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For Employees

University Status

Classroom instruction at Rutgers – Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick

  • Beginning Thursday, March 12, through the end of spring break on Sunday, March 22, all classes were canceled.
  • Beginning Monday, March 23, all course instruction is being delivered remotely. All face-to-face instruction is suspended for the remainder of the spring semester. This includes any class meetings.
  • Individual instructors were expected to be in contact with their students regarding their plans for remote instruction prior to March 23.
  • There will be no in-person classes, programs, camps, conferences, or other activities at Rutgers University through at least August 14.
  • All University-sponsored courses/programs/activities that will take place through August 14 on the Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick campuses will be done via remote technology.

Instruction at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences

  • Courses at RBHS will continue as scheduled.
  • Beginning Monday, March 16, all RBHS classes were provided remotely. RBHS deans from the relevant schools will be in touch with students regarding more detailed plans for remote instruction.
  • Students should contact their deans re: clinical rotations and clinical instruction.
  • The cancellation of in-person activities at Rutgers University through August 14 does not apply to RBHS clinical programs and activities; check with the relevant RBHS office to ascertain the status of RBHS summer programs, courses, and activities

Campus activities

  • All events scheduled at the University through the month of May are suspended.
  • The NCAA and Big Ten have suspended all athletic competitions.
  • There will be no in-person classes, programs, camps, conferences, or other activities at Rutgers University through at least August 14.

University offices and services

  • Rutgers is open. Some services and facilities may not be operating or may be operating on limited schedules.
  • Effective Wednesday, March 18, 2020, beginning at 6 a.m. the university will operate under a “card access only” model. During this time, buildings/rooms with electronic access control readers will require the use of RU ID cards for entry at all times. Only RU IDs with appropriate permission(s) will provide access to these locations. In light of this important change of protocol, all Rutgers community members should be sure to have their IDs with them whenever they are on campus.
  • Specific guidance for health care workers who have direct contact with patients is available from the Executive Vice President of Health Affairs.
  • Please take steps to protect your health and the health of your coworkers by following guidance on prevention and care. If you feel unwell, please stay home.

Mail Services 

Effective March 23, Mail Services will suspend normal departmental mail delivery to campus locations on the Newark, RBHS, Piscataway and New Brunswick campuses until further notice.

Important Notices for Rutgers–New Brunswick, Rutgers–Newark, and RBHS:

  • RBHS loading docks will remain open but will not be delivering. Departments will need to go to the loading dock area to retrieve their packages.
  • Campus mail will continue to be transported between Newark/ New Brunswick and Camden/ New Brunswick.
  • Mail Services will be working with UPS, FedEx, DHL, Amazon, Laser Ship and Office Depot to redirect departmental deliveries (with the exception of RBHS loading dock locations) to one of the Mail Hubs mentioned above. These packages will be held until picked up by their respective department.

New Brunswick/Piscataway areas:
In place of the former mail delivery system, departments will have two options:

  1. Departments may pick up their mail and drop off outgoing mail at the following location between 9:00 am – 2:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
    • Use our Mail Services Hub located in the rear of ASB II, 57 U.S. Highway 1 on the Cook Campus. Use the rear loading dock entrance; ring the bell and staff will assist you.
  2. Departments may request that their mail be held at the ASB II Mail Facility for an extended period of time. Please email mailquestions@ipo.rutgers.edu to request this option.

Please feel free to contact Tom Stadthaus (New Brunswick) at tom.stadthaus@rutgers.edu or at 848- 932-4267.

Newark Areas:
In place of the former mail delivery system, departments will have two options:

  1. Departments may pick up their mail and drop off outgoing mail at the following locations between 9:00am – 2:00pm, Monday through Friday.
    • Departments with an address that contains zip code 07103 please use Mail Services located at 30 Bergen St, ADMC complex, room 212, please use the rear door in the rear of the parking lot
    • Departments with an address that contain zip code 07102 please use Mail Services located at 110 Bradley Hall, our office is on the first floor next to the elevators.
  2. Departments may request that their mail be held at our Mail Facility for an extended period of time. Please email mailquestionsnewark@ipo.rutgers.edu to request this option.

Please feel free to contact Sam Bandy (Newark) at 973-972-4060 or Samuel.bandy@rutgers.edu with any questions.

Camden Areas:
These changes do not apply to the Camden Campus Mail service. For more information on Camden Mail Service please contact Shari Wakeley 856-225-6003 or shari.wakeley@rutgers.edu

University Procurement Services [New March 26]

Guidelines have been issued to help ensure that we can continue to provide quality services related to shipping and deliveries to Rutgers and non-Rutgers addresses.

