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This message has been distributed to all UT employees with Principal Investigator (PI) status, as well as all UT graduate students and postdocs.
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Dear PI Colleagues, Graduate Students, and Postdocs,
These aren’t quite the conditions under which I’d hoped to resume my role as vice president for research nor how I was anticipating welcoming you all back to campus for the fall semester, but here we are. If the last year has taught us anything, it might be to make our plans carefully and in pencil. (Also — and it must be said — it’s taught us the critical importance of vaccines and masks.)
In her email today, Provost Wood outlined flexible options for faculty, and I want to explain how this might look for researchers as well.
Research teams have had the option to return to full-density, on-campus work (no workforce density limits or restrictions on types of research conducted) since we moved to Research Level 0 on July 5. Most of you whose work requires being in a lab or research space in person are already back on campus.
That said, while no official density limits are in place, there are also no requirements that any lab or space operate at full capacity. PIs have had and will continue to have the autonomy to arrange flexible work schedules or reduce the density of their on-campus labs and research spaces if they choose. As an example, this could mean voluntarily reinstating cohort or shift work to decrease the number of people in a space at any given time. It is up to each PI to decide what is best for their teams. Some research, by its nature, requires in-person work. Many other types do not. When it is possible for researchers to work and contribute remotely, PIs continue to have the option to allow that, and I fully support this.
A few additional points to note:
- At this time, we have no plans to move to a different research level or restrict any types of human subjects research. But as Dr. Preston, as interim VPR, mentioned in her last email, all participants must complete UT’s COVID-19 rider before a study begins.
- Undergraduate research is still permitted.
- Vaccines and masks are not required, but I will be voluntarily complying, and I strongly encourage all of you to do the same. As Provost Wood mentioned, ensuring the safety of the UT community is a priority, but we must also work within the governor’s executive orders for state agencies. Please consult with your associate dean for research (ADR) if you are unsure what you can or cannot enforce within your lab or research space in UT buildings.
- Remember that you can still get free proactive community (asymptomatic) testing on campus, and if you think you may have been exposed to COVID-19, regardless of your vaccination status, please get tested.
- If you are sick, stay home and report COVID-19 symptoms to the Occupational Health Program (OHP) as soon as possible. Employees should contact OHP if they have COVID-19 symptoms or have been tested because they have symptoms (even if the test was negative) or if they think they may have been exposed. Students who test positive should contact BCCAL or self-report (if tested off campus) to University Health Services.
- Faculty and staff who need accommodations, either because they are immunocompromised or because they care for those who are, can refer to UT’s ADA accommodation process for support.
- And because Austin is back to Stage 5, please refer to the CDC’s most recent guidelines for those who live in areas of substantial or high COVID-19 transmission.
Despite the challenges we continue to face with COVID-19, I am delighted to be back in my old office in the FAC and to be working with you all once again to help you further your research, scholarship, and creative activities. While serving as interim executive vice president and provost, I continued to hear about all the fantastic work taking place in all sorts of fields, all across the campus. I am particularly grateful to all of you who have contributed to research aimed at understanding and easing the burden of the pandemic on health, society, and the human spirit.
And if you are new to UT, welcome. You are joining one of the finest groups of scholars anywhere. While this is not how I hoped the start of the academic year would look, please know that your presence here makes us stronger, and we are lucky to have you.
Sincerely,
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Dan Jaffe
Vice President for Research
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