Accelerated move to work from home; facilities and services updates

March 18, 2020, 6:32 p.m.

To:  University Community
From:  Cory Nomura, Senior Vice President, Finance & Administration; Kathy Ogren, Provost; and Donna Eddleman, University Dean of Student Affairs
Subject:  Coronavirus response update #10: Accelerated move to work from home; facilities and services updates

In accordance with the latest guidance from San Bernardino County, the University is encouraging employees to move to remote work as soon as possible, as long as their supervisors determine it will not impact essential functions of the University. These essential functions currently include helping residential students check out of the Redlands campus residence halls and supporting faculty moving their courses to technology-enhanced modalities.

If you have questions about whether you should report to work in-person or remotely, please connect with your supervisor, who is responsible for making this determination. Previously, the date to begin work-at-home operations (as feasible) was Monday, March 23.

All University employees will continue to be paid as normal through Friday, April 3. There is no need to take sick or vacation days during this period. We will let you know of plans going forward before the April 3 date.

For employees without direct deposit, checks will be mailed through the United States Postal Service to the postal address on file. We encourage you to sign up for direct deposit; however, direct deposit will only begin to take effect in the next (not current) pay cycle. All employees are asked to take this opportunity to review and update contact information in UltiPro.

More guidance on Human Resources policies will be available tomorrow.

FACILITIES AND SERVICES

Student Health Center: As residential students depart the Redlands campus, the Student Health Center is transitioning to a triage/first aid center until further notice. When students visit the center, they will receive first aid as necessary and be directed to the appropriate medical facility for services. The normal $10 visit fee is waived. The Center expects to resume normal operations in the fall.

Redlands mail room: Starting next week, University Mail Services (located in the rear entrance to University Hall) will scale back its window hours. Next week, hours will be Wednesday (3/25) and Friday (3/27), from 10 a.m. to noon; the week of March 30, hours will be Monday (3/30), Wednesday (4/1), and Friday (4/3), from 10 a.m. to noon. Mail can be picked up or dropped off, but no department deliveries will be made.

Marin campus mail: Mail on the Marin campus will be collected twice per week by Administrative Assistant Su Hanson and distributed to Marin mailboxes, or, if intended for Redlands, forwarded to the Redlands campus.

Armacost Library: The physical library is closed; however, the virtual library will remain open. Please check the library website for updates to hours and services.

Academic Affairs: Details on Academic Affairs support areas will be distributed to the campus by March 19. Those areas are: Armacost Library, Information Technology Services, Registrar, Office of Career and Professional Development, Veterans and Military Support Services, the Office of International Students and Scholars, the Center for Spatial Studies, the deans, and Provost.

Bookstore: The week of March 23, the University bookstore will adjust its operating hours to 10 a.m.– 2 p.m.

Tutoring: Students can log into the Student Development Center’s tutor scheduling page to schedule an online tutoring appointment for both subject and writing tutoring. If they haven’t used the site before, they will need to register for an account. More information is available on the Tutoring Services webpage.

Redlands campus dining services: Harvest Table has limited the menu to to-go options as a health precaution. Beginning Saturday, March 21 and until further notice, the hours of operation for the Plaza Café are 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 5 to 6:30 p.m. The Den will also be open this Saturday, March 21, from 2 to 8 p.m.

Redlands campus buildings: This week, the Hunsaker University Center (on the west side of Hunsaker Plaza) will begin closing at 5 p.m. for security reasons, as well as to encourage social distancing among students. After closing on Friday at 5 p.m., the building will not reopen; employees can enter using their keys. With fewer students, faculty, and staff on campus, other buildings on the Redlands campus are also being evaluated for closure for security reasons. However, the Naslund Lounge will remain open.

Work-study checks: Students leaving campus who do not have direct deposit should leave self-addressed stamped envelopes with the student mail center to have any remaining checks forwarded to them. 

We will provide further information and updates tomorrow.