News from the Chair: Post-storm Resources

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Published:
February 22, 2021

There's no way around it - this year has been a rough one so far.  As many of us struggled (and some of us continue to struggle) with basic necessities during and after the winter storm, staff also worked hard to take care of our university community - feeding students, running warming stations, keeping our utilities and computer systems running, even staying on campus for days on end.  Staff’s commitment to the university community and keeping things running is inspiring and UTSC is so proud of you.  I especially want to recognize with gratitude the tremendous efforts of our essential workers who don't get to stay home when things get real.

As we continue to get back on our feet through the aftermath of this crisis, I wanted to share some resources that may be of help.

  • Financial Assistance:  If you are experiencing a temporary financial hardship, the Staff Emergency Fund has funds available and the approval committee stands ready to process applications.  
  • Mental Health:  Healthpoint EAP has been providing counseling services throughout the winter storm event but beginning today, they will restart full-scale counseling sessions for those triaged as needing priority appointments.  
  • Physical Health:  Healthpoint OHP has continued to provide COVID-19 contact tracing and injury triage throughout the winter storm and will continue to operate in this capacity.

The Staff Council general meeting scheduled to happen this past Thursday is still in the process of being rescheduled.  I will share more information once we have those details.  In the meantime, it will take us all some time to truly recover from this.  Let's remember to be kind and support not only our colleagues and families, but also ourselves.



And as always, if there is any way that Staff Council can serve you better, please reach out to me or your district rep and let us know. 



~Rainbow Di Benedetto, UTSC Chair 2020-2021 and representative for District 408 | she/her