For Our Employees

Coronavirus Information

Latest Updates

Attestation Process

All employees who are working on one of EWU’s campuses are required to fill out a daily symptom check online before coming to campus or immediately upon arrival.

COVID-19 Symptom Check

Virtual Labs 2.0

EWU Information Technology is launching Virtual Labs 2.0, a new, browser-based virtual lab that lets faculty and students access the applications they need from anywhere, including classrooms, the library, and at home. Virtual Labs 2.0 offers a variety of academic software programs, including ArcGIS, MATLAB, Mathematica, Minitab, SAS, SPSS, Stata, and more.

Get Started

Mask Requirements

Beginning Friday, June 26, every Washingtonian will be required to wear a facial covering when in a public space. The mask mandate includes both indoor and outdoor public spaces.

More information & Exemptions Eagle Strong Masks

Reporting Cases

To help minimize the risk of potential exposure on EWU’s Cheney campus, the university’s Office of Risk, Compliance and Procurement has developed an online form to provide an easy method for reporting a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, or for reporting close contact with a person who has contracted the virus.

Case Reporting Form

Unemployment Benefits

The university has received questions related to unemployment. As an initial point of clarification, the Employment Security Department (ESD) processes claims and determines eligibility, not EWU.

Unemployment Resources

Human Resources & Leave Time

Transitioning to Online Instruction

Telework Resources

Online Teaching Readiness Quiz

Instructional Tech Resources

Employment

If you are sick, stay home. If an employee is coming to work on campus, the employee must first assess whether or not they are experiencing any symptoms associated with COVID-19 and complete the COVID-19 Symptom Check. Employees should ask whether they have:

  • A new fever (100.4◦ or higher), or a sense of having a fever?
  • A new cough that you cannot attribute to another health condition?
  • New shortness of breath that you cannot attribute to another health condition?
  • A new sore throat that you cannot attribute to another health condition?
  • New muscle aches that you cannot attribute to another health condition, or that may have been caused by a specific activity (such as physical exercise)?

If you answer yes, to any of these questions, please remain at home and contact your medical provider for advice.

Employees who answer yes to any of these questions are asked to please remain at home and contact their medical providers for advice. This information will be posted outside of each of EWU’s facilities.

More: Telework Resources

  1. If you believe you have been exposed to the coronavirus or have been advised by a medical provider to self-quarantine, you should contact your medical provider. Let your supervisor know you will not be coming to work and report the information at www.ewu.edu/reportcovid.  Supervisors are required to immediately notify Caren Lincoln, Director of Human Resources. To support employee’s privacy, supervisors shall not discuss reports of possible coronavirus with other employees.
  2. The Washington State Department of Health has information about how to identify coronavirus symptoms and what to do if you think you have been exposed. More

If an employee informs you of these conditions, you should immediately report this information at www.ewu.edu/reportcovid. To support employee privacy, supervisors shall not discuss reports of possible coronavirus with other employees.

If you are identified as a close contact of an EWU employee or student who has tested positive for COVID-19, you will be notified by either Health & Wellness or Human Resources. People who are not identified as close contacts will not be notified. General information about how many positive cases are on campus is available on the COVID statistics website.  

If a medical provider or the local health district recommends that you quarantine yourself, you should not come to work. If you are still able to work, you may contact your supervisor to determine whether or not teleworking is an option. If teleworking is not an option or you are not feeling well, you may use sick leave, shared leave, COVID-19 sick leave, personal holiday, vacation leave, compensatory leave, or leave without pay.

If someone in your household is asked to quarantine by a medical provider or local health district, it is possible that your entire household will be quarantined. You should follow the medical provider or local health district’s instructions and notify your supervisor if you are quarantined.

Please visit the WA Health Care Authority COVID-19 page for more information.

Leave Time and L&I

To qualify to use university-accrued sick leave in these circumstances:

  • The employee is unable to work due to physical illness or when the employee is seeking medical diagnosis and care;
  • To allow the employee to provide care for a family member as defined in RCW 49.46.210 who is experiencing physical illness or who needs medical care;
  • Until the expiration of the governor’s proclamation 20-25, when the employee is unable to work because their supervisor has not identified them as performing essential work and has also determined they are unable to work remotely or telework; or,
  • When the university is closed by order of a public official for any health-related reason or when an employee’s child’s school or place of care has been closed for such a reason.

The use of leave is governed by both Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) and Policy, so the use of leave varies on your employment status.

Classified, PSE, and Unrepresented Exempt Staff may use accrued sick leave or available vacation if:

  • The employee or qualified family member contracts the coronavirus.
  • The Spokane Regional Health District or other public official quarantines an employee following exposure to the coronavirus.
  • The employee’s child’s school or place of care has been closed by a public health official due to the coronavirus.
  • The university is closed by order of a public official due to the coronavirus.
  • Until the expiration of the Governor’s Proclamation 20-25, when the employee is unable to work because their supervisor has not identified them as falling within one of the exceptions to the Governor’s order and has also determined they are unable to work remotely or telework.

