The Department of Design at The Ohio State University is committed to creating a stimulating and secure environment for learning. With our students, we anticipate meeting the challenge of delivering an excellent design education in the context of COVID-19 by treating the constraints it creates as opportunities to explore new ways of engaging creative practices. This will only be a successful effort if we agree to contribute to the process by doing our best to remain healthy and productive. This will require good will and generosity, responsible behavior, and attention to detail, because we are replacing many of our former ways of doing things with new approaches and alternate means of operating. Because in the words of Herbert Simon, design is about changing the world by shifting our circumstances from existing to preferred, we must work together toward the common goal of excellence.
A great deal of effort and planning has gone into reimagining design education at Ohio State in a time of pandemic. Throughout the department, the college, and the university, we are making every effort to create an adaptable system that will ensure that we can navigate the frequently shifting circumstances in which we find ourselves. Throughout the coming weeks, paying attention to communication and asking questions whenever anything is unclear or uncertain will be necessary. Safety and health is our priority above all else, and we are committed to working together to achieve that goal.
COVID-19 UNIVERSITY UPDATES
You can always find the most up-to-date information about the university’s guidelines and requirements for returning to our campuses at Safe and Healthy Buckeyes. Because this information changes frequently, you are encouraged to review it frequently.
It is essential that you download the OSU app and use it to complete your mandatory daily health check before entering campus and any of our facilities. Information about that process can be found at https://safeandhealthy.osu.edu/daily-health-check.
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Informal Study Spaces
Technology-enhanced, informal learning spaces are available for student, faculty, and staff use. In these spaces, you'll find updated computers and comfortable seating for individual or group work.
The Studios for Art and Design Research
Students needing to book time in the Studios for Art and Design Research (SADR), AKA "The Shop," may do so via the Hopkins Hall booking system. Please use the button to access.
DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN AUTUMN 2021
As the 2021-2022 academic year gets underway, communication is going to be key to ensuring that we are always up-to-date with university and departmental guidelines about how we operate.
Please read your university email regularly!
Staying tuned into your instructor’s announcements on Carmen and even the department’s social media accounts will raise the chances that you will always know about the latest developments, but these are not a substitute for official communication via email.
Building Operations Contacts
Responsibility for oversight of the department’s use of its facilities is shared between our two staff members in our main office: Nicole Wade (.304) and Polly Graham (.311). Polly is the Building Reopening Coordinator for Hayes Hall and Nicole is the Safety Coordinator for the Department of Design. You are encouraged to communicate with them directly about questions or concerns about the building or safety protocols that are not addressed in these guidelines. Email is the better mode of communication with them because both are dividing their time between working on campus and working from home.
Building Access
Access to Department of Design spaces in Hayes and Hopkins Halls after hours will be restricted to students who are affiliated with our department’s foundations, undergraduate majors, and graduate program. Expect to carry your BuckID at all timesas it is also your key to the building and some of its spaces.
Main Office/Staff Offices/Faculty Offices
The main office (Room 100) will be open between 8 am and 5 pm. Appointments to speak with Polly Graham, Nicole Wade or Mary Anne Beecher should be made in advance to ensure they are available at your desired time. If you have immediate questions or need access to supplies, knocking on the office door will usually yield assistance from a student or staff member.
Appointments can be made with our Academic Advisor, Gabe Tippery, via OnCourse or by contacting Arts and Sciences Advising at https://artsandsciences.osu.edu/academics/current-students/advising.
The booking system is linked to from our homepage through design.osu.edu/covid19. The direct link to the booking system is http://go.osu.edu/DesignBooking.
In person appointments with Mary Anne Beecher (the department’s chairperson) can be made via email on Monday 1-3 pm, Tuesday 1-4 pm, and Friday 9 am-1 pm. Virtual appointments can be made throughout the remainder of the week.
In person and virtual meetings with faculty members should be made directly with them via email or Teams.
Graduate Studio
The Graduate Studio is in Hayes 130. This space will serve as both office and classroom for graduate students, and it is available for their use whenever a class is not in session.
Undergraduate Studios
Students should expect to register for a combination of required in-person and online courses. Instructors have the responsibility of planning their courses to ensure that students have access to resources, information, and their time and insights, no matter the mode of delivery used. In-person courses may have up to 25% of their content online, and some of the courses in the design curriculum have been intentionally planned as online courses (regardless of the pandemic). No matter the mode, please realize that your education requires your full attention.
