Values in Action

HDAE COVID Support Team Shows the Campus How Much WE CARE

In spring 2019, as COVID-19 shut down our campus, HDAE got to work planning for the hopeful return of students in the fall. Little did we know that the virus, and ensuing pandemic, would keep the campus closed for the entirety of the 2020-21 academic year. As we know, the work of auxiliary services relies on people, namely students, being on campus, living in our facilities, attending campus events, dining in our establishments, shopping in our stores, visiting the University Center, staying at our Guest House, and parking in campus lots. After the initial push to clean and shutter many of our facilities there was a significant reduction in work and times were uncertain as we looked to the immediate future.

Meanwhile, campus leadership was wrestling with how to meet the expanded needs that COVID-19 presented. The campus’ Human Resources department began work on creating a program to reassign employees with minimal work to departments where assistance was severely needed. When the Temporary Work Opportunity Program (TWOP) was announced, HDAE showed up in big ways redeploying nearly 50 employees to various units throughout campus. 

The largest segment of the reassigned HDAE workforce (43) went to Student Health to assist the campus COVID Response Team by performing a variety of tasks in the testing centers, and as contact tracers and administrative support. These team members were not previously trained to work in a medical environment but were quickly brought on board and became critical team members in providing support to students throughout the 2020-21 academic year. Members of the HDAE team worked alongside our Student Health colleagues to provide services to thousands of students. They ushered students through the COVID testing process from intake to specimen collection, they spoke with students about what it means to have an exposure to or test positive for COVID, and they created systems and processes that ensured information was easily shared and accessible while maintaining the strictest confidentiality. 

Another piece of the puzzle that needed to be addressed was quarantine and isolation housing. Representatives from the Dean of Students Office, Student Health, and HDAE came together to identify needs and outline a plan of action ahead of students returning to Santa Barbara for fall 2020 remote instruction. The logistics of this undertaking are not to be understated. The quarantine/isolation (QI) housing program would need to interface closely with Student Health, adhering to HIPAA standards, while making it possible to support students during their stay. It was clear that providing a place to live would not be enough. Plans would need to be in place to support students’ academic, mental health, financial, food, and other basic needs. And while we are generally in the business of housing students, this was a whole new ball game and the QI housing program had to be built from the ground up.

Tapping into the expertise of team members from the Associate Vice Chancellor’s Office, Conference & Hospitality Services, and Residential & Community Living, the QI housing program came to life. The QI Managers, in consultation with multiple HDAE and campus stakeholders including Campus Dining, Residential Operations, Transportation & Parking Services, Student Affairs and the COVID Response Team leadership, developed highly successful policies and procedures that protected the health and safety of our UCSB students and the greater community. 

Working alongside the Managers were the QI Coordinators made up of lead team members from Residential & Community Living. Selected for their counseling skills and knowledge of student development, QI Coordinators established the sensitive process for reaching out to inform and encourage students to temporarily relocate to QI Housing. Once a student moved in, the Coordinators provided personal support by checking in each day and connecting students to a variety of campus resources. The Coordinators did their absolute best to turn an uncomfortable and nerve wracking experience into one where students felt safe, comfortable, and supported. 

There were countless other ways HDAE team members supported students through the pandemic. Campus Dining established a meal delivery program that provided meals to those students with meal plans who were quarantining/isolating. The Residential Operations Housekeeping Team developed processes and procedures to ensure rooms in QI Housing were cleaned and disinfected properly so the apartment was ready for the next student in need. Transportation & Parking Services provided flexibility in loading and unloading areas around QI Housing, and created a special QI Housing permit for students throughout their stay. And the list could go on and on.

When nominations were being accepted for the annual William J. Villa Service to Student Award, it was clear that the HDAE COVID Support Team should be nominated for their contributions to student support and success in 2020-2021. Given to departments that have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the growth and development of students and quality of student life, on May 26 it was announced that the HDAE COVID Support Team had won and would be recognized at the annual awards ceremony on June 3! After an extremely challenging year, what better way to celebrate than to be recognized for the tremendous work done by so many of our HDAE team.