UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

03-12-2020

PLEASE NOTE: Coronavirus Message from Fr. Poorman, March 12

Dear University of Portland Students, Faculty, Staff, and Parents,

I write to provide you with an update on the University of Portland’s ongoing response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. I recognize that this communication is lengthy. However, it contains critically important information and I thank you in advance for reading it in its entirety.

The health and safety of UP community members remain our top priorities. Since the onset of the outbreak, leaders from across campus have continuously evaluated and implemented measures to promote the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. Their goals have been threefold: (1) reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure among community members; (2) assist community members who have been impacted by the outbreak; and, (3) promote continuity of our University’s academic programs and operations. Throughout our University’s decision-making process, we have considered guidance from public health authorities, members of our Health & Counseling Center team, and best practices in higher education. We have endeavored to make decisions that are data-informed and consistent with our mission. I want to thank all across campus for their tireless, timely, and transparent efforts in responding to this challenge.

In recent days, with the continued spread of COVID-19 in the United States (including in the Greater Portland area), we have determined that additional steps are now necessary to accomplish the three goals stated above. I note that no member of our University community has tested positive for COVID-19. Nevertheless, we believe that the following actions are prudent in light of recent local, state, national, and global developments.

Transition to Online Instruction: The University will initiate a transition to online instruction. This transition will occur as follows. Beginning Monday, March 16th, all face-to-face classroom instruction will be suspended. No classes will be held on Monday, March 16th, and Tuesday, March 17th, in order to allow for faculty online class preparations and student travel. Beginning Wednesday, March 18th, all courses will begin to be held online until further notice. Provost Thomas Greene will send guidance later today to all students, faculty, and staff concerning implementation of this transition. Additional academic updates, as well as information on the resumption of in-person instruction, will be provided as appropriate.

Student Room and Board: We encourage students to return to their permanent addresses while this virtual learning environment is in effect. We appreciate that, for many students, returning to their permanent addresses may present a significant hardship. Other student may have specific, compelling reasons to remain on the UP campus. Residence Halls will remain open and key services, including on-campus dining, will be available. Vice President for Student Affairs Father John Donato, C.S.C., will send guidance to students later today regarding further matters relevant to services and support.

Faculty/Staff: For now, the University campus remains open and will operate under a normal schedule for faculty and staff, including business functions and employee working hours. Vice President for Human Resources Sandy Chung will send additional information on flexible work options in the coming days, and Provost Thomas Greene will have further information for faculty members.

Large University Events: In accordance with recently-issued directives from state and local authorities, several signature University events which attract large crowds will be canceled. This includes, but is not limited to, Founders’ Day, the Scholarship Luncheon, Weekend on The Bluff, Rock The Bluff, the “We Are Portland” Student-Athlete Awards Dinner, and the Hawaiian Luau. Attendance at UP on-campus athletic events will generally be restricted to student-athletes, officials, essential staff, and credentialed media; however, all are encouraged to visit the University’s Athletics webpage for further details. Individuals with questions about whether a particular event has been canceled should contact event organizers for further information. At present, there are no plans to cancel the University’s Commencement Exercises in May.

Small Events, Gatherings, and Lectures Sponsored by Departments, Clubs, and Organizations: Smaller events, gatherings, and lectures sponsored by departments, clubs, and organizations will be canceled or postponed until further notice. Smaller events may be allowed to take place on an exceptional basis with advance written approval from the Provost and/or a University Vice President.

Travel: All University-sponsored and/or -reimbursed travel must either be canceled or postponed until further notice, unless a written exception is granted by the Provost and/or a University Vice President. This does not apply to community members who are currently abroad and are traveling back to the United States. Personal travel to international locations is strongly discouraged.

The above-referenced communications from Provost Thomas Greene, Vice President for Student Affairs Father John Donato, C.S.C., and Vice President for Human Resources Sandy Chung, as well as additional information concerning the University’s COVID-19 response, will be posted to the University’s coronavirus webpage as it becomes available. We appreciate your patience and flexibility as resources are added to this webpage over the course of the coming days.

These are difficult times, and I invite you to join me in praying for all who have been impacted around the world by the COVID-19 outbreak. I also ask that you join me in praying for our University of Portland community and for all who labor in support of the safety and well-being of our Pilot students, faculty, and staff. I am confident that through action, resilience, and God’s grace, we will emerge from these present challenges.