Temporary employees may use accrued sick leave for the purposes described above.

Faculty

Pursuant to Article 11 of the UFE/EWU CBA:

All faculty, including quarterly faculty, are authorized to take up to two weeks of paid sick leave:

  • If the faculty member experiences a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; to accommodate the employee’s need for medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; or an employee’s need for preventive medical care.
  • If the faculty member needs to provide care for a family member with a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; care of a family member who needs medical diagnosis, care, treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; or care for a family member who needs preventive medical care.
  • If the university is closed by order of a public health official for any health-related reason, or when an employee’s child’s school or place of care has been closed for such a reason.

Probationary, tenured and special faculty who contract the coronavirus may be eligible for an additional 2 weeks of short term disability leave if approved by their dean. Faculty may also be eligible for federal COVID-19 sick leave and COVID-19 FMLA leave.

Additionally, if as a result of contracting the coronavirus, faculty qualify for disability leave, they may be eligible for additional leave. Tenured faculty are eligible for up to 15 weeks; senior lecturers, senior library associate’s, and probationary faculty may receive up to 12 work weeks. The amount of time that lecturers, library associates, and faculty in residence would be eligible would vary depending on the length of time they have worked at EWU.

Yes. Shared leave is now available if an employee, a relative or household member is isolated or quarantined as recommended, requested, or ordered by a public health official or health care provider as a result of suspended or confirmed infection with or exposure to COVID-19.

Federal COVID-19 leave expires on December 31, 2020. This leave provided additional employee leave benefits including paid sick leave for employees who were subject to isolation or quarantine and paid leave for employees who were experiencing child care issues related to school or daycare closures related to COVID-19. Employees who are experiencing issues related to COVID-19 are encouraged to reach out to Kenlyn Mackey in the Human Resources Office at telephone 509.359.6904 or email kmackey2@ewu.edu to explore other leave options such as accrued sick leave, accrued vacation leave, comp time, shared leave or leave without pay.

You should first explore with your supervisor whether telework is an option. If you are unable to work because your child’s school or daycare is closed, you may use available accrued sick leave, vacation leave, personal holiday, compensatory leave, or leave without pay.

The Department of Labor and Industries administers workers’ compensation claims in the State of Washington. Information about the coronavirus and workers’ compensation.

Employee Assistance and Resources

The Washington State EAP is offering wellness resources to help you and your loved ones cope with COVID-19. This includes a series of virtual sessions to provide support for employees, on topics including self-care, coping with stress and fear, and family support. To register for a live presentation or to view a recorded session on-demand, visit the EAP COVID-19 Resource Page.

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (CODE: EWU)

We understand that the current COVID-19 pandemic is creating significant financial difficulties for individuals. There are a number of resources at EWU and in the Spokane community that may be of assistance to you during this difficult time:

Unemployment

If you were laid off, placed on standby status, or terminated from a job, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits. For information about eligibility for unemployment benefits and instructions on how to file a claim, go to esd.wa.gov/unemployment or visit the Unemployment Q&A.

Additional resources can be found on the Spokane Public Library website.

Food Insecurity
EWU’s Food Pantry Program is still available to all members of the EWU community. For information about the Food Pantry Program, including how to access these services during break, visit the food pantry website.

Second Harvest Food Bank is still operating and offering food assistance. For information about where to access these resources, visit the Second Harvest website.

Housing Assistance
The Governor of the State of Washington has declared a 30-day moratorium on all residential evictions for non-payment of rent or for termination of a month-to-month tenancy. You can find information about this moratorium as well as some of the other recent changes to laws about health care, mortgages, and court hearings on the Washington Law Help website.

SNAP is a community resource that provides housing assistance to people in need. Information about the services offered by SNAP is available at snapwa.org/live.

If you are a student and need housing on campus, you can contact Housing & Residential Life at ewu.edu/housing.

Student Care Team
EWU’s Student Care Team is here for you, even if they cannot meet in person. If you are a student and have concerns about your well-being or need assistance in locating community resources, information about the Student Care Team is available on the Community Care Team website.

Unemployment Resources

Claims for unemployment must be filed with the Employment Security Department (ESD). Eastern Washington University is not responsible for processing claims or for determining eligibility. Visit esd.wa.gov for step-by-step instructions on how to apply for unemployment benefits and get answers to your questions. ESD has provided the following guidance:

  • Apply online and reserve calling ESDs call centers for any specific claims issues that may arise

Phone numbers

  • If you have questions after you’ve checked the website, call: 833.572.8400
  • To file your weekly claim over the phone, call: 800.318.6022
  • NOTE: claims inquiries that cannot be answered online. Call: 800.318.6022

Virtual Live Chat

You can also seek answers to questions through WorkSource Washington’s new virtual Live Chat feature.

Employment Security Department (ESD) has a lot of information available on their website. You may find answers to most questions at esd.wa.gov.

If you are asking about a specific claim, you must contact customer service at 800.318.6022.

