This page will continue to be updated as more information becomes available. If there is something missing from here that you would like to know, please email us at chem-info@colostate.edu.

FAQs about public health and Spring 2022 can be found here. The Pandemic Preparedness Team addresses vaccines, boosters masks, and broad public health guidance for CSU.

Quick Links

Saliva screening was discontinued Feb. 21, 2022. This page is being updated to include information about voluntary antigen testing. See President McConnell’s message from Feb. 21 for more information.

Please report if you are experiencing symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19.

Important information to know prior to coming to campus, including safety protocols and best practices while on university grounds.

International travel – travel advisory waiver REQUIRED.  Once a travel authorization document is submitted, the traveler will get an email with more details for this waiver.  Undergraduate and graduate students should visit the Office of International Programs here for more information about additional requirements for international travel.

Domestic travel – currently does not require a travel advisory waiver.

This link will take you to the CSU COVID19 Question Form.

Department FAQs

For all University COVID-19 information, visit https://covid.colostate.edu/

General

What do I need to know if I am coming to campus?

To protect the health and well-being of our CSU community members, all faculty, staff and students MUST comply with the following public health guidance:

  • Beginning Thursday, March 3, and consistent with President McConnell’s message of Feb. 10, Colorado State University will no longer require masks to be worn in indoor areas on our Larimer County campuses.
  • Do not to come to work if sick (including any of the following- headache, sore throat, fever, dry cough, recent inability to taste and smell, shortness of breath, body aches, diarrhea, fatigue, vomiting and abdominal pain).
  • All students and employees are expected and required to report any COVID-19 symptoms to the university immediately, as well as report exposures or positive tests from a non-CSU testing location.
  • Wash hands upon arriving to work, frequently throughout the day and when leaving. Ensure hand sanitizer is accessible if handwash is not available.
  • Routinely disinfect shared equipment and high touch surfaces.
  • 100% capacity for indoor events.

Is CSU providing COVID-19 vaccinations?

  • CSU is not a primary source of vaccines for students, faculty and staff. If you are able to receive a vaccine through your primary care provider, pharmacy or other health care facility, you should get a vaccine through those resources.
  • More information can be found here: https://covid.colostate.edu/kb/vaccinations-for-csu-faculty-staff-and-students/
    • CSU offers intermittent vaccine clinics, information and dates can be found at the link above.

Where can I access free COVID-19 testing?

Free testing information can be found at https://www.larimer.org/covid-19-testing.

For more information on testing from the University, please visit https://covid.colostate.edu/kb/how-do-i-get-tested/.

Where can I access mental health resources?

CSU has created the webpage “It’s OK not to be OK: mental health resources.” This page contains all of CSU’s mental health information and resources for students, faculty and staff

Employees

How do I access my mail?

Please access your mailbox through the hallway by code. All larger packages received by the front desk and future mail drops are moving to the satellite receiving room, Chemistry B115B.  This will include drops previously made to the stockroom. Chemistry Research will continue to get packages delivered to the receiving room, 102AA.

What do I do if I can't access Scifinder or Web of Science?

If you are not able to access these sites and can no longer get there from VPN, try the following:

  • Step 1: Please log out of Pulse completely.
  • Step 2: Go directly to the library page, https://lib.colostate.edu/ and access the resource you need from there.
  • Step 3: You should be prompted to login with your CSU username and password.
  • Step 4: If that does not work, please try a different browser or incognito mode. Type web of science or scifinder into the search function to get to the right place.

Accessing the HR employee self service portal

  1. Go to https://aar.is.colostate.edu/.
  2. Under Application Systems click “HR system”.
  3. Then sign in.

Changing direct deposit info

  1. Go to https://aar.is.colostate.edu/.
  2. Under Application Systems click “HR system”.
  3. Then sign in.
  4. Under CSU Employee Self Service click “Direct Deposit Management”.

Update address and other personal information

  1. Go to https://aar.is.colostate.edu/.
  2. Under Application Systems click “HR system”.
  3. Then sign in.
  4. Under CSU Employee Self Service click “Personal Information.”.
  5. Scroll through and click update in the top right corner of the section you want to change.
  6. Click through and make your update.
  7. Make sure to fully submit the changes.

Changing tax withholdings

  1. Go to https://aar.is.colostate.edu/.
  2. Under Application Systems click “HR system”.
  3. Then sign in.
  4. Under CSU Employee Self Service click “W4 Tax form”.
  5. You will need to make your changes and submit them.
  6. Make sure to do this for both Federal and State.

Accessing pay advices

  1. Go to https://aar.is.colostate.edu/.
  2. Under Application Systems click “HR system”.
  3. Then sign in.
  4. Under CSU Employee Self Service click “Pay advices”. You can see and month by clicking the dropdown arrow selecting a month and clicking go.
  5. FireFox prints the best.

Accessing W-2

  1. Go to https://aar.is.colostate.edu/.
  2. Under Application Systems click “HR system”.
  3. Then sign in.
  4. Under CSU Employee Self Service click “Employee W-2”. Here you will find all your W2’s.

