As you know, the Board of Trustees authorized the Return to Campus Plan, which the president shared in late May. If you have not yet read the Return to Campus Plan, I encourage you to do so. The campus plan includes information about the University’s strategy to reopen the campus and, importantly, to welcome our returning and incoming students for a vibrant on-campus class and residential experience. All students will return to campus in August as scheduled.
I write today to share some additional information about our divisional plans for returning to campus, as well as an update regarding our budget reduction and planning process. Before getting to the details of our planning, I wanted to share with you the incredibly positive responses the president and the University have received regarding our plan to resume in-person classes in August. Parents and students alike have reached out to share their enthusiasm and excitement about returning in the Fall. As the president described, the TRUST and Academic Planning Groups have been working diligently to prepare a safe and inviting campus to support teaching, learning, and living. Our division plays a vital role in shaping the technologies and services that will enable this return to campus, and I appreciate all of your ongoing efforts in working to support our faculty, students, and administrative units. Also, a special thanks to those of you have needed to be on-site; your service is very much appreciated.
Return to Campus – June
The majority of campus buildings will remain closed to the public through the end of June, so few, if any, IT employees not already reporting to campus will need to begin on-campus work before July. Please remember that anyone reporting for on-campus duty, even intermittently, must complete the self-certification form described in the president’s email. If you are currently reporting to campus in any capacity, or if asked to report to campus, be sure you have completed this form before your first day of return. Please check with your supervisor before returning to on-campus work if you are not currently reporting for on-campus assignments.
Return to Campus – July
On July 1, 2020, the majority of campus buildings will reopen, and prior to that date, we will share with you our plan for resumption of in-person support services and the on-site staffing of our offices. Our priority will be to help prepare the campus for the return of students in August, and supporting the return of administrative staff in other divisions as they also prepare for additional on-site staffing. Our return to the office in July will be phased, and ramp-up as demand for on-site services requires.
As the president indicated in his email, our services and the reopening plan includes strategies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. We will provide more details about these strategies as we approach the reopening of our offices in July. In the meantime, please note all employees will be strongly encouraged to wear face masks when working on campus, and that employees will be required to wear a face mask whenever social distancing is not practicable, or when the supervisor determines a face mask is necessary. Specific roles, such as those that are directly client-facing, will likely require face masks at all times for the foreseeable future.
Continuing Remote work and Flexible Schedules
The president shared that the Board of Trustees has indicated an intention to reduce the number of administrative staff on-site at any one time by a third during the Fall Semester. We will achieve a reduction in the concurrent number of on-site staff through a combination of continuing remote work, alternating schedules, and shifting office hours. We will attempt to consider employee’s preferences when making these schedules and adjustments; however, please keep in mind the following:
Continued Remote Work
In cases where duties are conducive to remote work and where the employee has shown a high degree of productivity and availability while working remotely, supervisors may consider extending the remote work arrangement. The majority of those approved to continue remote will have a partial remote-work schedule, such as working remotely for specific days or times each week. All employees approved for remote work may be called to campus by the supervisor at any time, such as where on-site coverage or support is needed. Supervisors will be responsible for ensuring on-site staffing to maintain our office and services availability. Our division will not approve remote work past the end of the Fall semester, although additional extensions might be considered at that time. Please talk with your supervisor before completing the employee telework request form.
Staggered Work Schedules
Another strategy for reducing the number of people in the office one time will be staggering work schedules. Some of those granted remote work will be on rotation; for example, an employee might cover on-site services one week and work remotely the next week, alternating schedules with another employee or group of employees. In these situations, employees should expect to be called into the office to cover absences or where additional coverage is needed, understanding that on-site coverage must be maintained regardless of other schedules. Again, we will attempt to consider employee preferences for staggered schedules; however, adjusted hours or rotation days may be mandated to ensure adequate services coverage and employee spacing.
We intend to utilize a combination of remote work and staggered work schedules during the Fall Semester to help reduce the density of employees working in a given area. Please talk with your supervisor before returning to the office to discuss specific arraignments for your unit. Please review the telework and flexible work guidelines for additional information.
IT Budget Update
I have worked with the IT leadership team to develop several percentage-based scenarios, up to a ten percent overall budget reduction. Many of you submitted suggestions for cost savings, which were helpful to the leadership team as we put together these plans. Along with the other vice presidents, I have submitted proposals that outline our plan to meet these targets, and I will be meeting with the president and the CFO shortly to determine our final budget targets. While many of the reductions, such as those for software and supplies, will take place right away, others may be delayed a year or, in rare cases, up to three years. We will be informing relevant units about the immediate reductions before the end of the month.
Cell Phone Stipends
One area of cost reduction suggested by several of you, and which is also being implemented in several other university divisions, is the elimination of cell phone stipends. While I realize this change amounts to a salary reduction for many of us, it was a benefit only a portion of IT employees received and was also one of the least impactful changes we could make across the entire division. The change has already been approved and will take place on July 1, 2020. This change ends the cell phone stipends for all Information Technology employees across all units. In extremely rare cases, a university-owned cell phone may be approved, which may only be used for university business.
Thank you once again for all of your efforts as we continue to prepare for the start of the Fall semester.