Dear Members of the Georgetown Research Community,
We’re writing to follow up on President DeGioia’s email today describing Georgetown University’s plan for undergraduate students for Fall 2020. Along with his announcement, the university has posted its plan for Fall 2020 submitted to the DC Government today. While we hope that you will review the plan in its entirety, there are two key elements of the plan that are most relevant to our research community and to which we wish to call your attention.
Before doing so however, we’d like to reiterate that we continue to aim for a mid-July return to research. As stated in a previous communication, our ability to adhere to this timeline will be contingent upon the District of Columbia agreeing to accept our research plan, our capacity to implement our proposed health and safety protocols, and the assumption that there will be no significant spikes in the prevalence of COVID-19 in our region, among other factors.
The first element of the plan we’d like to share with you is the “Research” section (Page 13 in the plan). While the university’s overall plan was submitted to the District of Columbia today, the research portion (including the relevant information on the university’s health and safety planning for the research community) was submitted earlier, on July 2, to expedite the District’s review. The Research section is a condensed version of our “Restarting Research Activities at Georgetown: a phased approach” document shared with you on June 11.
A second key portion of the plan for our research community is the university’s “Health and Safety” section that contains proactive and protective measures for returning to campus (Page 6 in the plan). Though our initial research plan provided for COVID-specific health and safety measures, the broader plan offers more details on the university’s proposed health and safety protocols including, but not limited to, COVID-19 testing at three intervals (before arriving on campus, when you get to campus, and again within five days). These health and safety measures apply to our community members on campus, including researchers anticipating a return to campus this month, in addition to students, staff and other faculty returning for the fall.
Specific information about how to comply with the university’s health and safety measures will be shared when details are finalized. The process will not be final until the District agrees to accept our plan. We will convene a Town Hall on Friday, July 10 (time and Zoom link info coming soon) with the university’s senior leadership to answer questions, take feedback, and share additional details.
We remind you that in order to resume your on-site research activities, you must have an approved plan. Thanks to those of you who have submitted a plan. If you wish to resume your research activities and have not yet done so, please submit your plan via GMS in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the document “Restarting Research Activities at Georgetown: a phased approach.” Without an approved plan, you and your research team will not be permitted to access campus facilities.
Finally, we realize that many of you are eager to get back to your labs, archives, and other research sites. We thank you again for working with us to ensure a safe and successful resumption of your important work, which is critical to our identity as a research university.
Sincerely,
Moshe Levi
Dean for Research, GUMC
Billy Jack
Vice Provost for Research, Main Campus