Survey raw responses: greatest challenge

Unedited responses from APPA’s survey on Testing, Tracing, HVAC and PPE, July 2020.

What is the single greatest challenge you continue to face as you finalize your reopening plans?

• My greatest need is likely the need for more realistic decision-making across the institution.
• Air filtration.
• Managing the fears of students, faculty, and staff.
• The operational requirements change every day.
• Uncertainty related to how many students will return (actual enrollment) and how many faculty will be willing to teach in person.
• Availability of items needed.
• The continued change of direction from the decision makers for the procedures on the campus.
• Social distancing students.
• Not knowing if the state will reverse course on level of community opening.
• Emotional concern from faculty and staff in preparations for reopening.
• Having multiple positive cases of COVID-19.
• Managing customer expectations and sensitivities.
• Lead times on supplies.
• Lack of consistent guidance.
• Custodial staffing to meet changing sanitization needs.
• Finding the square footage needed for 6′ distancing.
• Waiting on direction from our Governor and Chancellor.
• How to keep physical distance.
• Getting everyone up to speed.
• The majority of my team does not think it is safe to reopen for Fall 2020.
• Remaining agile as changes to public health, awareness, best practices evolve, and then responding appropriately and quickly.
• Conflicting information from “credible sources”.
• People’s fears of the unknown.
• Finding space for all the students wanting to attend. Close second is around having a safe atmosphere.
• That people will understand that things may not be the same in all facets of teaching, learning and job responsibilities – as most people are set in their ways of doing things. This is the new Normal!
• Trying to develop opening plans with my staff completely dispersed and on differing schedules.
• Enabling faculty to feel comfortable teaching in classrooms.
• Managing expectations – uncertainty.
• Getting facts and separating them from fiction.
• Having enough classroom space.
• Managing expectations.
• Getting the work done with a reduced staff.
• Finding ways to socially distance mass transit and large classrooms.
• Generalized guidance from CDC causing uncertainty and deciphering a broad spectrum of opinions.
• Managing change.
• Just getting a final academic schedule so our plan can be completed.
• Coordinating the delivery methods for the pedagogy with technology and facility support.
• The degree to which each individual has concern for the virus.
• Communicating plans, expectations, instructions, and directions across massive internal and external audiences with competing needs and interests.
• Finding enough time.
• The unknown as this virus is so well known for; the “what ifs”.
• Responsibility to keep people safe. No outbreaks.
• People stringently adhering to precautionary measures (i.e., human error).
• Building confidence amongst campus community that it is safe to open, even with all of the precautions we are taking.
• Time to identify and implement HVAC solutions for 25 unique buildings.
• Changing landscape, and being able to have a consistent approach across all Ontario universities to avoid introducing competitive advantages or disadvantages.
• Supply lead times.
• Supply chain issues.
• Administration’s need to have everything 100% ready before moving forward and suffering from paralysis by analysis.
• Upgrading the few HVAC systems that do not meet ASHRAE 62.
• We are managing, but PPE acquisition and shield materials are challenging. A lack of clear rules on what is needed leaves measures to the schools.
• Being ready on the day students return to campus
• Scheduling classes and dining hall capacity.
• Dealing with the unknown while a sizable percentage of the population refuses to listen to the science.
• Worsening virus infection rates in other states.
• Being able to schedule classes with reduced sizes to accomplish social distancing.
• Managing quarantine for a positive test result.
• Cooperation from everyone on campus to follow guidelines and requirements for physical distancing and using PPE.
• Uncertainty about community cooperation with necessary protocols.
• De-cluttering classrooms to facilitate effectiveness in cleaning and disinfection.
• Shortage of wipes and Plexiglas.
• Managing people’s anxieties.
• Not enough space to de-densify and meet all programmatic needs.
• Not knowing how many students will be on campus.
• Consistency of community behavior in accordance with fielded improvements.
• The greatest challenge we face is that we do not have enough isolation dorm/isolation housing capacity to serve our campus community for when students test positive and/or become ill with COVID-19.