CSU Amazon Account

  • How do I get a CSU business Amazon account?
    • For instructions on setting up a CSU Business Amazon Account, please see instructions here: Amazon Account Set Up
  • What email do I use to set up my CSU Amazon account?
    • Your CSU email.
  • Can I purchase from Amazon with a CSU account? 
    • Only if you hold a CSU PCARD.
  • How much can I purchase at a time from Amazon?
    • No more than $3,000
  • Can I have the items shipped to my house?
    • Yes.
  • Do we get Prime shipping with the CSU Amazon account?
    • If you are connected correctly to the CSU Amazon account, yes. However, it will take more than 2 days if shipped to campus.
  • How do I order from CSU Amazon account?
    • Create an account with CSU, proceed like normal. Send invoices to your Accounting person.
  • How do I find my invoices?
    • Under “Your Orders” above each individual order on the top right is “Print Order Summary” this is the invoice.
  • What is the billing address?
    • Colorado State University, Chemistry Department, Fort Collins, CO. 80523-1872.
  • What are rules and regulations around Amazon purchases?
    • In accordance with the “clickwrap agreement” exception in Section VIII.(C) of the PCARD manual, the following procedures have been created for individual cardholders to request tax exempt status with online merchants. These procedures will also be formalized via a modification to the PCard Handbook in coordination with the Office of Policy and Compliance.
      • Cardholders will create an account with an online merchant by using their University .edu email address.
      • Cardholders will only conduct university business using their .edu email address. Personal business with the same merchant must use a personal email account (i.e., Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.).
      • Cardholder agrees not to post any comments, feedback or reviews related to purchases made for University business.
      • Cardholder agrees not to use the University’s tax exempt status for personal purchases. Such purchases will be considered fiscal misconduct and will result in revocation of the PCard and may result in termination and possible employment disciplinary action, criminal and civil prosecution.
Students

Where can I find student FAQs, tips and general information?

A great start is the CSU “Keep Learning” site here: https://www.acns.colostate.edu/keep-learning/.

This page includes helpful tips as well as answers to questions that are top of mind right now.

CARES Act Emergency Aid Funding

The Federal CARES Act provides emergency grant funding to be directly allocated to students in need due to hardships they may be experiencing related to COVID-19.

To find out the most up to date information click here or contact the financial aid office.

What accommodations are being made for students during this time?

CSU’s Student Disability Center created a page on their website to outline all accommodations being made for students here: https://disabilitycenter.colostate.edu/faqs/. This includes information on students who cannot wear a face covering for health reasons, students who have compromised immune systems, how classes will look for those with specific needs and more.

Where can I find accessibility resources?

Where can I find more information about my class structure (online/face-to-face,hybrid)?

Graduate Students

What happens if a student gets sick in a class I am a TA for?

  • You are not expected to take any action, other than to help public health officials contact trace others in your class if needed.
  • It is ok to share any reports of illness or symptoms with the CSU public health office, if you believe they may not be aware of the student’s situation. Otherwise, please protect their private medical information.
  • Continue to remind students in your class follow public health orders: wear a mask, disinfect their desk or table and chairs and other shared equipment, and maintain physical distancing.

Remote committee meetings, exams, and defenses

The Graduate School encourages all graduate student committee meetings, exams, and defenses be held remotely by web-based video conferencing (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Zoom, other) for the Summer 2021 semester. If held in-person, everyone in attendance must follow the required public health precautions. General assignment classrooms are prioritized for in-person course instruction and will not be available for graduate committee meetings, exams, and defenses.

How do I do my oral exam or defense?

Graduate students may hold their final exam in in-person, hybrid, or remotely. Please consult with your advisor to determine the format type for your exam.

Here is a link from the grad school for remote defenses and email submission of forms: https://graduateschool.colostate.edu/safety/

Reach out to Kathy at kathy.lucas@colostate.edu with questions.

Send all grad forms via email to Kathy.  Kathy will check the forms for accuracy and then forward to the Chair for signature.  Once signed, they will be returned to you so you can forward to Grad School.  All emails to Grad School need to come from a CSU email address.

Here are guidelines for remote defenses: https://graduateschool.colostate.edu/covid19/

What is the signature process for preliminary & final dissertation defenses?

Either the advisor or Kathy Lucas will collect all the emails from a defense. The email should state how you participated and if it is a pass.

To be consistent, Kathy will collect all the emails and then forward to the graduate school with the appropriate form. The student will prepare the form and email to Kathy. See the graduate school notes below:

The department coordinator or advisor will help collect scanned signatures and/or email approvals for Graduate School forms. Once all approvals/votes are received, the coordinator or advisor will send the Graduate School one email, attaching a PDF of the GS form and its corresponding email approvals.

  • For all Graduate School forms: All email correspondence accepted in place of original signatures must come from a colostate.edu email account.
  • For GS16s and GS24s: In lieu of scanned signatures, committee members can send an email stating how they participated and how they voted (pass or fail). Forms may be submitted within five (5) business days.

