Welcome to April! We all know that Vermont can give us weather surprises and this week has certainly been the case. Fortunately, we know that this will not last.

For the past year, staff have been amazing university citizens, stepping up in countless ways to help UVM and our students get through the challenges of the pandemic. Thank you! Consider taking a minute and submitting a Catamount Kudo about a fellow staff member. Also, read some of the recent submissions about staff members and departments. This is a great way to recognize the countless contributions of our exceptional staff.

Hope is abundant with the spring weather and increased opportunities for vaccination. We are writing to share some reminders and additional information that may be of interest.

  • It is hard to believe that commencement is less than two months away. This is an exciting time for our students as we recently announced plans to hold in-person commencement ceremonies for students only on Thursday, May 20 and Friday, May 21. We are waiting final approval from the State of Vermont while closely monitoring the rate of COVID-19 cases on campus, in Chittenden County, and across the greater northeast. We recognize that if the rate of cases creates significant risk, we may need to pivot to virtual ceremonies. More information about commencement is available here.
  • Extension of Leave Benefits – Following the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, UVM recently announced that it will extend leave benefits originally offered by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) through September 30, 2021. Additionally, the qualifying reasons for paid leave now include:
    • The employee is obtaining a COVID-19 vaccination.
    • The employee is recovering from any illness related to receiving the vaccine.
    • The employee is seeking or waiting for test results or a medical diagnosis for COVID-19.
  • Supervisors are encouraged to remind staff that they can use emergency paid sick leave (EPSL) for time off to ger vaccinate. EPSL may be utilized in partial day increments and employees should be aware that the closest vaccination site may be outside Chittenden County.
  • Flexible Spending Accounts – Flexible Spending Account (FSA) dependent care pre-tax contribution maximums have increased to $10,500 (from $5,000) for single taxpayers and married couples filing jointly, and $5,520 (from $2,500) for married couples filing separately. As a result, the University has updated plan limits and is holding special open enrollment periods for flexible spending account changes. Additional information is available here.
  • The deadline for students to withdraw from classes is April 8. This semester it is especially important that students receive updated grade information through the Academic Alert system. The system is designed so that students have an accurate picture of where they stand in their courses prior to the withdraw deadline. Academic Alerts can be used to communicate concerns around attendance, class preparation, classroom behavior, incomplete assignments, and poor grades. Warning letters can easily be generated by clicking on “Update” in the “Academic Alert” column on the class roster, which you can access via the MyUVM portal at https://myuvm.uvm.edu.
  • The recording of the February 26 Staff Teams Live session is available here. Mark your calendar for the next Staff Teams Live:

Friday, April 23, 2021
12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m.
http://go.uvm.edu/campusupdate

  • The fall Schedule of Courses is now live and fall registration begins April 5th. Please encourage students that you work with to connect with their faculty advisor or their Dean’s Office for assistance with course registration. Navigate Appointment Campaigns and other tools are very helpful for setting up registration advising. How-to guides for using Navigate can be found here.
  • The CDC recently announced guidance for fully vaccinated individuals. Since the vast majority of the UVM community remains unvaccinated, UVM’s requirements on campus – including testing, face coverings, and social distancing – remain unchanged. UVM still limits employee work-related travel. Additionally, UVM’s definition of a student household, both on and off-campus, remains the same and households are not permitted to mix at this time. Read more here.
  • Recently, the Governor announced the timeline for the remaining COVID-19 vaccine age bands. In addition, vaccines were recently made available to the BIPOC community. Additional information about vaccines is available here. We encourage all members of our community to get the vaccine as soon as they become eligible. These newly eligible Vermonters can register online at healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine or by calling 855-722-7878. All Vermonters are encouraged to create an account ahead of time. The age band timeline is as follows:

Age      Registration Starts

  • 60+            March 25   
  • 50+            March 29
  • BIPOC 16+    April 1      
  • 40+             April 5    
  • 30+            April 12    
  • 16+            April 19   
  • To protect yourself and our community, this is a good time to recommit to avoiding crowded spaces, social gatherings, and travel whenever possible. Face coverings should fully cover your mouth and nose. And of course, always wash your hands with soap. Remember: Masks on face, six-foot spaces, and avoid crowded spaces!
  • Richard Cate’s recent message noted that the addendum to the existing UVM Travel Policy has been revised for summer 2021 travel, and reflects the most current state and University requirements. Fall 2021 guidelines will be issued in June, with the understanding that the situation is fluid and subject to change as the Vermont Governor’s Office and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) requirements are updated. For this reason, students, faculty and staff should not purchase tickets for fall 2021 travel until the fall 2021 guidelines are available. If conditions improve and travel can resume sooner than fall 2021, this addendum will be revised. The policy of holding travel expenditures made on PurCards pending approval of travel will continue until further notice.
  • Gathering & Travel – As the state continues to update its work safe guidance and its college and university guidance, we continue to field questions regarding UVM requirements. In order to protect the health and wellbeing of our entire university community, there are going to continue to be situations in which the University maintains stricter requirements than those of the state. When we can loosen these restrictions, we will do so thoughtfully. However, it is imperative that all members of the University community adhere to UVM-specific guidance as it relates to your activities.
  • The Center for Cultural Pluralism is sponsoring a training on ‘Courageous Conversations’ to assist participants in learning how to lean into these conversations, disrupt bias, and move forward. This training is being offered on Tuesday, April 6th, from 10:00-11:30 am. You can register through PeopleSoft-Human Resources, with your UVM net ID login, www.uvm.edu/~erp/portal/; Main Menu > Self Service > Learning and Development > ; Request Training Enrollment> Search by Course Code > CCP201
  • The UVM Integrative Pain Management (IPM) Conference is scheduled for May 7, 2021with a focus on reducing opioid prescriptions and addiction in our community, providing patient-centered care, reducing health care costs, and improving health outcomes. The conference will be offered virtually. To learn more: go.uvm.edu/integrativepain2021.
  • Quarantine Requirement Guidance for students and employees has been posted on the Health & Safety Guidance page. If you have any questions about when and if you are required to quarantine after travel or after being identified as a close contact, scroll down to the applicable quarantine guidance on the right-hand side. There, you will find guidance that outlines when and if you need to quarantine. These guidance documents will be updated periodically as situations change.

The last few weeks have been challenging as many have been impacted by mass shootings, bias incidents and rising COVID-19 cases. The fatigue and frustration of the pandemic is real. Please take care of yourselves and if you feel you need support, resources are available through the University’s Employee Assistance Program.  And take a minute and reach out to a staff member and ask how they are doing. Thank someone for wearing a mask. Do some random act of kindness to show your appreciation. Surprise someone. Show them that you care. Our collective strength will sustain us.

Warmly,

Patty Prelock and Gary Derr