The University’s Office of Human Resources is recommending that individuals who can successfully work remotely continue to do so if they have not been notified that their job function is required for on-campus support.

As more students return to campus, additional staff may be required on campus to support them. Faculty and professional staff should consult with their department head or supervisor to clarify their department’s expectations and needs. If a faculty or professional staff member requires an accommodation, they should contact their HR Business Partner for consultation. 

As of June 10, 2021, occupancy limits on Drexel campus spaces are returning to pre-pandemic levels. However, wearing a mask is still required in all shared indoor spaces. You can take your mask off if you are alone in your office with the door closed.

Faculty and professional staff are advised to seek medical care by calling their primary care doctor and asking to be evaluated for COVID-19. Immediately after calling your provider, please contact covid19health@drexel.edu and provide your name and a phone number to be contacted by a Drexel representative. It is imperative that the University is aware of any exposure risk to the members of the Drexel community.

Drexel is also providing access to 24/7 confidential medical services effective immediately. These services include access to urgent care and emergency care facilities in close proximity to campus. This information will be included and continuously updated on Drexel’s COVID-19 response website.

Drexel is developing a plan that will be shared in July with detailed protocols should a student, staff, or faculty member contract COVID-19, including the immediate cleaning and disinfecting impacted areas (e.g., classrooms, labs, library, cafeteria, washrooms, study areas, pathways, etc.).

Faculty or professional staff who are immunocompromised should work with their department head to develop a schedule that permits them to work remotely.

Drexel Business Services is in close contact with the private retail and dining establishments that operate on and near the University City campus. Many are offering a Dragon Special to welcome back the campus community. For an updated list, visit the Dining and Retail Directory. Be sure to visit the individual businesses’ website directly to confirm hours of operation and offerings.

You can view the most up-to-date Drexel travel guidelines on our COVID-19 Essential Travel Guidance page. Effective 5/13/2021 Drexel University will move into Phase 3: LIMITED TRAVEL for University-related travel. View Phase 3 Travel Guidelines [PDF].

Most undergraduate courses will be conducted remotely for the summer quarter, except for a number of clinical programs in the College of Nursing and Health Professions and a select few other undergraduate courses. Drexel University housing will be open to undergraduates for single occupancy during the summer term (note: dorms will reopen for full occupancy in the fall when the on-campus community is fully vaccinated).

Graduate students will continue in the currently planned hybrid modality for the summer term with some limited activities and with strict health and safety protocols in place that adhere to city and state guidelines. Kline School of Law, the College of Medicine, clinical programs in the College of Nursing and Health Professions and specific health sciences and clinical graduate programs will continue to be conducted on campus. All graduate students should consult with their programs for specific details on the spring term.

The University’s research, scholarly and creative activities will continue as per our research ramp-up protocol. Students engaged in research at the undergraduate and graduate level should work directly with their research mentors and faculty investigators to seek approval for student participation.

The Instructional Technology Group has created a COVID-19 Prep web page to explain how to use Drexel’s online instruction and testing resources.

A range of trainings and resources are available to support faculty. While resources can be found in many locations on the Drexel website, the Remote Teaching Sharepoint site is designed as a one-stop shop with information regarding trainings, workshops, "how-to" documents, resources, and support opportunities available at Drexel University.

A few key resources and development opportunities include:

• Technology Training and Support. The Instructional Technology Group provides training sessions on Blackboard Learn and other instructional technologies. For a list of upcoming trainings visit ITG's website or register directly on Career Pathway. For specific support questions, email itg@drexel.edu. For additional Zoom questions or support, contact ZoomAdmin@drexel.edu.
• Workshops from the Teaching and Learning Center. The Teaching and Learning Center facilitates interactive workshops designed to prepare faculty for effective teaching, whether it happens remotely, in the classroom, or some mix of both. A list of upcoming remote teaching workshops can be found on the Teaching and Learning Center's website.
• Teaching Tips from the Teaching and Learning Center. The Teaching and Learning Center regularly provides practical strategies and techniques for effective teaching of remote, online, hybrid and face-to-face courses. Visit the Teaching Tips SharePoint site to review past teaching tips.
• Peer2Peer Network. The Peer2Peer Support Network includes faculty across the university who have volunteered to provide support to their colleagues teaching remotely. This group offers 1:1 faculty support with teaching and learning technologies from a faculty perspective. To request assistance, visit the Peer2Peer Request Portal.
• Remote Course Facilitators. The Graduate College has trained a large number of graduate students who are willing to serve as remote course facilitators. Remote Course Facilitators can help faculty manage several functions during synchronous class meetings such as monitoring the chat box, managing the waiting room, or creating and checking in with breakout rooms. Contact the Graduate College at graduatecollege@drexel.edu to request a remote course facilitator.
• CASTLE Faculty Fellows. CASTLE faculty fellows support Drexel faculty who teach undergraduate STEM courses by answering questions they have about implementing effective remote teaching and serving as a sounding board for faculty who want advice about an approach they would like to try in their classroom. Visit the CASTLE Faculty Fellows site to learn more.

We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought much uncertainty and disruption to the lives of our students. After serious consideration and conversation with deans, faculty and our students, it became clear that following our standard grading policy during this unprecedented time was not the best path forward. For that reason, we will offer the option for students to take courses on a Pass/No Pass basis.

Details are available at this link. An FAQ from the Office of the Provost about the Pass/No Pass option is available here.

