March 24, 2020
Dear faculty and staff,
The last few weeks have been intense, with each day bringing new information for all of us to absorb and sort out as we learn more about the spread and impact of the novel coronavirus.
To date, most of that news has been unwelcome and challenging as the number of cases worldwide exceeds 400,000 and nears 1,800 right here in Michigan. Yesterday, Gov. Whitmer issued an executive order to "shelter in place" to further limit social interaction and slow the spread of this disease.
I understand that none of us signed up for this crisis and, unfortunately, there is no playbook to tell us just what to expect, what to do next, nor how long the crisis will last. I know there are answers you want about what is happening today and what the future may hold. We are working to answer as many of your questions as we can. I also believe it is important for me to acknowledge that some answers simply do not exist.
No one knows the course of this disease and when we might expect to return to normal. We are operating with incomplete, ambiguous and constantly changing information. I empathize with how that uncertainty adds to the stress or anxiety we may feel around our own and our family’s security, as well as our community’s safety. This is the situation that we share.
As our national and local leaders struggle to contain the virus, the effects have begun to ripple through our economy. Just last week, unemployment insurance claims in Michigan surged by 2,100 percent. With most service and entertainment industries shuttered and "shelter in place" orders leaving other industries to significantly scale back or close altogether, some experts are forecasting that nationwide as many as 5 million people will lose their jobs this month. Higher education has not been immune to this. Moody’s rating agency downgraded the sector from stable to negative, as expenses are expected to outpace revenue for the next 12 to 18 months.
Despite the gloomy news in the state and across the country, I think it is important to keep in mind that no one at WMU has been laid off. No one has lost their health insurance. Last Thursday evening, I said we were going to get through this together. I believe that is as true today as it was then, even with all of the economic distress going on around us.
Of course, this does not mean that you, our faculty and staff, have not felt the impact already. You have. The faculty transitioned to distance education in a matter of days. Dining Services moved to grab-and-go service in a matter of hours. Residence Life is in the process of checking out the majority of our students and assisting others who are returning to campus to pick up their belongings. And some employees will be moving to limited hours of work and having to draw among the three paid leave programs the University provides. Our senior leadership continues to work unabated, but each one has also volunteered to forfeit at least two weeks of leave, some more, during this period. And they have pledged $10,300 to the Student Emergency Relief Fund.
There are understandable concerns about the duration of this crisis and leave balances. We established the COVID-19 allowance to help mitigate the impact by giving two additional weeks of leave. That leave can be used first for all those employees who do not have work assignments during this time.
I have also asked each division head and supervisor/manager to make thoughtful determinations about how to adjust hours of work to meet critical short-run needs while being sensitive to the impact on staff. Both of these considerations are important, but the solutions will not be a one-size-fits-all approach. Effective implementation requires the good judgment of our leaders and supervisors/managers to make decisions that make sense given their particular situation. Put more simply, our approach is to focus our energies on managing the work that must be done this semester, even during this crisis.
We all know from our daily jobs that some work must be done today, other work can only be put off for a matter of weeks and still other tasks can be delayed until after the end of the semester without doing lasting damage.
The President’s Cabinet, COVID-19 Task Force and I are monitoring the impacts of this public health crisis on the University and you, our employees, both in the short term and over time. We will continue to consider actions that may help mitigate widespread impacts in the coming weeks. We will have to continually adjust to this shifting environment until the pandemic abates.
As we move forward, please know this: We consider every step very seriously. We know our decisions have consequences that are felt by our community. Have we gotten a lot right? Time will tell, but I think, yes. Will we make mistakes? We are human, so, most likely, yes. The key will be to correct and recover as quickly as possible and learn when that happens.
Making no decisions is not an option, nor is waiting for crystal clarity about the future. Waiting until the train hits you is not a good strategy and neither is failing to respond to what is happening around us. We cannot hide and hope that this too shall pass. It has already touched us, and the sense from every expert is that we are wise to prepare for the next challenge. Avoiding doing so only invites peril in the long run.
I know you still have questions and concerns for yourself, your colleagues and the University. The FAQ section of our COVID-19 website is updated frequently. It includes answers to your questions about the COVID-19 allowance, other forms of leave and related matters. It will continue to be updated as we know more.
I also encourage employees to reach out to their supervisor or Human Resources with additional questions. We are committed to adapting and keeping you informed about developments that affect our community.
Thank you for the part each of you is doing to help our students and WMU weather this storm.
Edward Montgomery
President