B-News

Recent decisions at Bradley University have been made regarding the worldwide Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with the best interests for the health of our community. Bradley is working around the clock to respond to this historic outbreak. Please stay up to date with ALL emails sent to you about COVID-19, as they include new information that is pertinent to you. A recap of communications thus far, along with some new items, is provided below. For more detailed information, please visit the communications tab at bradley.edu/coronavirus. There are also several FAQs available that might help answer your questions. The university will communicate future changes/updates on as many channels as possible.

Faculty Reminders

With the safety of Bradley's students, faculty, staff and the larger community in mind, Bradley has decided to move all classes for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester to an online format beginning March 30. Previously, faculty should've received a resource guide and instructions to document the transition from brick-and-mortar to online delivery of classes. The Provost Office is currently working with Bradley's deans to help develop outreach to students. In this communication, please encourage students to complete the technology survey if they have not already done so. Additionally, please remember to halt spending, hiring and university-related travel amid COVID-19.

Staff Reminders

Bradley is moving much of its operations to an alternative workplace scenario until further notice. Telecommuting is encouraged wherever possible. As a staff member, you should have received a Temporary Remote Work Agreement form. If you didn’t receive one, you can find it on our coronavirus website under the Internal Resources tab. Please sign and give to your supervisor if you wish to telecommute. If you are given approval, you may at some point be asked to return to campus for your current duties or be deployed to new duties; you are asked to remain flexible during this time. Please use Google Chat, Google Hangouts and Google Meet as often as possible for your meetings. If you need assistance learning about applications, you can sign up for online workshops and/or visit the Administrative Work Resources web guide. To gather information on the workshops, please email sakai@fsmail.bradley.edu. Lastly, please remember to halt spending, hiring and university-related travel amid COVID-19.

Event Cancelations

All in-person events set to take place in the spring 2020 semester have been canceled. As a result, events occurring in this timeframe have been removed from the university calendar. These events will also no longer be published in B-News. If a press release has been sent to the media from the Office of Public Relations about a specific event that has now been canceled, an updated message will be sent to clarify the event's new status. If you are an event organizer and you have direct access to notifying your event attendees of cancelations, please do so.

Campus Hours of Operation

Most buildings will be locked to the public during business hours due to the limited number of people expected to be on campus. Employees will have their usual access. The Cullom-Davis Library is closed to visitors, but you will be able to access many of the resources online. Meal service will be available to Bradley employees in Williams Hall with their ID card. All options will be pre-packaged to go. You may use BU Bucks, Cash, or Credit Card (price is $7 for breakfast, $8 for lunch and dinner options). Hours of Operation: Mon. thru Fri. 8 - 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Sat. thru Sun. 9 - 11 a.m., 4 - 5 p.m.

Mail Delivery

Currently, Bradley's Mailroom and Shipping / Receiving departments are operating in a business-as-usual mode. Effective Monday, March 23, mail deliveries will be reduced from two times to one time per day. Mail will continue to be delivered to the existing drop off locations. Shipping and Receiving will still be accepting packages from UPS, FedEx and all other trucks. These will be delivered to your offices and / or mail room as the norm.

Virtual Medical Attention

If you have Bradley University health insurance, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) offers the ability for members to seek medical attention through a virtual visit. Attached are two virtual visit information sheets with detailed instructions on how to use this feature. A virtual visit can’t treat COVID-19, but a virtual visit can help employees and their families with other illnesses and receive the treatment they need without exposing themselves to the virus by going to the ER or urgent care. As hospitals become more crowded, virtual visits free up healthcare workers to treat those who may be infected with COVID-19.

Additional Technology Recommendations/Assistance

Please be sure to change your outgoing office phone message and check for messages remotely by dialing 309-677-3434 and following the prompt. At this time, all technology inquiries should be routed through the IT Service Desk at itservicedesk@bradley.edu, submitted at support.bradley.edu or discussed over the phone at 309-677-2964 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. With many employees transitioning to working from home and students moving to online learning, Bradley recognizes that some may have limited or no access to the internet. Because of this, the FCC is implementing some programs for assistance. Bradley is also looking at options to provide technical assistance to those who need it. Those plans will be communicated once they are defined.

–Sent to Faculty and Staff on 03/20/2020