Guidance on Traveling to and from Rutgers [NEW March 22]

In response to questions about a potential essential employee card or letter, John Hoffman, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, has developed the following guidance in accordance with the Governors Executive Order 107:

  1. Display your Rutgers ID, which you should keep with you at all times;
  2. If you are stopped explain that you are traveling to or from work at an educational institution, or in support of essential operations at an educational institution, and that remote support of this educational function is not practicable, all of which is expressly provided for in the Governor’s Executive Order (EO 107 at paragraphs 2, 10-11); and
  3. Verification of your employment can be provided by RUPD, which can be reached at 848-932-7211.

Guidance on Telecommuting and Leave Policies [UPDATED May 19]

This is to provide an update on the status of the telecommuting and leave rule relaxation policies Rutgers enacted in March and are set to expire on April 30, 2020. In order to continue to support social distancing, the university will:

  • Extend the telecommuting policy rule relaxation policy through June 30, 2020
  • Extend leave policy rule relaxation (i.e. COVID-19 Paid Leave) through May 8, 2020

Effective May 9, 2020, provide COVID-19 related leave in concert with the Emergency Family Medical Leave Act (E-FMLA) and Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act signed into law on March 18, 2020 (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic/ffcra-employer-paid-leave).

Learn more about the provisions and processes of the E-FMLA and EPSLA effective May 9 to December 31, 2020, and read the FAQ. You may also login to OneSource and select the COVID-19 Related Services option in the catalog for more details. 

Guidance on the Temporary Relaxation of Background Check Policy [UPDATED April 8]

Because of significant delays in the processing of pre-employment background checks due to government closures, we are implementing a COVID-19 temporary relaxation of the background checks for staff and faculty positions policy. This policy relaxation will apply to all Rutgers entities EXCEPT RBHS.

The policy relaxation for RBHS is detailed in the COVID-19 Temporary Relaxation of Background Check Policy (RBHS) from April 8.

Resources for Working Virtually and Maintaining Wellness [NEW April 8]

The COVID-19 Telecommuting and Wellness website provides guidelines and resources to help employees effectively manage working remotely and the stress that may come along with it. These resources focus on supporting the physical and mental well-being of our employees as they continue to adjust to workplace and life changes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rutgers University Family Support Line [New April 27]

The new confidential staff, faculty, and family support line: Rutgers4U (1-855-652-6819) offers emotional and therapeutic support during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Financial Considerations

In the upcoming weeks, departments may incur unforeseen expenses or receive requests to refund student tuition and fees directly related to COVID-19 occurrence or events. Rutgers has instituted procedures to track the financial impact of COVID-19. Please note that this guidance is not budget authorization for reimbursements or other transactions – those must go through the processes as defined by the appropriate school, department, and by Chancellors or central administrative units.

If you have questions about expenses or requests to refund student tuition or fees related to the COVID-19, contact your Chancellor’s or Senior Vice President’s office. For more information about tracking the financial impact of COVID-19 see this message from Executive Vice President J. Michael Gower.

Travel Cancellations

All Rutgers-sponsored international travel is suspended and domestic travel is not recommended until further notice. If you have any booked travel arrangements, please adhere to the following guidelines to cancel your travel plans.

Airline Reservations Booked through a Travel Agency

  • Contact the booking travel agency to cancel the reservations.

Airline Reservations Paid for with Personal Funds/University Travel Card

  • Cancel the reservation via phone through the agency/airline. Typically, after a reservation is canceled, you will have up to one year from the date the ticket was issued to use the credit from the canceled ticket (minus the change fee). Please confirm the cancellation policy directly with the airline.
  • Submit a completed and approved Cancelled Trip Notification Form to expenseexception@finance.rutgers.edu. Once approved by University Procurement Services, the form must be attached to the expense report for reimbursement along with the trip itinerary, proof of payment, and proof of cancellation.

 Hotel and Conference Registrations

  • Contact the hotel and/or conference host directly to request cancellations and refunds. Refund checks should be made payable to “Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey” and submitted with the Cancelled Trip Notification Form to the address on the form.

Please review the Cancellation Tracking Matrix and submit any documentation related to cancelled trips to University Procurement Services for tracking of residual funds and notifications of available credits for future travel. If you have questions, please contact the Procurement Help Desk at procure@finance.rutgers.edu.

Financial Reports for Activity 9105 (COVID-19)

The University Controller’s Office has created a new chart of accounts Activity value, 9105 (COVID-19) to track the financial impact of COVID-19. Please be sure to create reclassification journals for costs and/or refunded student tuition and fees directly related to COVID-19 that occurred prior to the creation of this new Activity value. In addition, this Activity value, 9105 (COVID-19), can now be used with project transactions for Non-Sponsored projects. Read the full message and guidance from University Finance and Administration.

Changes to Travel and Expense Reimbursement Procedures [NEW April 15]

Effective April 30, 2020, all expense reimbursements must be made by direct deposit. If you are not currently enrolled in direct deposit, please do so before April 30, 2020. For more information, see this message from Nimish Patel,
Associate Vice President–Procurement and Chief Procurement Officer.