Coronavirus Update for March 30: Student employees, office supplies, and more

March 30, 2020

Dear Western Community,

Western continues to remain open, and not in suspended operations. Please see below for updates from Human Resources.

Temporary Employee Hour Limit Exception:

Temporary classified employees are typically limited to 1,050 hours per employment year. However, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, critical temporary employees performing an essential function as defined by Governor Inslee may be eligible for an exception allowing them to work over 1,050 hours. Please contact your Employee/Labor Relations Consultant for more information.

Employee/Labor Relations Consultants:

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

A Message from Student Employment

Student employees and their supervisors face unique challenges during this time. The Student Employment Office offers some guidance here.

Volunteering

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)

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. 

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. For full text, see the Response to Staff Volunteer Requests. More comprehensive guidance for faculty and staff on official use of time is coming soon.

Ordering Supplies and Home Delivery

Please note to facilitate operations while working from home: If you need to order an item through Marketplace please select the central services address and this item will be held for you.

WWU Central Services

781 25th St.

Bellingham, WA 98225

If you have an immediate need for an item to facilitate your work at home, please use a P Card /Department P Card and purchase the items with delivery to your home address. Please note Amazon Business is a good vehicle for this type of purchasing. If you require access to Amazon Business, please email Karen.McKinnon@wwu.edu.

PLEASE NOTE: This change in process is a temporary measure as we react with COVID-19. All purchases that have home delivery address must be first sent to Purchasing.Department@wwu.edu prior to being placed so appropriate tracking can take place.

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 consultant:

  • 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.