In accordance with the Provost, the University is transitioned to Phase 2 on June 15th with the resumption of laboratory bench research on campus. All groups with approved Research Resumption Plans (RRPs) and sufficient PPE for their teams were able to begin research. PI’s should coordinate with members of their respective research groups so that each member understands their lab’s research resumption plan and when to start specifically assigned shifts. As a reminder, the University’s new safety training is required for each member of the lab and completion is necessary before building access will be granted. All academic and administrative campus buildings will remain open only to secure key card access, whereby only those individuals deemed essential personnel and those included in approved RRPs will have access to these campus buildings through their keycard.
This restriction applies to the following BSD buildings (and excludes the Medical Center campus):
- BSLC - Biological Sciences Learning Center/Greenhouse/Knapp Center for Medical Research
- CLSC – Cummings Life Sciences Center
- GCIS – Gordon Center for Integrative Science
- Hull Court – Anatomy, Culver, Erman, Zoology
- KCBD – Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery
- Kovler – Marjorie B. Kovler Viral Oncology Laboratories
Each department has provided the BSD Dean's office with a list of essential personnel who will be provided with key card access to perform essential duties. Those individuals should continue to use the same card they previously did to gain entry to the building.
New requests for access should be made by a faculty member to their department chair. Department chairs should contact Connie Lee in the Dean's office with any new requests for access. Since our goal is to significantly limit the number of people on campus, we will carefully review these requests and only grant access to those who are essential. Our goal is to continue to promote the safety of those who need to come to campus.
At this time, the following buildings are not restricted, although we still expect research personnel to remain at home unless part of an approved research resumption plan.
- CCD - Center for Care and Discovery
- Comer 1 and 2 – Comer Children’s Hospital and Clinics
- DCAM - Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine
- Buildings bounded by Ellis Ave., Cottage Grove Ave., 58th Street, and 59th Street
For those on the list who are on the essential personnel list, but locked out from a research building. Please contact Don Churila (below) during business hours and the Office of Public Safety at (702-6262) during evening and weekend hours.
BSD building managers and staff are on-site to support operations within BSD campus buildings. Staff are working normal schedules to support research operations during the resumption of campus activities. Physical Plant will continue to support both campus and Medical Center facilities throughout the entire COVID-19 outbreak. This will include critical research environments such as the vivariums, core facilities, and greenhouse. Contact information for each Building Manager and Physical Plant is provided below. Departments and laboratories are strongly encouraged to forward updated emergency contact information to the appropriate Building Manager to facilitate communications throughout this period.
- UCM Physical Plant: 2-6295 or https://ucmfacilities.uchicago.edu/
- UC Facilities Services (GCIS and Hull Court): 4-1414 or https://facilities.uchicago.edu/
Effective Tuesday, March 31, at 5 p.m., all academic and administrative campus buildings across the University of Chicago will move from general key card access to secure key card access, whereby only those individuals deemed essential personnel who must be on campus will be able to access the facility.
Most Medical Center entrances will be open and managed by UCM Public Safety staff. Two entrances normally staffed (Surgery-Brain and Wyler) have been locked 24/7 as of 5 PM on Wednesday, March 18th at 5 PM. Individuals will need to use their Medical Center IDs to enter through these entrances. Contact UCM Public Safety at 2-6262 to address issues with access to the Medical Center.
The Physical Sciences Division will continue to provide liquid nitrogen and compressed gas cylinders during the research resumption period. Orders should still be submitted to: orders@cylinder-gas.uchicago.edu.
The loading docks for the BSD Campus Buildings and Medical Center will continue to operate. Non-perishable items received will be delivered to designated laboratory locations. Perishable items will be delivered to designated laboratory locations. If staff isn’t available to receive perishables in BSD Campus Buildings, they will be placed in a cold room for storage. Laboratory staff will be notified. Mail will be distributed to existing mailboxes or administrative offices for further distribution by faculty and staff.
In the Medical Center, Supply Chain will attempt to deliver items and mail. If nobody is available to receive the material, they will be held at the loading dock for future pick up.
Custodial services will be provided to BSD areas during this period. Facilities Operations has worked with each service provider to establish a custodial maintenance program during the research resumption period. The custodial maintenance program will include routine cleaning of public spaces, high touch areas (e.g., doorknobs/handles, entryway doors, elevator buttons), and support to laboratory and administrative areas. The details of those programs outlined in this Cleaning Program Description.
Sanitizer bottles have been distributed to building entrances, some 1st-floor elevator lobbies, and other common areas. BSD Building Operations and EVS will maintain supplies in these locations.
Facilities Operations continues to coordinate with critical service providers (e.g., glass wash equipment, growth chamber, RO water systems) to verify they will continue to support BSD facilities and systems. Service providers continue responding to service requests and planned maintenance tasks. We will continue to monitor support from these vendors.
In accordance with University and Medical Center directives, most events, meetings, and seminars have been cancelled. Given the uncertainty of current affairs, approval for new meetings, events, etc. within Facilities Operations’ Event Management System (EMS) have stopped. Events critical to support our research, education, and patient care missions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Multi-Media Services has developed a staggered personnel schedule to provide limited on-site support for BSD operations during the ramp down. Mission-critical events and leadership support may be given priority. Staff will be working remotely to provide services to customers. Faculty and staff should contact Multi-Media services at 773-702-6265 for assistance.
UChicago Dining has announced options for limited food services without seating. Food will be provided in take-and-go packaging. Hours of Operation can be found at https://dining.uchicago.edu/. Food Operations will continue to be open in the Medical Center. Some locations that have been closed (e.g., Sky Café, Starbucks, Qdoba) will re-open in June. There will be very limited seating and customers should prepare to take all items To-Go. Information will be available on the UCM Intranet site.
Campus shuttles are running normally, with the flexibility to change operations if necessary to align with public health guidance. To facilitate work that requires a presence on campus, the University will provide parking in the Ellis Garage. UCM Parking facilities remain open. Faculty and staff may obtain information on parking for UCM Parking facilities on the UCM intranet site.
Donations of PPE to UChicago Medicine continue to be accepted. Please visit this page for more details