Studio spaces have been reassigned based on feedback collected from students and instructors, and on the need to maintain a clean and organized environment for learning to take place. Required courses have been scheduled into designated “classrooms” in Hayes Hall (as well as elsewhere on campus). Other spaces in Hayes Hall (Rooms 210 and 231) are open workspaces that are available to all undergraduate and foundations students in the Department of Design. Foundations students have access to Room 231 through card swipe. Second, third, and fourth year students in the undergraduate majors have access to Room 210. Additional workspace in the lobby and second floor corridors is also available first come, first served. Shelves and cubby holes in Room 210 can be “claimed” for use by term when a student desires to leave supplies in that space, although the department is not responsible for the security of personal belongings.
We are aware that reliable internet connectivity may be an issue for some students. Students can also use space in Rooms 231 and 210 for the purpose of group work and attending online classes. Please use ear buds or headphones when others are in the space to contain noise and reduce distraction.
Health and safety are of primary importance. Masks must be worn over your nose and mouth in all spaces inside of our buildings at all times. Some courses may be able to take advantage of meeting outdoors when the weather cooperates.
Computer Lab
All of our instructional computer lab facilities are located in the Hopkins Hall Annex. Students who are registered in classes that are held in the lab will have access to those spaces after hours using card swipe. At no time should any of the doors associated with the annex be propped open. After using a computer, all desk surfaces, mice, and keyboards must be disinfected using the sprays and wipes that are provided.
Some computers for student use are also located in two spaces in Hayes Hall (Rooms 208 and 210).
Cleaning and Sanitization
Cleaning your own hands and disinfecting surfaces that people touch is a big part of maintaining healthy environments. You are encouraged to wash your hands frequently and there are opportunities to use hand sanitizer near all of the building’s entrances and exits. You are encouraged to use the wipes provided to clean your desk and chair surfaces thoroughly each time you use them. We discourage using any shared tools or equipment in our studios and classrooms during the pandemic. If sharing must occur, thorough cleaning after every single use is required.
Please always leave your spaces in a clean, organized, and empty condition for the next group of users. If you ever have doubt about the cleanliness of any furniture or equipment in your space, be sure to wipe it down prior to using it. If cleaning supplies are missing or if you use them up, please notify Nicole Wade (.304) to request replacements.
Lockers/Storage
Design Foundations student locker use is restricted to lockers on the first and second floor of Hayes Hall, and lockers inside Room 334. Locker use is first come, first served. Only combination locks are allowed (no keyed locks). The department reserves the right to remove locks and to confiscated locker contents if they are not cleaned out by the final day of the spring semester or any date by which on-campus learning is suspended.
Common Areas
You are welcome to use desks in our lobby or other common spaces (corridors) and are encouraged to clean the surfaces of desks and chairs prior to use. Please do not move the furniture.
Drinking Fountains
There is a drinking fountain in Hayes Hall on the second floor. You are encouraged to bring your own water bottle to fill there.
Kitchenettes/Food-related appliances
No refrigerators, microwaves, coffee-makers or other small appliances are allowed in our educational spaces. If any small appliances are used in private faculty offices, they MUST plug into a grounded electrical outlet directly. If you require food or drink while in the building, we encourage you to bring your own in a cooler or thermal container (if needed). Bringing food that does not need refrigeration or heating is encouraged. Instructors and staff members can use the refrigerator, sink, and microwave in Room 230
Mental Health and Wellness
This information may be last, but it is by no means the least important. Our department made a commitment to the health and well-being of our students, staff, and faculty prior to the arrival of the pandemic. Long periods of learning in isolation in 2020 challenged us to stay healthy in both mind and body. Coming back to campus may create new sources of anxiety for all of us, so we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the available sources of support. The study of design is intended to be rigorous and challenging, but it also presents the opportunity to apply creative problem-solving processes to other aspects of life. Just like in an airplane, you are encouraged to “put on your mask” before tending to those around you. Keeping yourself healthy is fundamental to productivity and the ability to discover and learn. Here are some links to university resources that you may find useful:
Mental Health and Wellness Resources on Safe and Healthy Buckeyes
Keep Our Campus Healthy
The best way to prevent the spread of any type of infection is to practice routine hygiene etiquette:
- Wash your hands often and thoroughly for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water. Use alcohol hand rub as a backup.
- Cover your mouth and nose with your elbow or a tissue when you sneeze or cough. Throw away your tissue after one use.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- If you are ill, stay home. Keep a safe 6-foot distance from others to prevent disease spread.
- If you are seriously ill, seek medical advice.
- Complete and stay up-to-date on your Ohio State vaccination requirements.
For more information, visit https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/features/coronavirus