Frequently Asked Questions

You should consult with your healthcare provider promptly about whether/how long you should self-isolate. As with any contagious illness, to protect others, you must stay away from others (self-isolate) until your healthcare provider advises that you can resume regular activities. Be sure you tell your healthcare provider if/when you received the COVID-19 vaccination.

Notify your supervisor if you cannot report to work by using your department’s regular call-in procedure. As always, you should NOT provide any medical details to your supervisor, only that you are sick, you cannot come to work, and how long you anticipate being absent (if known).

If you don’t have enough sick leave to cover your absence, contact Human Resources at 254-295-4922 to discuss options.

As always, if you are absent for 4 or more days due to your own illness or the illness of a spouse, child, or parent, contact Human Resources promptly at 254-295-4922.

If you have visible symptoms such as a severe cough, but your healthcare provider says you can come to work, you must wear a face mask at work until respiratory symptoms have subsided, and you must observe cough etiquette / respiratory hygiene.

More information can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html

Immediately self-isolate, stay home from work until your healthcare provider advises that you can resume regular activities, and follow the guidance of your healthcare provider, including whether you should personally notify individual co-workers with whom you’ve had close contact.
If you have been in close contact with UMHB students or large groups of UMHB employees, contact Human Resources promptly for further guidance.

Notify your supervisor if you cannot report to work by using your department’s regular call-in procedure. As always, you should NOT provide any medical details to your supervisor, only that you are sick, you cannot come to work, and how long you anticipate being absent (if known).

If you don’t have enough sick leave to cover your absence, contact Human Resources at 254-295-4922 to discuss options.

As always, if you are absent for 4 or more days due to your own illness or the illness of a spouse, child, or parent, contact Human Resources promptly at 254-295-4922.

More information can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html

It depends on a variety of factors.

If at some point (i.e. during your isolation, you feel up to it, or your child is feeling better, etc.) you wish to voluntarily work remotely off-campus in lieu of utilizing paid leave:

Voluntarily working from home in lieu of using paid leave will only be approved in select circumstances and to ensure continuity of instruction for the students.  Should faculty be required to isolate due to symptoms or a positive test for COVID-19, or have childcare issues, they may in some instances be permitted to teach courses virtually for some or all of their isolation.  As with the 2020-21 academic year, such determination would be made by the dean in consultation with HR and Academic Affairs based on certain factors, including:

1. Conduciveness of the course content and class structure to online or virtual instruction.
2. Availability of other faculty for class coverage.

If working remotely for instruction is not approved, or if you otherwise cannot report to work on campus as scheduled, follow your department’s process regarding calling in sick.
If you don’t have enough paid leave to cover your absence, contact Human Resources at 254-295-4922 to discuss options.

UMHB’s policies regarding paid sick leave can be found here: http://hr.umhb.edu/policies

You are not required to report to UMHB if you’ve been exposed to a COVID-19 positive person. However, you should promptly consult with your healthcare provider about whether you should self-quarantine and whether you should get tested. Be sure you tell your healthcare provider if/when you received the COVID-19 vaccination.

If you develop symptoms or test positive, see FAQ #2 and #3.

More information can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html (section on For Anyone Who Has Been Around a Person with COVID-19.)

Yes, face masks are optional at each individual’s discretion. If you are not fully vaccinated, it is strongly recommended that you wear face coverings at work, and UMHB has face coverings available at no charge if you need them.

However, please do not ask others to wear face masks at UMHB. See FAQ #12 and #13 below for an exception to this policy.

Classes, work environments, meetings, campus events, and other UMHB activities will be conducted without social distancing. In situations and venues where individuals have space to socially distance and would like to do so, each individual can exercise social distancing to whatever extent practicable. If you are fully vaccinated, the CDC has published information on resuming regular activities without the need to practice social distancing, found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html

Yes. We are also encouraging students to get COVID-19 vaccines. In partnership with qualified providers, COVID-19 vaccines will be offered on campus to our students and employees on the afternoons of August 12 and 13. The university will provide further details via email.

If you have not already been fully vaccinated, we strongly encourage you to do so. See CDC information on COVID-19 vaccine and what you can do when you’ve been fully vaccinated, found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html Click here to enter your zip code and find vaccine sites in your area.

No to all 3 questions. If you have a high-risk medical condition and want to request accommodations, you must contact Human Resources at sworley@umhb.edu to request such accommodations. They will provide you with further instructions, including what supporting medical documentation is required.

