Dear Graduate Students and Postdocs,

As you know, Wayne State University is taking deliberate steps to restart research activities on campus. Specific details regarding these processes differ among different schools and colleges. The latest information pertaining to global WSU steps can be found on Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) COVID-19 response page.

You are a key component to the research activities occurring at our institution, and we want to assure you that your success and safety are of utmost concern to us. As WSU restarts research operations on campus, the general plan is to initiate this process incrementally. As mentioned above, the specific details of these plans vary by school/college, and even by building. You should be in frequent communication with your mentors, program directors and departments to ensure that initial research restart steps take under consideration your needs and concerns, both personal and academic. 

For those of you who conduct research on the WSU campus, your mentors are devising plans that specify the type of research that will restart, the persons involved and the specific guidelines and precautions to be taken for your safety and the safety of others on our campus. Your mentors, graduate program directors and department chairs will keep you informed about the reopening process and when that will begin. 

For those of you who work at one of our affiliates/partners (like Henry Ford, the VA Medical Center, or Karmanos Cancer Institute), research restart plans will involve an additional approval layer from those entities. Your mentors, graduate program directors and department chairs will again be the best source of information pertaining to research restart.

Right now, we strongly recommend that you take a few moments to complete the online “Be Warrior Safe" training module. This will be required for all of you returning to the campus. 

Later on, those of you who receive authorization by OVPR to return to conduct research on the WSU campus will also be required to complete a daily screening process. Additional information on the daily check in process and when you are allowed to use it will be sent to you when you and your mentor/supervisor are approved for research restart. 

The Graduate School is here for you, always. If you have questions regarding research restart on campus, you should first reach out to your faculty mentor and/or program director.  If you have concerns about restarting research that cannot be resolved at the program level, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.  You may send a message to gradschool@wayne.edu with the title: WSU Research Restart, and one of us will reply as soon as possible.

Sincerely, 

Sharon Lean, Todd Leff & Sokol Todi, Associate Deans of the Graduate School