January 2021

UW Bothell Community Communications

Communications sent in January 2021:

January 19, 2021 | Student message regarding UW Bothell’s plans for spring quarter and for returning to campus this fall from UW Bothell Leadership

This message is being sent to students on the University of Washington Bothell campus.

Dear Students,

We hope you’ve had a successful start to the winter quarter, despite the challenges posed by the strife in our country and the continued suffering caused by the pandemic. We are writing to share with you the University of Washington Bothell’s spring quarter plans, as well as our intent to return to in-person instruction this fall.

The coronavirus continues to infect more than 200,000 people in the United States each day, and January is poised to be the most tragic month of the pandemic to date. While vaccines are being administered here in Washington and beyond, the UW Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases and other health experts report that vaccination efforts are not expected to contain the virus enough to allow for significant relaxation of health restrictions by the start of spring quarter on March 29.

Therefore, for spring quarter we plan to continue most courses online, similar to winter quarter, while at the same time planning to offer more in-person student services and activities as the quarter progresses. Our deans, vice chancellors and other leaders are committed to expanding in-person services over the course of spring quarter — as state and local health guidelines allow. Instructors will also have the flexibility to offer optional, in-person, class-related activities, so long as students taking those courses remotely are not disadvantaged.

Any courses held in person will continue to have appropriate safety measures and physical distancing in place. The spring quarter time schedule will be posted Friday, Jan. 22, and generally indicates whether classes will be taught remotely or in person, although some changes may occur as schools refine their plans. Your academic advisers and course instructors can address questions you may have.

All undergraduate and most graduate students continue to have the option to continue their academic progress through fully remote instruction.

While the prospects for spring are not what any of us would have hoped, based on projections from health experts, we are looking forward to welcoming you back to campus for an autumn quarter with largely in-person classes. This, of course, depends on the effective distribution of vaccines and on each of us continuing to follow health guidance, such as wearing masks and avoiding gatherings.

Summer session courses will likely be a mix of remote and in-person courses, as the course of the pandemic allows. And we are in active discussions about ways in which we can safely and appropriately recognize those who will graduate this year, because we know how meaningful these events are to graduates and their families.

Throughout this pandemic, UW Bothell’s faculty and staff have been committed to finding innovative ways to support your learning, well-being and success. We will continue that commitment as we begin the transition to more in-person services this spring and more in-person courses in the summer and autumn.

We can each help hasten the end of the pandemic through our own actions, and we are so appreciative of all the ways you’re doing your part by following the Husky PACK Pledge and the three Ws — Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Watch your distance. — and also by taking part in the Husky Coronavirus Testing program. We pledge to take a coronavirus vaccine as soon as we are eligible and encourage you to do the same.

Remember, you can continue to get updates and find resources on uw.edu/coronavirus and on the UW Bothell coronavirus webpages.

Thank you for the grace and compassion you have shown each other — and yourselves — during these challenging times. There is light on the horizon, and working together we will get to a time when we can all be together, in-person, as a community once more.

Sincerely,

Bjong Wolf Yeigh
Chancellor

Sharon A. Jones
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Gowri Shankar
Interim Vice Chancellor for Planning & Administration

January 19, 2021 | Faculty and Staff message regarding spring quarter plans and returning to campus this fall from UW Bothell Leadership

This message was sent to instructors, staff and academic personnel on the University of Washington Bothell campus.

Dear Colleagues,

We hope you’ve had a successful start to the new year, despite the challenges posed by the strife in our country and the continued suffering caused by the pandemic. In advance of the spring quarter time schedule being posted this Friday, Jan. 22, we are writing to share the plans for the Bothell campus this spring as well as our intent to return to in-person instruction this fall.

The coronavirus continues to infect more than 200,000 people in the United States each day, and January is poised to be the most tragic month of the pandemic to date. While vaccines are being administered here in Washington and beyond, vaccination efforts are not expected to contain the virus enough to allow for significant relaxation of health restrictions by the start of spring quarter on March 29.

As a result, during spring quarter we plan to continue most courses online, similar to winter quarter, while at the same time planning to offer more in-person student services and activities as the quarter progresses — and as state and local health guidelines allow. Depending on health guidelines, instructors will also have the flexibility to offer optional, in-person, class-related activities, so long as students taking those courses remotely are not disadvantaged. Each unit has a COVID-19 Prevention Plan and Safe Start Checklist that provides guidance on what activities are allowed during each phase of our response. In addition, we are in the process of evaluating the governor’s new Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery plan to ensure our current prevention plans are compliant with the new guidance. We expect any updates or changes to be minor.

Any courses held in person will continue to have appropriate safety measures and physical distancing in place. All undergraduate and most graduate students continue to have the option to continue their academic progress through fully remote instruction.

While the prospects for spring are not what any of us would have hoped, based on projections from health experts, we are looking forward to welcoming students back to campus for an autumn quarter with largely in-person classes. Summer session courses will likely be a mix of remote and in-person courses, as health guidelines allow. We are also in active discussions about ways in which we can safely and appropriately recognize those who will graduate this year, because we know how meaningful these events are to graduates and their families.

