Classes started last week and we welcomed students back to campus. It is great to have them back in the classrooms, the Davis Center, the Library, and elsewhere. We all needed the break between semesters, but the campus is just not the same without the students! We want to especially thank the staff who worked move-in weekend when temperatures hovered around zero degrees. We also want to recognize those who kept our campus going during the break to prepare for the return of our UVM community. And CTL, ETS and UES staff have been incredible in supporting all of our teaching efforts, technology needs and Teams live events! Thank you all. The winter months can feel long when we are inside for extended periods. This is especially true for the students. UVM Bored is a great resource for programs and events on campus. UVM Bored features in-person events as well as virtual events. If you hear students looking for something to do, refer them to this helpful source of information. Last week, President Garimella was pleased to announce that the wage cuts that non-represented employees took last summer would be restored. In addition, UVM plans to keep wages and benefits flat for non-represented employees with no further reductions next year. In response to President Garimella’s memo, Richard Cate has asked the Controller, Payroll, Human Resources Services and Financial Analysis and Budgeting to work together to implement these special payments, including posting answers to frequently asked questions which will be available soon. We are hopeful that a list of FAQ’s will be available sometime this week. We want to reinforce and offer some important information that we hope will be helpful to you.
- Congratulations to Staff Council celebrating 50 years as a voice for UVM staff. Thank you to those currently serving on Staff Council and to those who served in the past. Your steadfast and committed advocacy of staff at UVM is deeply appreciated by all. If you have not read the recent Staffline it is filled with great information and updates about upcoming events.
- On Friday, January 29, over 500 staff members attended the Staff Teams Live session. The recording of that session is available here.
- Jilliene Rodriguez, Director of Diversity, Engagement, and Professional Development in the Division of Student Affairs and Cynthia Reyes, Associate Professor in the Department of Education have been asked to lead a Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Co-Curricular Working Group. The group, made up of faculty, staff (including Chris Perlongo, Sherwood Smith, Marie Vea, and Lynn White Cloud), and students, will identify opportunities for the more intentional and impactful engagement of our undergraduate and graduate students in co-curricular diversity activities that support and enrich their academic experiences.
- We have initiated the recruitment process for the Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to replace Vice President Wanda Heading Grant. A big thank you to several staff including Tiffany Delaney, Laura Engelken, Joe Russell, Sherwood Smith, and Lynn White Cloud who are joining the search committee with two students, two faculty members, and two members of the administration. The committee is being co-chaired by Dean Leslie Parise and Vice Provost Jim Vigoreaux. We anticipate the new Vice Provost to join us by July 1, 2021.
- We have also begun the search for a new Director of Admissions and are grateful to several staff participating in that effort including Brit Chase, Cathy Diamond, Marie Johnson, Veronika Carter, and Beverly Colston.
- Be sure to check out the many health and wellness programs offered to staff. We all know winters can be long in Vermont. This is a great way to stay active and healthy and get ready for spring. There are also many employee program offerings through Campus Recreation Employee Wellness. In particular, mark your calendars for March 16, to hear the first of a three-part series with guest speaker Laura Putnam. She will be talking about how to build hope and resilience in challenging times.
- All employees are required to take UVM’s “Protecting Community Health & Safety” Training (also known as VOSHA training). If you completed the VOSHA training last semester, you do not have to repeat it; however, as part of the spring return to campus plans, a refresher training video is available to all employees. While completion of the refresher training isn’t mandatory, we strongly suggest that you watch the video. It is a great way to keep us all on the same page and to remind us of what we can all do to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Captioning is available in Nepali, Bosnian, Vietnamese, Maay Maay (Somali), Chinese and West African French. Refresher training can be found here.
- The Spring Resumption of In-Person Operations process is underway. Until approval has been issued for spring plans, the fall plan remains in effect. Operations plans are currently being reviewed and as approvals are received, you will be receiving information related to your unit’s plan. If you have not received this information, you should check in with your supervisor, your safety officer or your logistics coordinator. Questions about spring resumption plans can be sent to UVM.Strong@uvm.edu.
- The Daily Health Screening is a central component of our health and safety strategy. Unless you are working remotely 100% of the time, you are required to submit a health screening form every work day (even on remote work days). On your on-campus days, please complete the form before your arrival.
- Employees must use the web form for this purpose (students are required to use the Co-Verified app for screening/symptoms). If you are a supervisor, you are also required to monitor your dashboard to verify that your direct reports are completing the form before reporting to work, and you need to update employee statuses as appropriate. More information can be found on the Daily Health Screening Tool website. Please contact UVM.Strong@uvm.edu with questions, and thank you for contributing to our efforts to keep our campus healthy.
- We want to remind you of the great resource the staff in Risk Management and Safety have created that is contained on the UVM Operations Plan website. It is a resource that is updated regularly with information about ways to ensure safe and healthy operations during the pandemic. The website also contains guidance documents related to specific areas of operations ranging from food service to event guidance to ergonomics for home offices.
- There has been a lot of media coverage about double masking in recent days. Double masking (wearing two face coverings at the same time) has both increased risks and increased benefits. The Center for Disease Controls is neither discouraging nor encouraging this practice at this time. The Return to Campus website contains a wide range of information about face coverings including double masking.
- Staff who are teleworking, and are using non-Windows devices, can now access many of our Windows- only administrative software applications remotely. For more information on how to access software remotely, please visit Enterprise Technology Services Knowledge Base site.
- Please let students know that indoor spaces where they can participate in remote classes or study are available for spring semester. These spaces supplement quiet study in the libraries and multi-use study/dining spaces in the heated outdoor tents. All of these classroom study spaces will be CATcard access only, and will be open during building hours, Monday through Friday:
- You can find detailed information on COVID-19 tests administered and results on the Weekly Testing Report. Last week’s student test results included 17 off-campus positives and 15 on-campus positives out of 12,323 tests. Last week’s staff and faculty test results included 2 positives out of 1,115 tests. As you know, new and more contagious strains of the virus have emerged. Please recommit to all COVID-19 safety precautions and practices and refrain from travel and gathering. Faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to participate in regular testing.