We in Staff Council wanted to check in with all of you, and we hope you continue to adjust to the new normal of our times. Our work in support of you and as the voice for UT staff continues, and I wanted to check in and give you a brief update.
Before I continue with updates and information, please save the date for our April 16th meeting, scheduled for 2:00 – 3:30 pm. Zoom access details will be provided closer to the date. We are looking forward to our special guest, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Darrell Bazzell.
Staff Council Officers Meeting with Adrienne-Howarth Moore, Associate Vice President for Human Resources
As you can imagine, our discussion with Adrienne focused on COVID-19 and its impact on UT. The primary focus for upper administration has been transitioning, as much as possible, a community of 70,000 people (50k students, 20k faculty/staff) to an online working and learning environment in a very short amount of time. Here are some points from our meeting:
* UT System institutions are collaborating and exchanging information about how new legislation will affect our respective communities.
* UT’s upper administration is committed to preserving jobs and income for staff.
* Managers are encouraged to make every effort to work with staff to accommodate individual situations, with a goal toward employment continuity. Some suggestions include:
-- Allowing employees to work hours outside of their traditional schedule.
-- Encouraging cross-training and professional development opportunities.
-- Assigning training in LinkedIn Learning.
* Timesheet guidance will continue to be provided by central HR as they interpret the new federal legislation.
Adrienne is a strong advocate for staff and is always willing to listen to and consider anything that Staff Council brings to her attention. Please continue to share your issues and concerns with us – each and every staff perspective is important at this juncture.
Staff Council Officers Meeting with UT President Greg Fenves
Our discussion with President Fenves also focused primarily on the impact of COVID-19 on UT. We discussed the priorities of the past few weeks, which have been:
* Transitioning students and faculty to an online learning format.
* Supporting students in moving out of the residence halls.
* Shutting down most research activities.
* Maintaining critical operations like the Power Plant, IT support for everything transitioning online, and of course Dell Medical School and University Health Services, among others.
Now that those above items have transitioned to a place of maintenance (as well as possible), there is space to focus on other critical things like improving communications and direction to the entire UT community. President Fenves recognizes that there are many opportunities to improve the university-wide communications, including providing guidance for how to interpret those communications in relation to our individual work situations.
Finally, we discussed the news regarding the departure of Provost Maurie McInnis. We wish Provost McInnis great success and happiness at Stony Brook. The many initiatives of the Provost’s Office will continue during this transition, and President Fenves hopes to name an interim in the coming weeks. If you are interested in the makeup of the consultative committee for choosing the new provost (not the interim), check out HOP 2-2110.
SHOUTOUTS
If you or anyone in your units have great stories to tell about how someone has gone above and beyond, there is a new platform for you to give “UT Shoutouts.” Please complete this form when someone demonstrates extraordinary effort for the university as we work through this pandemic. Texas Connect will promote them on social media, and a special thank you call from President Fenves will occur with one employee when possible on Fridays.
ESSENTIAL STAFF
I’d like to add a few lines about the phrase “essential staff.” At times like this, this phrase is often used to describe staff in various positions. Please know that this is a phrase that is written into federal and state legislation to identify employees who occupy certain roles; however, it has no bearing whatsoever on your individual value as a staff member at UT. When you hear this phrase, please think of it more as “legalese” and not as anything that implies your worth. In fact, both Adrienne and President Fenves reiterated this in our meetings with them. They, and I, view all of you as important and critical to UT’s mission.
Finally, to all of you working directly with students, Staff Council applauds all that you are doing to contribute to their continued success during these extraordinary times. They are the reason that all of us are here, even if we don't directly interact with them.
And, to everyone, stay informed. Stay safe and healthy out there. Ask for help when needed. Reach out and let someone know you’re thinking of them. Take care of you.
Always feel welcome to reach out to us, either through your rep, through me, or through our Issues Process.
~Sandra Catlett, UTSC Chair 2019-2020 and representative for District 242 | she/her/hers