• October 3, 2021 - Faculty & Staff Update

    Dear BCCC Faculty and Staff:

    As previously communicated, all BCCC Cabinet members and key administrators returned to campus in September.  Many Health Science faculty have also been reporting to campus since the beginning of the Fall semester. We are excited to be back on campus and look forward to employees joining us as staff return on Monday, October 4, 2021.

    As a reminder, the College will operate on a hybrid schedule for employees with a 4-day on campus, Monday through Thursday, and a 1-day remote on Friday. Employees who are scheduled to work Saturdays will work remotely on that day also.  Classes remain virtual, other than those scheduled for Health Science students, who will be on campus to fulfill their in-person lab requirements. VP Jones has communicated with the faculty about their access to campus.

    Upon returning, BCCC employees must show their College identification (ID) and keep such on display; this will assist our efforts to identify vendors and others who may need temporary access.  New employees, or those without an ID, will be required to report to Public Safety and will be issued an ID. Cabinet will forward a list of all employees without an ID to Public Safety to ensure new identification cards are produced. 

    To ensure safety on campus, the College will observe the masking, social distancing and physical barrier protocols recommended by the CDC and Baltimore City Health Department. Everyone who enters the BCCC campus must wear a facemask properly (completely covering both nose and mouth) except when eating or drinking.  Temperature monitor and hand sanitizer stations are located at the entrance to each building and all employees are asked to check their temperature upon entry.  In the event of an abnormal temperature, staff must leave campus and report it to their supervisor. Please note, the College offers on-site testing free of charge through the CVS clinic at the South Pavilion. Employees may simply walk-in and access the CVS on-site testing center between the hours of 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.

    Infected or Exposed Employees

    Employees who test positive for COVID may not return to work until (i) they have been 24 hours with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medication, and (ii) it has been 10 calendar days since symptoms first appeared and other symptoms have improved and (iii) they provide evidence that they have tested negative for COVID within the past 72 hours. 

    Employees who have been in close contact (as defined by the CDC) with someone with COVID will need to test immediately for COVID themselves and notify their supervisor of the results. For up-to-date information regarding COVID testing and vaccine services, please see the Baltimore City Department of Health website at  https://coronavirus.baltimorecity.gov/.

    Since March 2020, the physical safety of faculty and staff has been at the forefront of the College’s plans to return to campus.  To that end, the College has undergone comprehensive deep cleaning (and will conduct on-going deep cleaning each Friday). The facilities department has placed humidifiers and dehumidifiers throughout the campus to assist with our ventilation systems, installed MERV13 filters into the existing HVAC as recommended by the CDC, installed purification units with HEPA filters, and is in the process of installing plexiglass as needed for some areas.  Deep cleaning has also included flooring, carpeting, and surfaces throughout, as well as the distribution of cleaning supplies and COVID kits to all departments.

    Accommodation Requests

    Please note, if you have requested an accommodation from your supervisor, you must do so with HR in order to complete the correct form(s).  Supervisors do not have the authorization to approve employees to continue to work remotely. Please contact Danielle Porter, Director of HR at dporter@bccc.edu for additional information. Until the accommodation is approved, you are expected to return to work as scheduled.

    The timecard process will remain the same for the next couple of weeks for those who use timecards. Timecards are due by the Close of Business (COB) each Friday.  Training will be forthcoming on how to process timecards moving forward using the system.

    Technology

    Please be mindful as you turn your PC’s back on that most have been off for a while and may require updates and will be slower initially at power up. Before contacting the Help Desk, please be patient and allow a couple of hours for the updates to be installed and the PCs to return to normal.

    Cameras/Headsets:

    Cameras and headsets have been ordered by the VPs for each staff member that needs one to carry out their day-to-day responsibilities.  Information Technology Services (ITS) is waiting on the delivery of those items.

    Phones:

    Employees will be able to pick up their new phones outside of LSB 237, Main Building 100 or for the Harbor/WDCE campus, at the security Kiosk. Instructions will be provided on how to self-install the phones and sign-in.

    Moving of Computers:

    ITS is requesting that if a computer needs to be moved from an office, please contact the Help Desk to have the computer moved.

    Hotline:

    ITS has established a hotline for the return to campus. This is reserved for phone issues and desktop issues alone to expedite service. The number is 410-225-4600.

    I ask that you communicate directly with your supervisors and Cabinet with questions or about other resources that are needed.  As well, I will continue to provide updates about our return to campus and other institutional changes. While visits to other offices will need to be limited for everyone, I look forward to seeing you on October 4th.    

    Welcome back BCCC!

    Debra L. McCurdy, PhD
    President
    Baltimore City Community College
    2901 Liberty Heights Avenue,
    Baltimore, MD 21215
    410-462-7799
    dlmccurdy@bccc.edu