Fall 2020 Policies and Restrictions
Housing Residents have a duty to report their status to UAS Student Housing in any of the following circumstances:
- If you have been in any location outside of Alaska for at least 24 hours, foreign or domestic, within the last two weeks.
- If you have been identified by public health in "close contact" with someone who has been confirmed to have COVID-19, or with someone who is COVID-19 symptomatic and is a "person under investigation"
- If you are returning from having been a passenger on a cruise ship
- If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19
- If you are COVID-19 symptomatic or are a "person under investigation"
If you meet one or more of these criteria, you must notify Student Housing immediately and follow all directions given by Student Housing, including the possibility of relocation, quarantining, etc. Contact your instructors if you are told you will be unable to attend your classes.
Definitions:
Person Under Investigation: Someone who is COVID-19 symptomatic and either has been advised to get a molecular COVID-19 test, or has taken a test and is awaiting results.
Close Contact: The CDC defines a close contact as being within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes.
Due to challenges with heightened cleaning requirements, the following areas will be closed to resident use:
- Banfield Hall - all common areas
- Housing Lodge - third floor
When applicable, these areas may be traversed while traveling from one area to another. However, furniture will be removed and/or rearranged and ongoing use of these spaces is not permitted.
The following areas within student housing may be used as long as masks are worn and occupancy caps are observed:
- John Pugh Hall lobby
- John Pugh Hall laundry room
- John Pugh Hall hallways
- John Pugh Hall third floor commons & kitchen
- John Pugh Hall fourth floor commons
- John Pugh Hall 2nd floor study nook
- Housing Lodge second floor
- Housing Lodge laundry room
Face coverings are required on campus and at University sponsored activities regardless of location. Every person must wear a mask or face shield that completely covers the person’s nose and mouth. Face coverings may be removed only if a person can easily maintain a continuous distance of at least six feet from all other persons, and one is:
- outside, or
- engaged in an activity incompatible with mask wearing (e.g. dining) in a space officially designated for that activity, or
- an employee at their designated work station who has no direct contact with the public.
Within student housing, residents and staff are expected to wear face coverings whenever they are indoors and not within the privacy of their assigned apartment or suite. This includes but is not limited to:
- All areas of the Student Housing Lodge
- Hallways, Lounges, Lobbies, and Laundry rooms within residence halls
Face Coverings are not required within residential units, but are highly encouraged within common areas such as kitchens, living rooms, bathrooms, and shared entries.
Face Coverings are also not required for staff who solely occupy a secured, enclosed space, including:
- The Lodge Desk, behind a sneeze guard and with the door closed
- Within private offices when the door is closed and only one occupant is present
Non-Resident Visitation:
Non-residents may not be present within housing units at any time. Non-residents may utilize exterior housing spaces such as the housing courtyard and pavilion provided all parties observe social distancing.
Resident-to-Resident Visitation:
Current UAS Housing residents may visit each other within the privacy of their residential units in accordance with the UAS guest policy. However, the following recommendations and restrictions remain in effect:
- Overnight guests of any kind, including current residents, are not permitted.
- A temporarily-reduced cap on residents and guests is being enacted – at no time may more than four individuals be present within a housing unit, including residents assigned to a unit and their guests.
- All residents are highly encouraged to practice social distancing while visiting units and to wear masks as appropriate when unable to social distance.
- All residents are encouraged to keep a log of guests to their unit for contract tracing purposes, if it becomes necessary. Paper logs are available for pickup at housing desk locations.
- No individual observing a quarantine or minimizing interactions while testing is permitted to visit another residential unit.
- Resident-to-resident visitation may be rescinded if residents do not utilize proper safety precautions or if COVID-19 risk increases. If this policy is changed you will receive 24 hours’ notice via email.
We expect that all members of the on-campus housing community - residents, faculty, staff, and guests act in a manner that demonstrates respect and consideration for those around them, including respect and consideration for the health and safety of all community members. All residents are prohibited from creating a health or safety hazard within housing and the University may request or require a resident to leave housing if their continued presence in the housing community poses a health or safety risk for community members.
Residents are required to comply with health and safety laws, orders, ordinances, regulations and health and safety guidance adopted by the University or Student Housing as it relates to public health crises, including COVID-19. This guidance will evolve as the public health crisis evolves and may include, but is not limited to, social distancing, limitations on mass gatherings/events, encouraging or requiring wearing a face covering, COVID-19 diagnostic and surveillance testing (including before or upon arrival to campus), contact tracing, disinfection protocols, limitations on guests, and quarantine/isolation requirements (including before or upon arrival to campus). Adherence to health and safety requirements applies to all residents, staff, faculty and guests and extends to all aspects of Student Housing and Dining Services, including bedrooms, bathrooms, community kitchens, lounges, lobbies, courtyards/pavilions and other common spaces.