Dear Staff and Administrators,
This is an important announcement about essential services and remote work. Please make sure you read this carefully and completely, and please note the webcast details at the end of this update.
On Thursday, Mar. 12, classroom instruction flipped to an online format. In addition, on-campus student employment was suspended temporarily. Campus operations continue to remain open. Staff and Administrators should continue reporting to work.
As administrative employees, we have a critical and important job in front of us: helping thousands of students who are transitioning to online learning, who are perhaps returning home, and who are perhaps remaining in residence halls, either because they are international and cannot return home or because, in some instances, this is the only place where they have both food security and housing security. These young adults have been entrusted by their parents and guardians into our care, and we must rise to the challenge of supporting our campus through a very trying period. We are so very appreciative of the great work you are doing!
We care about you, and we are aware that that many local K-12 schools are voluntarily closing as early as Monday, Mar. 16. We understand that this new development might present some of our working parents and guardians with unique challenges. At this time we would like to offer our Staff and Administrators additional guidance to assist you in balancing your professional and personal responsibilities. Please read carefully all of the below information.
Staff and Administrator Protocols: COVID-19 Emergency Planning
The Office of Human Resources has published Staff and Administrator Protocols specific to the COVID-19 outbreak. You may find this document on the HR website: Staff and Administrator Protocols: COVID-19. We will update these Protocols as needed and based upon changing circumstances and feedback. In addition, HR will work with our partners in SMC to provide staff-specific FAQs for your online reference. We expect these to be deployed in the days ahead.
Essential Services
These Protocols are designed to support campus departments and business units as they examine the impacts of a potential campus closure and considerations for remote work operations. It is critical that you review this document, particularly if you work in one of the departments listed as Essential Services. Essential services are those campus functions that the interruption of which would endanger life, health, financial security, or personal safety. If you work in one of the departments or business units listed on pages 2-3 as essential service providers, you are required to work on campus – not remotely – as outlined in these Protocols. Please work closely with your supervisor and departmental leadership, as some essential services require all staff present whereas other essential services require only a skeleton crew. Until advised by your supervisor, essential services employees should assume that they are required to be physically present on campus.
Non-Essential Services and Remote Work
For Staff and Administrators who provide important but non-essential services (again, as defined on pages 2-3 of the Protocols), and particularly for our working parents and guardians who are balancing their professional and personal responsibilities, remote work for non-essential services may be an option. Using the Protocols, please work with your respective supervisor to assess your eligibility for working remotely.
Working remotely is a privilege, not a right. In balancing work and life, departments are permitted to prioritize requests and/or to phase remote working opportunities for non-essential employees over time. For non-essential personnel, you should begin these conversations and assessments now. In your conversations please ensure that you are coordinating closely with departmental and divisional leadership.
IS&T Support: Working Remotely
Our partners in IS&T have expanded their support hours to assist you. In addition, they have been working around the clock to prepare the campus for remote teaching and remote working environments. IS&T is making good progress, but additional work remains. For non-essential staff, this means that when your supervisor and you agree that you can work remotely, the tools that you might want or need may or may not be immediately available. Please be patient and flexible, and please make sure you frequent IS&T’s Working Remotely website. This is a fantastic self-help resource to help you plan your remote work and is updated regularly with new information as it becomes available. You may also email this team directly at workingremotely@chapman.edu, but please know that they are experiencing heavy volumes and understandably request your patience as they work to support our students, faculty, and staff.
Webcast with President Struppa
On Monday, Mar. 16 from Noon to 1:00 p.m., President Struppa will host a webcast information session. You are invited and encouraged to attend. This information session will be conducted via a Teams Live Event, allowing you an opportunity to submit your questions during a Q&A period. Questions that cannot be answered during this one-hour session will be collected, answered, and subsequently posted online.
Instructions to Join the Webcast:
Please join the live event with your computer-attached speakers or with your mobile device. When you click on the below link, you will choose one of two options: to watch within the Teams App, or to watch within your web browser (Note: Safari is not supported at this time).
Click here to join the live webcast event.
Additional guidance from you campus partners is available on the Chapman Coronavirus: Updates and Resources website. Please bookmark this page, as we highly recommend that you check it regularly for updates.
