Vantage Point
HDAE Workers Shift Gears to Support the Campus COVID-19 Response
COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in early 2020, and as businesses, corporations, and universities shuttered their doors and offered online options, individuals at all levels of organizations were faced with new challenges. This was a novel event, requiring ingenuity and resourcefulness to strategically create organizational structure and a culture of resilience in uncertain times.
Campus leadership was called upon to devise a sustainable work plan that would carry faculty, staff, and students through the short- and long-term while also addressing the growing needs necessitated by the COVID-19 response. When the Temporary Work Opportunity Program (TWOP) was launched, HDAE reassigned forty-three staff members to Student Health Services (SHS). While untrained for the medical environment, these individuals performed tasks from specimen collection to the intake of quarantine individuals— to work as contact tracers, and administrative support staff (Hurd, Miller & Morris, 2021). These individuals stepped up and they stepped up in a big way.
In total, approximately 100 employees shifted their work to support the campus COVID response. Their service and commitment cannot be understated. One of these employees was Leslie Ramirez of Residential Operations who has worked for Student Health Services on the COVID Support Team for over a year. In her role, she has participated in a wide range of duties from contact tracing and administrative functions to responding to questions regarding the badge system. While the past year has been challenging at times, Leslie was able to participate in helping to alleviate student fears as they dealt with everything from COVID questions to exposure. Looking back, Leslie says, “It’s great now to see campus “returning to normal” with students being back on campus and in the halls and apartments. I feel I’ve been a small part of that “recovery” and that feels good. I’m also really looking forward to getting back to HDAE!“
Simon Herrera of Conference & Hospitality Services was a Contact Tracer for the COVID-19 Support Team (CST). He assisted Student Health outreach and informed students of their exposure to a COVID positive individual in this role. Simon also helped those students schedule a COVID test and provided the resources on their next course of action. His objective was to make these contacts aware of their exposure to mitigate the spread of COVID.
Once that role ended, Simon began helping HDAE’s Quarantine/Isolation (Q/I) Housing as a Q/I Manager, where he contacts students requiring quarantine or isolation housing, and coordinates the review process with students––from their initial intake to their check-out.
According to Simon, “In the beginning, it was a bit rocky, given that I had no previous health services-related operational experiences. With time and the collaboration of the CST team, the experience became rewarding. Seeing the combined efforts from all the various staff come together and rise to the challenge was incredible. Despite the circumstances, the opportunity to learn and acquire knowledge of health services operations and compare them to my daily operations was a win in my books. I can say that I came full-circle as the experiences gained in the CST role transferred and aided my understanding of the Q/I Housing operations.”
During the early days of COVID-19 there was little known by scientists, hospitals, and medical professionals—and the ambient fear of the unknown was ever-prevalent. TWOP at UCSB provided relief for the SHS staff during what was described by Yentran Tran, MPA, Administrative Services Director, Student Health, as an “exhausting and overwhelming period of time.”
Individuals like Brian Shively of Conference & Hospitality Services stepped up as the COVID-19 Administrative Lead for Student Health Services, and was awarded the 2020-21 Staff Citation of Excellence for his service. Yentran Tran says of her colleague “Brian took on his role as the Administrative Lead for the Campus COVID Response Team with amazing vigor, an abundance of positivity and an overflowing zest to learn and lend a hand whenever his talents and skills were needed.”
These capable members of the UCSB HDAE community have made a difference that will be remembered for years to come. It is through their service, dedication, and sacrifice that they have taken part in a strategy to keep the Gaucho community strong and sustainable. As we re-open our doors, let us not forget the many HDAE staff members who supported, and are still supporting, the campus COVID response.
Reference:
Hurd, Miller & Morris (June, 2021). https://hdae.ucsb.edu/blog/compass/values-action
Contributor:
Mark Rousseau, Assistant Director, HDAE Energy & Environmental Office