Undergraduate Students

Who do I contact/where do I go for advising questions?

In our best interest to assist all students in our department during the current events and keep our campus safe for everyone, in-person academic advising appointments will not be scheduled at our office.  If you have any of the following questions, please follow the instructions below:

How and when will I be able to access CLeRC?

We will be moving to a Canvas-based virtual CLeRC (Chemistry Learning Resource Center) that should be relatively easy to connect for students. Anyone at CSU with Canvas credentials can self-enroll using this link: https://colostate.instructure.com/enroll/7PAGDX.

Once someone is enrolled, it will appear in their list of active Canvas courses. This means anyone can click directly and they won’t need to enter individual Canvas sections to access office hours or chemistry learning resources.

For questions specific to CLeRC, please contact Ben Reynolds.

Research/Facilities

Who do I contact for research-related questions?

Research-related questions/concerns should be funneled to Amber Krummel, Associate Chair.

Who do I contact for research safety questions?

Safety questions should be funneled to Chuck Henry, chair of the safety committee.

What guidelines should I follow in the lab?

  • Masks are required indoors unless in a space alone.
  • Laboratory occupancy has returned to 100%.
  • Researchers must take appropriate training and provide informed consent before they can work in the lab.
  • Researchers will wear appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE) when they are working on campus, including face masks.
  • Researchers will follow current public health guidelines as outlined here.
  • Researchers who feel ill will not come into the lab; they will self-quarantine and report appropriately to their supervisor. They fill out the COVID Reporter and follow directions from CSU Public Health.

 

Additional general guidance

Practices that will be in place across the Chemistry Department community during the initial phases of reopening the research enterprise under CSU COVID workforce restrictions:

  • Personal protection equipment – All workers will wear facemasks in buildings where masks are required, including but not limited to hallways, stairwells, bathrooms, laboratories, and multi-worker office spaces. There is some leeway for taking masks off in single-use spaces like faculty/staff offices, but that is the exception, not the rule. Researchers will not wear gloves outside of the laboratories in keeping with safety protocols maintained by the Department of Chemistry Safety Committee. Instead workers will wash their hands often with soap for 20 seconds.
  • Disinfectants and sanitization—All Faculty and unit managers will order disinfectants and hand sanitizer for personnel to use in the laboratories and offices through the Chemistry Department Point of Contact (POC), Stockroom Manager Ben Shupe. The POC will order the appropriate disinfectant and hand sanitizer from university-approved sources.
  • Use of cameras – Historically we have kept cameras out of labs but allowed them in hallways and other public parts of Chemistry space under limited conditions. Some have expressed well-intended interest to include lab cameras to improve safety for researchers working alone. We do not recommend such use, both because of privacy concerns and the fact that such use cannot improve safety unless someone is constantly watching the video in real time. Notwithstanding, use for monitoring equipment (e.g., instruments, gauges, gloveboxes) might be warranted in some cases, if described by PIs in section D.3. of the safety plan.
  • ADA compliance – Asking employees if they are immuno-compromised or have a chronic condition is a disability-related inquiry subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) restrictions. If an employee voluntarily discloses a specific medical condition or disability that puts them at increased risk of influenza or covid complications, this information must be kept confidential. All health information will be maintained as confidential medical records.
  • Common spaces – Lounges and kitchen-type areas will be closed or have strict use limitations, to be updated by the department as necessary.
  • Worker occupancy indicators – All internal window coverings that are put up only for privacy will be removed. Additional possibilities are listed here, including but not limited to: adding signs (e.g., hanging on doorknobs) indicating presence of a researcher in lab; physical or electronic in/out lists. Note: the research restart working group has indicated that all rooms with hoods/specialized ventilation must keep doors closed.

When can I access the stockroom?

For more information on stockroom hours and protocols, please visit https://www.chem.colostate.edu/facilities/chemistry-stockroom/.

Who can I contact for stockroom-specific questions?

Please first visit our website at chem.colostate.edu/facilities/chemistry-stockroom. Still have questions? You can reach the stockroom via phone at 970-491-6238 or email Chemistry Stockroom Manager, Ben Shupe, at Ben.Shupe@colostate.edu.

Where can I find more information about accessing the library?

The Chemistry librarian is Rachelle Ramer: rachelle.ramer@colostate.edu. Rachelle can help with:

  • Research and access questions (including research consultations for faculty and students)
  • Online video tutorials
  • Purchasing e-books or other materials

Remote / Off-campus Library Access

See our website for the most up-to-date instructions for off-campus access. Please don’t use PulseSecure or secure.colostate.edu to access library resources, because VPN access is being prioritized for critical University services.

Library Resources for Online Instruction

  • Library resources in Canvas – How to embed librarians or Research Guides directly into Canvas.
  • Streaming media guide – Media available to use in your classes, including CSU databases and free resources.
  • Chemistry Research Guide – Subject-specific research guides that include database recommendations, book information, my contact information, and more.