Using the same strategies as corporate or business facilities isn’t a good fit, and here’s why
As organizations of every type look ahead toward reopening after Coronavirus-related stay-at-home orders, they are naturally planning for increased health and security for their employees. That includes making sure shared workspaces are appropriately spaced, air systems have the best filters, and high frequency touch points are part of the regular cleaning protocol.
Those are valuable, important steps for every company. However, if you’re a college or university, stopping there means you’re stopping short by a potentially huge degree. Higher education campuses are distinctive in their needs, for multiple reasons. Key questions that need to be answered before you can reopen:
- Open 24/7. Although some campus buildings do close, and there are offices that can be cleaned overnight, campuses themselves have numerous spaces that are always open because people live there. How can you perform cleaning and engineering services in spaces that are always populated?
- Multiple facility types. Resident dorms, classrooms, science labs, sports arenas, fitness centers, cafeterias, common areas, libraries, offices, lecture halls, auditoriums, music practice spaces—the list goes on and on when it comes to the types of spaces in a typical campus. How can you ensure that all of these can be disinfected and made safer on a regular basis, given the size and complexity of these spaces?
- Budget considerations. Obviously, there are small businesses that need to function with limited funds, but higher education is on a whole different level. With Coronavirus-related issues like lower enrollment rates, decreased public funding, and lower alumni gifts, budgets that were already stretched tight may be close to breaking. How can you do more when you may have less to spend?
- Greater interaction. Even with controls like better social distancing in classrooms and dining spaces, college students still gravitate toward one another. And what about sports teams? Even without spectators, these players need to be in close proximity, and often can’t wear masks as part of practice and play. How will you handle the potential rise in infection risk that comes with more interaction?
Because of factors like these, higher education requires a different approach that addresses these issues on multiple levels. Although some will choose to delay reopening, that can be highly problematic as well. A recent opinion piece by Christina Paxson, president of Brown University, highlighted the potentially catastrophic ripple effect that could come from staying closed.
That leads to the biggest question of all: How can you reopen safely when resources may be limited?
Value of an Experienced Partner
Awareness of the unique needs of a campus environment is just the first of many steps toward creating a cohesive, meaningful plan for reopening. In upcoming blog posts, we’ll go more in depth about operations leadership, planning, outsourcing, reopening phases, specific cleaning protocols, and engineering.
Be sure to check back weekly for these posts, and don’t hesitate to contact UG2 to talk about your specific needs. If you’re in higher education, now is the time to build capability and resources for reopening, and UG2’s deep experience and insights have proven valuable to a range of prestigious higher education customers.
Our new UG2 ReNewSM Cleaning4Health and Engineering4HealthSM programs are designed to ensure you have what you need, well before anyone returns to campus—and long after they’re back, too.