The following will be the university’s policy for faculty who have pre-school or school-aged children:

A. NAVIGATING DAYCARE OR SCHOOL CLOSURES: If daycare centers close, and faculty cannot obtain alternative childcare during their scheduled on-campus times, and/or if PreK-12 schools are not offering face-to-face classes for any portion of the UMHB 2021-2022 Academic Year, then faculty may:

1. Explore options to work remotely – see FAQ #3.
2. Utilize available paid sick leave. UMHB’s sick leave policy will continue to be extended for child care needs, whether or not the child is ill. Call in using your department’s standard protocol.
   All sick leave must be properly entered into the timekeeping system.
3. Request unpaid leave of absence if paid sick leave is exhausted by contacting Human Resources.

B. HOMESCHOOLING: Working from home in order to home-school one’s own children is not an option.

Examples may include COVID-19 rules and protocols such as mandatory testing, vaccine, and /or reporting set by local schools, hospitals, or other clinical sites where our faculty enter for UMHB job-related purposes, etc.

You will be notified by your supervisor if such mandated COVID-19 protocols apply to you. Once notified, if you wish to request an exception to such mandated COVID-19 protocols set by outside entities, contact Human Resources directly and promptly.

Discreetly and respectfully direct the student to immediately put on a mask, if one is available, and leave the area.

You can remind the student that information on what steps the student should take can be found on the student version of the FAQ, posted on UMHB’s website.

Mandatory reporting is not required. However, IF the student asks for any type of supportive service, accommodation, alternate arrangement for course assignments, UMHB employment, schedule changes or absences, etc., you should advise the student he/she must submit such requests directly to Dr. Brandon Skaggs bskaggs@umhb.edu or 214-704-1168 or Michael Burns mburns@umhb.edu or 405-308-7336 in Student Life. Do not grant such requests yourself.

This process will apply in any student situation (classrooms, housing, work-study, co-curricular activities, etc.).

If you’ve had close contact with this student, see Section One, #4.

Discreetly and respectfully direct the student to immediately put on a mask if one is available and to continue wearing the face mask until symptoms subside. OR Discreetly and respectfully direct the student to leave the area if a face mask is not available or if the student declines to don a face mask.

Mandatory reporting is not required. However, IF the student asks for any type of supportive service, accommodation, alternate arrangement for course assignments, UMHB employment, schedule changes or absences, etc., you should advise the student he/she must submit such requests directly to Dr. Brandon Skaggs bskaggs@umhb.edu or 214-704-1168 or Michael Burns mburns@umhb.edu or 405-308-7336 in Student Life. Do not grant such requests yourself.

You can remind the student that information on what steps the student should take can be found on the student version of the FAQ, posted on UMHB’s website.

This process will apply in any student situation (classrooms, work-study, co-curricular activities, etc.).

You can remind the student that information on what steps the student should take can be found on the student version of the FAQ, posted on UMHB’s website. Please do not instruct or advise the student beyond that, UNLESS your program is subject to additional COVID-19 protocols from outside entities.

Mandatory reporting is not required. However, IF the student asks for any type of supportive service, accommodation, alternate arrangement for course assignments, UMHB employment, schedule changes or absences, etc., you should advise the student he/she must submit such requests directly to Dr. Brandon Skaggs bskaggs@umhb.edu or 214-704-1168 or Michael Burns mburns@umhb.edu or 405-308-7336 in Student Life. Do not grant such requests yourself.

This process will apply in any student situation (classrooms, work-study, co-curricular activities, etc.).

You may elect to discreetly and respectfully remind the co-worker to refer to Section One of this FAQ regarding what steps they should take.

If you’ve had close contact with this co-worker, see Section One, #4.

If you have concerns, you can submit them confidentially by contacting sworley@umhb.edu, and you will not be identified as the reporter.

You may elect to discreetly and respectfully remind the co-worker to refer to Section One of this FAQ regarding what steps they should take.

If you have concerns, you can submit them confidentially by contacting sworley@umhb.edu, and you will not be identified as the reporter.

You may elect to discreetly and respectfully remind the co-worker to refer to Section One of this FAQ regarding what steps they should take.

If you have concerns, you can submit them confidentially by contacting sworley@umhb.edu, and you will not be identified as the reporter.