A Message from the President
Immediate Transition to Full Telework and Virtual Instruction
In accordance with the directive from Governor Larry Hogan on Tuesday, Nov. 10, Bowie State University will begin mandatory telework for all employees, except those designated by university administration as essential positions. This change will begin today, Nov. 11, at 5 p.m., as part of the governor’s directive to all state agencies to help reduce the surge of coronavirus cases across the state.
Because of the governor’s announcement, we are expediting our original plan to move to remote operations. Changes are as follows:
Employees
Supervisors should schedule essential employees for on-site work as needed to assure required tasks are managed appropriately. Additional guidance will be provided to supervisors to address staff scheduling options.Classes
Classes will shift to all virtual instruction beginning tomorrow, Nov. 12. All students who need a loaner laptop or accessories to remotely access virtual classes should send an email to bulldoglaptop@bowiestate.edu. Hotspots, cameras and headsets are available.
Student Housing
Residential students will be allowed to begin scheduling move-out immediately. Students in all university-operated residence halls must leave the campus by Nov. 25, taking all belongings, as previously planned. Students in the Christa McAuliffe Residential Community and the Enclave may remain, according to terms of their lease. Food service will continue to be provided. Before returning home, students are strongly encouraged to take a COVID-19 test to confirm their negative status. Appointments should be scheduled through the Wellness Patient Portal.
Events
All campus events will only be offered through virtual formats. Any event sponsors who have planned in-person events should contact Conference and Events Services to adjust your event details.
The university will continue to be accessible with screening at entry checkpoints for faculty and staff who may need to retrieve resources from offices. Yellow or green badges will be required. Effective Nov. 26, campus access will be allowed only with a green badge. The campus testing program will continue with appointments scheduled through the Wellness Patient Portal.Bowie Steot return to the campuhmpus. The layered approach of providing individual personal protective equipment to students, faculty and staff, Plexiglas and other workspace and classroom modifications, and enhanced cleaning protocols all contribute to maintaining a safe campus environment. The campus community has collectively shown that “we protect our own” by consistently wearing face masks, observing six feet social distancing and regularly washing hands.
Your continued support of these efforts provide the foundation for achieving similar success in the spring semester. We will provide additional information as details are solidified. Please share any questions via email at covid19@bowiestate.edu.