• The increase of COVID-19 cases in our area.
• People abiding by the rules and enforcement.
• Reacting to current situations as they continually develop.
• Communications across campus.
• Personnel.  We had 2 people retire and several other vacancies that we are not filling at this time due to a hiring freeze.
• Space constraint- i.e. covered outdoor spaces for music, outdoor eating, etc.
• Customers wearing masks.
• Addressing each person’s specific fear or concern.
• Getting our campus ready for reopening.
• General uncertainty.
• Disorganization – lots of moving pieces and sometimes not everything gets communicated, so multiple people end up working on the same problem.
• Completing all of the required work – signage installation, removing/reallocating furniture, installing tents, support student move-in, classroom changes, etc.
• Staffing resources.
• Ensuring FM staff of their safety.  We have already had nearly 40% of our staff in quarantine or taking time off due to concerns.
• General uncertainty as to numbers of students returning.
• Contingency planning.
• Cohesive leadership and direction.
• Timing of any outbreaks and maintaining the planned schedule.
• Changing rules and guidance.
• Commitment of faculty, staff and students.
• Gathering supplies, preparing scenarios based on unknowns.
• Demands from faculty.
• Not enough staffing.
• Uncertainty and changing conditions.
• Managing perceptions.
• HVAC system concerns.
• No N95s.
• Scheduling and unknowns as to what stage the state is in for reopening.
• How to deal with the science of cleaning vs. how much cleaning makes people feel good.
• The uncertainty and impact of enrollment, doing too much vs. not doing enough.
• Decisions from leadership.
• Staffing levels.
• Staff shortages due to age or underlying conditions that justify isolation, absence.
• Testing. We don’t even have plans for testing on campus as there are no funds to pay for them. Likewise for contact tracing, no funds to pay for it, so it’s not going to happen.
• Long lead times on products.
• Changing circumstances in the world.
• Lack of consistent messaging, the feeling that each department has been left to figure this out for themselves and each of them are reaching out, individually, to facilities for help.
• Fragmented organization and communications within the university.
• No implementation plan is stationary.
• How to utilize space utilization and implement lessons learned.
• Classroom decisions.
• Finalizing a relevant and meaningful testing program.
• Getting it all done and the ever changing plans.
• Shortage in staff due to people at risk and not being allowed to work.
• Dispelling internet/social media falsehoods and “great ideas” that divert resources from getting things done.
• Differing viewpoints on measures to implement protocols.
• Directional pedestrian traffic in hallways/stairways and reducing occupancy in restrooms.
• Managing expectations.
• Keeping our people healthy with the increase in cases.
• Sustained funding to maintain cleanliness.
• Figuring out enrollment and residential living arrangements.
• Pedestrian traffic plans and physical distancing in classrooms and labs.
• Spiraling cases and the infection rate headed in the wrong direction while still getting political pressure to fully open.
• Manpower/staffing.
• The ability to predict what the future brings. We feel ready for what we know, but the unknown or unknowable…
• The increasing barrage of emails and links from faculty who are self-appointed experts in facilities management, building ventilation systems, etc.
• Housing plans are still fluid.
• How to sanitize the areas after each usage. The lack of staffing in order to do this.
• Decisions not being finalized, staffing levels are a concern.
• We need to focus on one set of operational guidelines.  CDC, ASHERA, etc. and implement.
• HVAC questions– I see no substantial data that supports HVAC systems will transport the virus.  I am disappointed in ASHRAE and the CDC for putting that thought out there without credible testing.
• Changing information/plans.
• Disinfectant/PPE shortages.
• The growing number of cases in our area creates an environment of fear.  You might get tested today but by the time you get the negative test back you could have had contact with a positive case.  It’s just generally not knowing…
• Fear of others and family.
• Setting and signing up for hot spots of circulation and queuing for face-to-face classes.
• The continuous changing of guidelines from outside agencies due to the shifting of the number of cases.
• Scheduling cleaning between classes.
• Surges in NEW COVID-19 cases.
• The uncertainty of the plans being put into place by the various departments across the campus.
• Trying to provide the correct information to a large campus.
• Staffing issues and limited time.