An online information session is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 28, 5–6 p.m., to provide the campus community with the latest information on spring COVID-19 testing requirements and the Safer Badgers app. Panelists will talk about recent updates to the spring semester plan. They will answer the most frequently asked questions about testing site safety, how to provide test samples, building and facilities access, and other topics. The forum will be broadcast on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ore1m5W6_JY and will be available for viewing later.

All employees are expected to complete the COVID-19 Spring Semester Training, available online at hr.wisc.edu/covid19/workplace-training. This training covers guidelines and expectations for UW–Madison employees in the workplace and for visitors to campus. Most people will be able to complete the training in ten minutes or less. The training module will be available in multiple languages soon.

On Jan. 26, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced the next set of people eligible for COVID-19 vaccination under Phase 1b in Wisconsin. Vaccination of these groups can begin March 1, depending on the availability of vaccine across the state. Eligible groups will include, in order of priority: Childcare and education (including campus child care centers and faculty and staff in higher education settings who have direct student contact), people enrolled in Medicaid long-term care programs, some public-facing essential workers, non-frontline health care essential personnel, and facility staff and residents in congregate living settings (not including university residence halls or co-op housing). UW–Madison will work with these criteria to identify and notify members of the campus community of their eligibility and provide next steps for vaccination as this information is available.

The new UW–Madison Policy Library is live at policy.wisc.edu. The online, searchable policy library serves as the single, up-to-date resource for all university-wide polices at UW–Madison. The library features extensive search functionality that allows users to search by topic or keywords. To help maintain the integrity of the policy library, all campus constituents should use the tools and resources provided when developing new policies or revising existing policies. Any university-wide policy that is not in the library will not be considered official policy.

Nominations are now being accepted for four Partners in Giving volunteer awards. Employees are encouraged to nominate campaign volunteers who have done outstanding work to support the campaign in this challenging year. The deadline for nominations is February 8. Go to giving.wi.gov/award-nomination-form.