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A Safe Return to Classrooms

Classroom safety remains a top priority as we welcome you back for a new academic year. The university offers many tools and resources to support our faculty, staff and students.

Please review these resources and remember that if a health or safety emergency arises, call 9-1-1 for immediate assistance.

Active Aggressor

It’s scary to think about, but an active aggressor could strike any place, at any time. That’s why Ohio State’s Department of Public Safety has a “Surviving an Active Aggressor” video to educate the campus community. The safety of our students, faculty and staff is our top priority and we encourage all Buckeyes to watch. We encourage everyone to report suspicious behavior on campus to OSUPD (614-292-2121) or off-campus to CPD (614-645-4545). Always dial 911 in emergencies.

Classroom Disinfection & Air Filtration

Facilities Operations and Development (FOD) is making COVID safety a top priority. FOD continues to clean and disinfect classrooms nightly and is providing disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer for classroom buildings. Over the summer, facilities crews evaluated the operation of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems to maintain proper indoor air requirements inside classroom spaces and to ensure these rooms meet or exceed CDC recommendations. Adjustments included installation of portable HEPA filter machines, MERV-13 filters, increasing airflow in spaces and other strategies, as needed. If your classroom has a portable HEPA filter, please do not move it or turn it off. These were added only in rooms where additional measures were needed to meet or exceed CDC guidelines. A FAQs section is available on the FOD COVID-19 response webpage and any issues can be reported to Service2Facilities at 614-292-HELP (4357)

Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) program

FOD implemented new Automated External Defibrillator (AED) standards in all FOD-maintained buildings on the Columbus campus. The FOD program excludes the medical center, Office of Student Life and Athletics facilities – but those departments will follow similar guidelines. The AED health and safety initiative included an FOD audit of existing devices and determined approximately 100 AEDs currently exist within our academic, administrative and research spaces. These AEDs were previously owned or procured by individual colleges or units. Under the new program, FOD will work with these colleges and units to standardize the placement of existing AEDs and the purchase of any future machines. Anyone with questions should contact Keith Shockley by emailing shockley.5@osu.edu or calling 614-292-5827.