Guidelines for Steward and Department of Astronomy Return to Campus
COVID testing: see THIS link
Addition of August 13 2021 (from THIS site): Face coverings are required in all indoor spaces where it is not possible to adequately and continuously maintain social distance.
Addition of July 23, 2021: The updated UArizona protocols can be found HERE.
Addition on July 7, 2021: TRAVEL GUIDELINES UNDER COVID (see link)
(This is the second version of these guidelnes, posted May 19, 2019. UPDATE on June 14- no more Wildcat Wellcheck.)
These guidelines/policies and answers to FAQs are intended to provide information needed for all members of the Steward Observatory and Department of Astronomy communities to continue to work together, from home, on campus, at an off-campus site, or some combination of those locations during the period of time after May 17th and the start of the fall semester (August 2021).
When/if a UArizona policy appears to be in conflict with what you read below, the UArizona policy is the one you should follow.
Summary: After May 17th you may work on campus in our on-campus buildings (Building 65, 64, and 64A, also known as Steward Observatory Dome, connected buildings, the Annex, and the Trailer) as long as you comply with the daily wildcat wellness check (Jun 14- Wildcat WellCheck not needed), and, as per President Robbins’ guidance via his email of May 19th.
President Robbins’ in his May 19, 2021 email --
“Locations Where Face Coverings Are Required Regardless of Vaccination Status
You are required to wear a face covering, regardless of vaccination status, when you are:
- In any indoor classroom or other group instructional setting and in any University library
- In a CatTran or any other public transportation provided by the University
- In any University operated or affiliated building or facility where patients are seen, including Campus Health and Banner University Medical Center buildings
- At the University of Arizona state of Arizona Vaccine Point of Distribution (POD)
- At sites operated by other institutions that require use of face coverings”
Jannuzi – For Steward Observatory (Building 65 and connected buildings), the Annex, and the Trailer, group instructional settings include our indoor classrooms and our conference rooms when being used for instructing students. Note that Kitt Peak National Observatory, including our facilities on Kitt Peak (known as Ilokam Duag to the people of the Tohono O’odham Nation), at this time is still requiring wearing masks.
President Robbins in his May 19, 2021 email --
“Fully Vaccinated Individuals:
Once fully vaccinated, you can participate in indoor and outdoor activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except for when you are at the locations identified above.
Fully vaccinated individuals who are immunocompromised, including those undergoing transplant or cancer treatment, should seek the guidance of their clinical care team before discontinuing mask use.
NOTE: You are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second dose of a two-dose vaccine, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after receiving a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine.
Non-Vaccinated Individuals:
CLASSROOMS – You are required to wear a face covering in all classrooms and other group instructional settings.
INDOORS – You are required to wear a face covering in all university buildings, unless you are alone in a single occupancy office.
OUTDOORS – You are required to wear a face covering while in any University of Arizona outdoor space where continuous physical distancing of at least 6 feet is difficult or impossible to maintain.”
Jannuzi – For Steward Observatory (Building 65), the Annex, and Trailer, conference rooms are not generally instructional settings, but if they are being used for a class for students would be considered an instructional setting and masks will need to be worn by all in the space.
Additional Steward Observatory and Department of Astronomy Details
As of May 19th, there is no longer a need to use the Steward Observatory Access Log
https://www.as.arizona.edu/accesslog/
when accessing our on-campus buildings or our Mount Lemmon, Mount Bigelow, or Kitt Peak sites.
The observatory sites, MGIO, RFCML (Building 61), Sunnyside, ITL, and any other Steward Observatory site/work-place which are currently covered by the ORII approved “Check Lists” will continue to follow the guidelines of those “Check Lists.” Ask your supervisor if you have questions about any updates to those “Check Lists”.
Working from Home, On-Site, Or Both:
All Staff – Check with your supervisor on your plans for working from home vs. on campus vs. hybrid (combination of both). If you are going to be using equipment or ITAR/EAR materials at home, you must check with your supervisor that you have completed any required steps for approval.
Faculty – Exchange email with Director/Department Head regarding your plan on split between working on campus and home or offsite.
Graduate Students and Postdocs – We plan to conduct a survey regarding your needs for office space. We then will be reaching out to you via email and meetings to answer questions you might have and to find solutions, as needed, if your office space is too crowded to socially distance given the number of people sharing the space. In general you are welcome to work at home, on campus, or combination. Please do communicate your plans with your advisor.
Visitors – Need to follow wildcat wellness check (WellCheck not needed any longer) and then other restrictions as appropriate for their vaccination status and the space and number of people they are with.
Some useful links:
Wildcat well-check (link to web page guidelines for employee testing or uploading vaccination status, as well as daily check-in)- no longer relevant since early June.
https://covid19.arizona.edu/mandatory-testing-employee
UArizona Guidelines
https://covid19.arizona.edu/reentry-plan/return-workspaces
Additional Considerations/Details by type of space --
Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab (Building 61) – ORII approved Check List
Sonnet – Follow LPL/Planetary Science and UArizona Rules
Rita Ranch Tech Park – ORII approved Check List
FAQ
I am back on campus and my computer will not connect, what is wrong?
Probably you need to register your computer. UITS made some security changes to the network during the pandemic. Instructions to authenticate it are provided for every operating system:
- Windows 10: https://it.arizona.edu/documentation/wired-network-registration-windows-10
- Windows 7: https://it.arizona.edu/documentation/wired-network-registration-windows-7
- Linux: https://it.arizona.edu/documentation/wired-network-registration-linux
- MacOS: https://it.arizona.edu/documentation/wired-network-registration-mac
For Public
Public events include our Monday Night Lecture Series, world-reknowned Astronomy Camp and Mt Lemmon Sky Center.
For Students
A good place to start if you want to become an undergrad major or grad student, or need to find our schedule of classes.
For Scientists
Find telescopes and instruments, telescope time applications, staff and mountain contacts, and faculty and staff scientific interests.
