you and this community to feel confident that we are putting the proper measures in place to protect our students, faculty and staff to the best of our abilities and have contingency plans ready should we need to alter operations. 

I sincerely want to thank everyone for your dedication to your jobs and our students during this incredibly stressful and chaotic time. Please know that I share in your apprehension and look forward to a time, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, when we will return to some sense of normalcy. This pandemic is affecting so many of you in a profound way, and in spite of the turmoil, your resolve and spirit as we have kept HCC operating has been one of my proudest times as your president. You have proven what it means to be Hawk Strong!

Ken Atwater, Ph.D.
College President

I want to provide the college with an update on our return-to-campus planning. We all have been watching the alarming increase in cases both in our region and across the state. It is particularly concerning that the most affected populations are those that would make up a large percentage of our students. I want to again emphasize that we will do everything we can to ensure your safety and that of our students and will not act in haste in the face of this compelling information. 

Regardless of any announced dates, we have finalized as much of the planning that has been possible given the current set of conditions that we are operating under.  Importantly, we have received direction from the Governor’s office that indicates his strong sentiment that we return to campus to start the fall semester. We have been working with local health officials in developing our protocols, and I believe that the current plan, which is clearly dynamic in nature, will provide us with a solid foundation to reopen safely.

Over the last few weeks, our campus teams have been working extraordinarily hard to develop operational protocols, make adjustments to the academic schedule, create physical distancing in our public spaces and classrooms, hang signage, and order PPE and hand sanitizers, in addition to countless other modifications necessary for a safe return to campus. 

I encourage you to visit our SharePoint COVID site and Back to Campus for the latest information on our reopening plans.  One of the most recent additions is Hawk Tracing that establishes the process to follow when a student or staff member tests positive. This has been one of the most important additions to our planning, and I have attached it for your review. It was developed by medical, legal and public health professionals working along with our internal task force, and I hope that you will agree that it adds a critical element in our ability to maintain a safe teaching and work environment.

I want to thank all of the work teams for their Herculean efforts. They have and continue to spend numerous hours researching and developing the resources necessary for our Return to the Nest. I am grateful for their dedication as well as the dedication each of you have provided in these unprecedented and anxious times. 

I will provide another update later next week as we monitor the outbreak closely. In the interim, I hope that everyone has a very safe and happy Fourth of July holiday. 

Ken Atwater, Ph.D.
College President

I want to provide the college community with another update on our return-to-campus planning. The Cabinet met this morning and, out of an abundance of caution, made the decision to modify the dates for employees returning to the campuses as well as the date for students to be able to access the campuses. This is being done primarily for two reasons. First, we want to ensure that we are able to implement the safety protocols as recommended by our reopening work teams before our employees and students access the campuses. Second, we are also seeing a surge in new cases within both Hillsborough County and the state of Florida.

The revised dates of return for staff are now July 13 and July 27. The return date of August 13 for HCC faculty remains unchanged. It is our hope that we can provide some campus services to students beginning on July 20. You will receive additional information tomorrow from Human Resources that provides general guidance on returning to our campuses and facilities. However, as mentioned in last week’s email, supervisors will be communicating with their staff regarding specific details about their departments and individual concerns around our return.

We will continue to communicate with the college community as our plans evolve. I know that this is a time of great uncertainty, and I want to provide every assurance that we are being as thoughtful in our planning as we can. I truly appreciate everyone’s patience and the incredible resilience that you have shown during these unprecedented times. I know that we all look forward to seeing each other and our students back on campus in the near future.  

Ken Atwater, Ph.D.
College President