As has been the case throughout the pandemic, our decisions are guided by discussions with faculty leaders, student leaders, the UW Board of Deans and Chancellors, the UW Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases, and public health experts. And because we each are facing different circumstances, these decisions are examined through an equity lens.

Employees who are currently teleworking can expect to continue to do so through June 30, 2021, so long as it doesn’t impede critical operations. Instructors should consult with their chairs or deans about modes of instruction and scheduling, and staff should consult with their supervisors if they have questions about their individual working arrangements. Employees can also request accommodations through the Disability Services Office, and we ask that everyone please provide flexibility and grace to all members of our University community, particularly those who have caregiving responsibilities.

Our progress to more in-person classes and operations depends on the effective distribution of vaccines and on each of us continuing to follow health guidance. We should each continue to practice the three Ws — Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Watch your distance. — and take part in the Husky Coronavirus Testing program. Additionally, we pledge to take a coronavirus vaccine as soon as we are eligible and encourage you to do the same.

Remember, you can continue to get updates and find resources on uw.edu/coronavirus and on the UW Bothell coronavirus webpages.

Thank you for the grace and compassion you have shown each other — and yourselves — during these challenging times. There is light on the horizon, and working together we will get to a time when we can all be together, in-person, as a community once more.

Sincerely,

Bjong Wolf Yeigh
Chancellor

Sharon A. Jones
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Gowri Shankar
Interim Vice Chancellor for Planning & Administration

January 11, 2021 | COVID-19 Employee Emergency Fund Expanded from Assistant Vice Chancellor for Organizational Excellence & HR, Beth Beam

Below is an announcement from Mindy Kornberg, Vice President for Human Resources at UW, announcing the expansion of the COVID-19 Employee Emergency Fund to assist with related child care.  Please review the announcement below and share accordingly.  Thank you so much.

Beth Beam

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the University has sought ways to help working caregivers meet their child care challenges. We know that staff and faculty whose jobs require them to work on-site face unique hurdles because they cannot always adjust their work schedules and/or locations to meet their family’s needs. 

I’m pleased to announce a change to the UW COVID-19 Employee Emergency Fund (EEF) that will help staff and faculty whose positions require them to work on-campus or in UW Medicine’s hospitals and clinics pay for pandemic-related child care costs. 

The EEF was launched last spring to provide grants of up to $750 to employees experiencing critical, temporary, and unforeseen financial hardship due to COVID-19. Employees who meet EEF requirements and whose jobs require them to work on-site are now eligible for an additional grant of up to $750 to help pay for COVID-19 related child care (for $1500 total of EEF support). Employees who previously received an EEF grant remain eligible for the child care supplement. 

Please help to promote this opportunity to employees in your areas and direct them to the EEF website to apply. 

The EEF is making a tremendous difference for UW employees who have needed our community’s support. I encourage you to read about the program’s impact here and hope you will contribute to the EEF if you are able.

Best, 
Mindy

Mindy Kornberg J.D.
Vice President for Human Resources
University of Washington

January 11, 2021 | Preparing for winter weather from Interim Vice Chancellor of Planning & Administration - Gowri Shankar


Dear UW Bothell community: 

Even as we navigate the continuing effects of the pandemic, we must prepare for other hazards, such as winter weather. In the event of a weather or other emergency, a leadership team convenes quickly to determine the appropriate measures needed to keep the campus community safe and secure. The team includes representatives from UW Bothell Planning and Administration, Facilities & Campus Safety, Emergency Management, Student Services and Marketing & Communications, as well as their counterparts from Cascadia College.

If our region experiences hazardous weather, the campus could suspend operations. If this happens, on-campus operations will be suspended, in-person instruction will be moved to remote instruction, and all campus buildings will be locked. However, all instruction and student services will continue to be offered remotely. Similarly, telework arrangements for staff will continue. Only essential employees whose work requires them to be physically present on campus should come to campus during suspended operations, observing appropriate care and safety measures.

This winter, UW Bothell and Cascadia College will have few students and personnel coming to campus. If a decision is made to suspend operations on campus, it is our intent to notify the campus community of this decision by 10 p.m. the night before.

From text and email alerts to our internal public address system, UW Bothell has a number of ways to notify the campus community about disruptions to our campus when they occur.  Please take a moment now to sign up for our text and email alerts at uw.edu/alert.  

Emergencies and closure information on or near campus will be communicated in a number of ways, including:  

  • UW Alert (text and email messages) 

  • Alertus desktop notification system (If you are connected to the UW network via the BIG-IP Edge Client, you will get alerts on your desktop even at home.)

  • UW Bothell website: www.uwb.edu 

  • UW Bothell’s emergency blog: www.uwb.edu/emergency  (The blog is updated frequently when an incident on campus occurs.)

  • UW Bothell’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/uwbothell 

  • UW Bothell’s Twitter account: www.twitter.com@uwbothell

  • UWB Advisory email list

  • UW Bothell’s information line: 425-352-3333 

  • www.flashalert.net (feeds to local TV and radio) 

Sincerely, 

Gowri Shankar, Ph.D., CFA
Interim Vice Chancellor, Planning & Administration