If the professional staff member is able and approved to work remotely, they will not be required to use their leave time. Members of a collective bargaining unit should refer to their union contract.

If the professional staff member is unable to work remotely, is expected to work on campus, or is experiencing symptoms and are unable to work as a result, they are required to use their sick leave. If they do not have enough sick leave accrued, the professional staff member will be permitted to utilize future sick leave accruals to ensure that there is no disruption in pay. Members of a collective bargaining unit should refer to their union contract.

Absences that span more than three days may be covered under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or the Non-FMLA Medical Leave of Absence. Faculty and professional staff members are encouraged to contact our Leave of Absence Administrator, Lincoln Financial Group. You may file for a leave of absence by phone at 1.888.992.0549 or online by logging in to DrexelOne and selecting “Leave of Absence” in the Benefits Administration section under the “Employee” tab.

Vaccinated people are not required to quarantine if exposed to COVID-19 unless they show symptoms. Faculty and professional staff members who are off work to care for a family member should use available sick time during their absence. Qualifying family members are outlined in the Sick Leave Policy.

Absences that span more than three days may be covered under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or the Non-FMLA Medical Leave of Absence. Faculty and professional staff members are encouraged to contact our Leave of Absence Administrator, Lincoln Financial Group. You may file for a leave of absence by phone at 1.888.992.0549 or online by logging in to DrexelOne and selecting “Leave of Absence” in the Benefits Administration section under the “Employee” tab.

You are permitted to ask faculty/professional staff members how they are feeling in general, but you are not permitted to ask about a specific illness.

No. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) restricts employers from sharing personal health information of an employee. Any faculty/professional staff members who have been exposed to or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 are required to email covid19health@drexel.edu and provide their name and a phone number to be contacted by a Drexel representative. A physician will review and evaluate the responses to covid19health@drexel.edu and communicate with the impacted department accordingly.

Please contact the appropriate supplier representative to restore any services that were suspended following departure from campus. Please see Procurement Services' COVID-19 Resources page for contact information for the most commonly used suppliers and other pertinent information. Contact information for many Drexel suppliers can also be found on the Supplier Information Dashboard in Smart Source.

The wages of faculty and professional staff who are working remotely outside of the City of Philadelphia are not applicable to City Wage Tax during this period of remote work. Effective April 1, 2020, the Philadelphia Non-Resident Wage Tax will be turned off for the applicable employee population. For New Jersey residents who currently elect to waive the New Jersey State Tax, the NJ tax will be deducted during this time period. Once Drexel returns to normal operations, the Philadelphia Non-Resident Wage Tax and the New Jersey State Tax will be restored to their current status.

Once you are scheduled to return to work within the City of Philadelphia, regardless of the frequency (for example, if you are working a flexible schedule with some telework), City Wage Tax will be reinstated. The Payroll Office is working to create a process that will allow individuals to record the time worked outside of the city on a per-pay basis, instead of waiting until yearend to file a petition for the credit.

Full-time remote work outside of the City of Philadelphia will continue to be exempt from City Wage Tax.

Pursuant to the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces, Philadelphia Sick Leave Ordinance, these individuals may be eligible to receive up to 40 hours of sick leave. Any additional time off will be unpaid. Members of a collective bargaining unit should refer to their union contract.

You will need to seek approval from your manager in order to take Drexel equipment off campus. Please understand that you are responsible for returning the equipment upon your return to work.

For information on the Drexel shuttle bus service, please visit the Shuttle Services webpage.

For the latest SEPTA updates, please visit the SEPTA website.

For information about parking, visit the Parking Services webpage.

For faculty and staff returning to offices, labs, and other facilities, following Drexel’s health and safety procedures is of paramount importance. If there is any discrepancy between Drexel’s general procedures and guidelines provided by the company managing your building, follow the strictest rule for maximum safety. If you have challenges with the landlord gaining access to a leased location, please notify Drexel's Real Estate and Facilities team through the Facilities Call Center at 215.895.1700.

If you need a replacement first-time DragonCard, you will need to schedule an appointment. Please visit Drexel Business Services’ COVID Operations site for full details. If you have any questions or would like to request access to campus buildings, please contact dragoncard@drexel.edu.

Departments will be required to pick up or drop off mail. To schedule an appointment, please email mailservice@drexel.edu 24 hours in advance of your preferred pick-up time. This option is available in the University City location, General Services Building at 3300 Market Street, and Center City location, New College Building at 245 N. 15th Street. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to Drexel Mail Services management team at 215.895.2796 or mailservice@drexel.edu.

Please call the Facilities Call Center (Monday-Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.) at 215.895.1700 to report the concern. Student residents can also contact their residence hall Front Desk for assistance.

To access campus buildings, you need to have your DragonCard. If you need a replacement card or first-time DragonCard, you need to schedule an appointment. Please visit Drexel Business Services’ COVID Operations site for full details. If you have any questions or would like to request access to campus buildings, please contact dragoncard@drexel.edu.

A DragonCard is not required until you come to campus. For any students taking in-person classes, you must have a DragonCard to access all buildings. If you need a replacement or first-time DragonCard, you need to schedule an appointment. Please visit Drexel Business Services’ COVID Operations site for full details. If you have any questions or would like to request access to campus buildings, please contact dragoncard@drexel.edu.

Eating on campus is no longer restricted to particular spaces. Those who are not fully vaccinated should take precautions including physical distancing while eating.

Please see the Return to Research page for information.