COVID-19 Update: Access to Campus Buildings and Fall Shuttle Service
You are here: American University Provost Communications August 21, 2020
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Memorandum August 21, 2020
AU Community
Peter Starr, Acting Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Fanta Aw, Vice President of Campus Life and Inclusive Excellence
Doug Kudravetz, CFO, Vice President, and Treasurer
Dear AU Community,
As the fall semester begins, we continue to implement campus operating procedures that support our community, contribute to our health and safety effort, and help limit the spread of COVID-19. Even with our online instruction, we are carefully managing many campus functions that are important to our mission. This message is primarily for AU community members living in the Washington, DC region who may come to campus for studying, facilities-based research (e.g., labs), access to health services, and critical business functions.
Beginning on Monday, August 24 at 7:00 a.m., all campus buildings can only be accessed with an AU ID card and many buildings will have interior temperature adjustments to conserve energy. There are specific buildings with normal temperature levels accessible for student use, and faculty and staff will have access to offices/work areas as outlined below. As a reminder, all community members are required to follow university health and safety protocols and directives when visiting any campus facilities, including wearing face coverings and practicing physical distancing. Any day that you come to campus, you must complete the daily Self-Screening form on the AU Forward portal.
Students in the Washington, DC area can use their ID card to access the following main campus facilities for studying and academic pursuits only, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., 7 days a week:
Don Myers Technology and Innovation Building
Hall of Science (upon construction completion)
Katzen Arts Center (for academic purposes only)
Mary Graydon Center (first floor)
Additionally, the following facilities will be available to students:
The Student Health Center (McCabe Hall and Gray Hall lounge) will be open Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Bender Library will be available by appointment only.
The Davenport Lounge will be open for takeout service from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. beginning on Tuesday, September 8. The Bridge Café will operate for takeout from the Tavern from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. All other retail facilities will remain closed.
The Market Food Pantry will be accessible and students may request access online.
At the Washington College of Law (WCL), the Warren Building and the Yuma Building will be available to students by reservation.
No other administrative or academic buildings will be accessible for students. Residence halls are completely closed, except for the emergency student housing building and the residences for community directors. The fitness centers also remain closed.
Faculty and staff can access Mary Graydon Center, the SIS building, and the specific building(s) in which they work with their ID card. We are also maintaining normal climate levels in the following buildings for specific faculty and staff purposes:
Asbury Hall
Media Production Center
4401 Connecticut Avenue (WAMU floors only)
3201 New Mexico Avenue
Spring Valley Building (limited floors)
All other buildings not listed here will have interior temperatures adjusted to 82 degrees in the summer/early fall and 65 degrees in the winter. The temperatures cannot be changed for individual needs. Faculty and staff who wish to access offices in buildings with reduced energy use may do so in compliance with the AU health and safety plan and procedures implemented by individual departments/units. You should check with your manager or HR representative regarding your unit's building protocols. Faculty who intend to come to campus for teaching purposes should fill out the registration form on the AU Forward portal, even if you have already completed other forms related to campus activity (e.g., Return to Research form).
There will be no cleaning services for individual offices. Bathrooms and kitchenettes will have tags that can be placed to request cleaning if the facilities have been used. The air handlers in all buildings will operate normally, as we are maintaining air flow for ventilation and filtration with upgraded MERV-rated filters to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and protect our community.
We will continue to monitor the health and safety conditions and use of campus facilities throughout the fall semester, and adjust the operating levels as needed. In addition to supporting our overall response to the pandemic, this approach advances our sustainability mission by reducing energy consumption and lowers energy, cleaning, and other operating costs, which helps address financial challenges caused by COVID-19.
For community members needing new AU ID cards, the One Card office will be open for in-person service on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. by appointment only. Online appointments are available on Tuesday and Friday.
Additionally, the AU Shuttle will operate on a limited schedule this fall, with morning and afternoon service on the Blue Line Route between Main Campus and the Tenleytown Metro Station and on demand pickup service available at other times through the shuttle app, which you can download from the AU Shuttle website. The Red Route between Spring Valley, the Katzen Arts Center, and the Tenleytown Metro Station will be available on demand only (via the app), and the Green Route between Spring Valley and East Campus will not operate. The AU Shuttle is only for students, faculty, and staff, and face coverings must be worn at all times.
These operating levels will provide access and services that support our students, faculty, and staff, and reinforce our efforts to address COVID-19. Thank you for your support and compliance with these measures that help safeguard our community and advance our academic and research mission.
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