Coronavirus Update for April 8: A message on volunteering and community response to the health crisis

April 8, 2020

Dear Western Community,

In a continued effort to coordinate resources with WWU’s Community and Whatcom Unified Command, HR is distributing the following guidance for volunteers.

Message from the WWU Planning Section:

We hope everyone is healthy and safe as the vast majority of Western faculty and staff are somehow working remotely. As people have begun to adjust to this new “normal”, there have been many inquiries and requests coming through many different channels that in some fashion want to know how or if Western employees can help with the larger community effort and needs. 

The short answer: Professional and classified staff, while in an on-duty or pay status, cannot perform work on, or for, COVID19 Whatcom County Unified Command or Community organizations without the expressed approval and/or direction of the Dean or Director of your department. Deans and Directors must consider the impact that reassignment from normal duties will have on the responsibility to deliver required services to ongoing WWU operations. They must also consult with Western’s Incident Commander/Planning Section which will make the final decision for reassignment of duties.

Background:

There are two important governing issues. First, WWU and its employees are generally prohibited by law from donating or giving away most WWU resources.

Second, WWU is a part of the Whatcom County’s Unified Command under the Governor’s emergency declaration. As we function under that emergency management structure, WWU resources are only available through the Unified Command’s requisition process, and only after WWU has determined it can meet its own needs.

We hope that the following information will address the varying types of questions and requests that Western’s Planning Section has recently been receiving:

How can I contribute to Western’s Incident Command?

If you have the capacity to devote time to Western’s collective effort, please first check with your supervisor. If cleared by your supervisor to do so, you may reach out to the WWU Planning Section at COVID19Planning@wwu.edu.

What if my employee requests to support Western’s Incident Command?

Supervisors are encouraged to support the interest of the employee, if at all possible.

How can I contribute to the greater community effort?

Refer to Human Resources guidance to staff who want to volunteer their personal time.

I have been asked by a friend or colleague if WWU is willing to do XXXX – can I offer my time? How should I respond?

You may offer your time as a volunteer under the Human Resources guidance. If the person is asking you as a current member of the Whatcom Unified Command, inform them that all requests for WWU resources will be received by the WWU Planning Section at COVID19Planning@wwu.edu. You can also forward that request to the COVID19 Planning email and Planning will respond.

If the requestor is not representing Whatcom Unified Command, you can let them know that any business or organization seeking resources from WWU must fill out and submit an ICS-213RR form and email the completed form to Whatcom Unified Command at WUC_LSC@co.whatcom.wa.us. Whatcom Unified Command will make the request to WWU as they see fit. No other resource requests will be accepted.

My friend or colleague is already working for the Whatcom emergency response and I have been asked to find other WWU employees who can also help.

Inform them that all requests for WWU resources will be received by the WWU Planning Section and encourage them to contact Planning at COVID19Planning@wwu.edu.

I am already providing some service to Whatcom Unified Command. What should I do to make sure WWU is aware of this?

The state has tasked all state agencies with tracking all efforts in support of the COVID19 response. Please ensure your supervisor knows where you are! Contact the WWU Planning Section at COVID19Planning@wwu.edu and provide as much information as you can about how you became a member of Whatcom Unified Command, what function you are serving for Whatcom Unified Command, what expectations there are of your time commitment as well as good contact information for any follow up questions or clarification.

My department has material or equipment that might be useful to the community response.

WWU departments which have materials that could be considered for internal response use or transfer to Whatcom Unified Command should email the type, quantity, and manufacturer of the materials to Purchasing.department@wwu.edu. If those materials are needed, WWU Central Services will oversee pickup of the items from the departments only AFTER direction from the COVID-19 Planning Team.

If you have additional questions, please direct those to Covid19Planning@wwu.edu.

General Volunteer Guidance

Overview

Questions have been raised regarding the appropriateness of using Western’s paid work time to volunteer with other organizations to serve various needs throughout the community that have arisen due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The following document provides guidance on how to respond to such requests. More comprehensive guidance for faculty and staff on official use of time is coming soon.

Legal Guidance 

Washington State ethics laws (RCW 42.52.160 – Use of persons, money, or property for private gain) does not allow for the gifting of university time to outside organizations, even during this time of health crisis. An exception is responding to requests from Whatcom Unified Command or similar centralized command structures in municipalities located outside of Whatcom County.

Responding to Requests from Whatcom Unified Command

Requests from Whatcom Unified Command will be centralized through Western’s Incident Command Structure (ICS). The ICS leadership team will evaluate each request and has the authority to transfer an employee’s work assignment to Whatcom Unified Command or other centralized command structure for a specified period of time.

Options Available to Employees

For volunteer requests from organizations other than Whatcom Unified Command, employees need to request leave from their supervisor. Staff (check your handbook/contract) have the following leave types available for such purpose:

  • Community Service Day
  • Personal Holiday
  • Personal Leave Day (available only to Classified staff)
  • Vacation Leave
  • Life Giving Procedure Leave (can be used for blood donation)

 

Human Resources will continue to provide 24/7 service. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at 360-650-3774 or hr@wwu.edu at any time with questions.

QUESTIONS:

Employee/Labor Relations Consultants:

  • Kelsie Swanson (BFA, URM) at x4065 
  • Megan Galley (ESS, UA) at x2615 
  • Gretchen Lucas (AA) at x2513

Faculty Relations

  • Austin Cooper at x3915

During this time, you may be faced with delays in Human Resource services. We appreciate your patience!

 

Chyerl Wolfe-Lee

Assistant Vice President for Human Resources

 

The Incident Command System team at Western has established three goals for all of our preparation and response to COVID-19:  to protect life safety and minimize the spread of the coronavirus illness, to maintain – as much as possible – the continuity of Western’s operations, and to communicate with our communities as fully as possible.

Western's coronavirus information website features Frequently Asked Questions; has links to campus, regional and national resources; an archive of campus messaging and media stories about coronavirus; a new toll-free campus coronavirus information line, and more. The site is a living document, and will get frequent updates as the coronavirus situation evolves.