As a University guided by the Congregation of Holy Cross, we are called to be people “with hope to bring.” May we now unite in a spirit of hope and an abiding confidence in the value and indispensability of our sacred mission.

Sincerely,
Father Mark

Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C.
President

 

Human Resources Coronavirus Updates, Directives for March 13

The following information was shared with the campus community by Sandy Chung, Human Resources, on Friday morning, March 13:

Dear staff colleagues,

With the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, this is a time of uncertainty and stress for all of us. On behalf of UP’s leadership, I want you to know that we care about you, your families, and our communities. Our goal is to work together, support each other, and navigate this situation as a united campus. As a community of care and support, we can handle anything that comes our way.

An important goal is to prevent and slow the spread of the Coronavirus. In support of this, the University requests that departments and units work on the following:

  • The University encourages supervisors and employees to work together to determine those employees who can work from home, full-time or part-time, on a temporary basis while we respond to the Coronavirus situation. Please carefully review and follow the COVID Telework Policy and the COVID Telework Agreement Form, which are attached at this link (Human Resources Policy – COVID TeleWork Policy for Staff Employees – Final – 3.13.20). These documents will also be uploaded to www.up.edu/hr and the Human Resources section of PilotsUP. The COVID Telework policy does not cover employees who are requesting telework because: they may have been exposed to the Coronavirus, they have been diagnosed with the Coronavirus, they are quarantined due to the Coronavirus, they have childcare or family care difficulties related to the Coronavirus, or they or a family member is more vulnerable to the Coronavirus due to a health situation. Employees in these situations should work directly with Human Resources at hr@up.edu or (503) 943-8484. The COVID Telework policy does not apply to student employees. My goal is to get you guidance about student employees by Monday, March 16, 2020.
  • For employees who need to come to campus to do their job duties, we ask that supervisors and employees work together to create social distancing measures as possible and reasonable. This can include things like changing work spaces to create more distance and lessening in-person meetings.
  • Please remember that all University-sponsored and/or reimbursed travel must either be canceled or postponed until further notice, unless a written exception is granted by the Provost and/or a University Vice President.

To support UP and our communities, each of us needs to do our part, and how each of us contributes may be different. Please know that we cannot treat everyone the same; for example, some positions will require that work be done on campus and cannot be approved for telework. However, we can treat everyone in our community with care and support, with fairness and equity.

If you need help navigating personal or work situations – related to the Coronavirus, illness, childcare or family care, stress, and other situations – I encourage you to reach out to Human Resources (hr@up.edu, 503-943-8484) or to the confidential, free Employee Assistance Program (www.up.edu/hr/benefits/eap.html).

Also, please support the non-UP communities that you are engaged with. This includes acting responsibly with social distancing measures like not going to large gatherings of people. For some of us, this may also mean checking in with our K-12 schools, which will be closed the next two weeks; there will be families and children who will need food or other forms of support.

Please remember that the University is uploading Coronavirus resources and FAQs at www.up.edu/coronavirus and in the Human Resources section of PilotsUP.

Thank you everyone. Please take care of yourself, your families, and each other.

Sandy S. Chung

Vice President for Human Resources & Title IX Coordinator for Compliance

University of Portland | 504 Waldschmidt Hall

5000 N. Willamette Blvd. | Portland, OR 97203-5798

T 503.943.8987 | chung@up.edu

Beauchamp Center Closing Until Further Notice

Out of an abundance of caution, and in conjunction with state guidelines on public gatherings, the athletics office is closing the Beauchamp Recreation & Wellness Center this morning (Thursday, March 12) until further notice. We will take this time to thoroughly deep clean the building in preparation for reopening at a later date.

For more information please contact athletics at x7117 or leykam@up.edu.

Please Check Your Emergency Notification Information

Campus safety recently sent employees a text message about the first Oregon cases of Coronavirus and campus preparations through our emergency notification system and a number of employees did not receive the message. Text messages are an effective way for UP community members to receive communications during an urgent or emergency situation. All faculty and staff are asked to please sign into pilots.up.edu and double check their emergency notification information and update as needed.

For more information contact campus safety at publicsafety@up.edu.