Employment Security Department (ESD) has indicated that people will get paid retroactively to the date of their eligibility. Please visit esd.wa.gov to see if your questions can be answered with the information there first.

You may also call ESD’s question line (833.572.8400) or use live chat.

No, according to the Employment Security Department (ESD). The benefits will be there for those who are eligible and need them.

Employment Security Department (ESD) is experiencing a 1,000 percent increase in call volume since the COVID-19 crisis began. They are working hard to meet that demand. Please check on the website and if you haven’t heard back in a couple of days, try calling customer service at 800.318.6022.

Employment Security Department (ESD) has indicated that once approved and an initial claim is filed, it may take 7-10 days (since the waiting week was waived). It can also be as fast as 24-48 hours for those with direct deposit.

Once approved, recipients must file weekly claims and may do so Sunday through Saturday, online or over the phone: 800.318.6022.

Telework Resources

Under Phase 2, employees who perform professional services, which means employees who perform office-based occupations, can begin returning to work onsite on Monday, June 1. Read more…

Return to Work Training

Supervisors may consider telework requests when:

  • The arrangement will allow the employee to perform the essential functions of the position effectively and productively.
  • The employee has proven the ability to successfully perform the essential functions of the position,
  • There is a sufficient amount of work being proposed,
  • The employee has a proven ability to work independently,
  • The equipment and services necessary are feasible,
  • Effective communication with the supervisor, co-workers, and customers is possible,
  • The work space is conducive to getting the work accomplished, and
  • The employee has the ability to be flexible about the telework arrangement, respond to all operational needs.

Prior to approving an incidental telework request, the supervisor shall:

  • Confirm that the employee has the capability to adequately perform assignments from home,
  • Determine the work is crucial enough to warrant being performed at that time, and
  • Specify to the employee the work to be done and the amount of work time allotted (number of hours and dates).

Prior approval is required for out-of-state teleworking.

As a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, some employees have been approved to telework on a temporary basis from their homes which are within the state.  Recently we have received some requests for individuals to temporarily telework from out-of-state.  There are additional legal requirements that must be met by the University before employees may be authorized by the University to work out-of-state, such as coordination of income tax and other taxes where applicable.

In order to obtain authorization to work out-of-state:

  • Employees must submit a telework plan to their supervisor identifying the proposed out-of-state work location.  It is preferable that the plan be submitted to the supervisor at least 30 workdays prior to the start date.
  • The plan must be approved by the employee’s supervisor, second-level supervisor (if applicable), and President/Provost/Vice President (or designee) before any out-of-state work will be authorized.
  • The President/Provost/Vice President (or designee) will coordinate with the Human Resources Office to ensure all necessary measures are in place to comply with applicable regulations. The Human Resources team will notify the Payroll Office as to the approvals.
  • Out-of-state work may begin after approval of the plan and completion of required state tax applications and other compliance measures by the Payroll Office.

Yes, it is permissible to take your assigned university-owned computer home. Before doing so, please contact your assigned IT Coordinator or the IT Help Desk to ensure that it will work properly off-campus.

Yes, this is not prohibited by university policy, state ethics rules, or state law.

To avoid this issue, only use university-provided cloud services like Outlook, Office 365, Google G Suite, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Zoom, and Canvas. By using these services, any work-related documents, communication, and records are automatically stored on university services.

This is highly discouraged and will expose your personal account(s) to public records request searches.

Yes, Microsoft Office 365 is licensed for use on personal devices and is available to all faculty, staff, and students. See this knowledge base article for instructions. You may use Office 365 on up to five machines, including your university-owned devices.

Adobe Acrobat DC and Creative Cloud are also licensed for use on personal devices. If you have a license assigned, follow these instructions to install on your personal devices. You may use Adobe products on up to two machines, including your university-owned devices.

You may also install and connect to the university network using our VPN. Instructions are also available in IT’s knowledge base. The VPN is available to all faculty, staff, and students.

Zoom, Canvas, Google, Office 365 all run in the cloud, ensuring that we are not limited by campus bandwidth limitations or campus server capacity.

Yes! While times have changed the way we do business and where we might be working, the Ethics in Public Service Act still applies to you. This means, for example, you are still accountable for your time and the state resources (e.g. state computer) given to you by your agency to do your job away from the worksite. State resources remain state resources regardless of where they are used.

EWU is offering Wi-Fi coverage in several campus parking lots in an effort to provide students and employees with internet access from the safety of their own vehicles. The temporary access is now available in these Cheney campus parking lots: Roos Field parking lot, Hargreaves-Isle parking lots, Showalter parking lot, Visitor Center parking lot and Sutton-Martin parking lot. Learn More

As of Monday, March 16, 2020, Comcast began offering 2 months free without a contract to new Internet Essentials customers in response to recent and anticipated emergency measures associated with the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Other providers, including cellular/wireless services, may have offers. Please check with your local providers to see what options may be available. Note: Comcast is not currently available in Cheney.

Instructions for iOS and Android are included below, but you may also reach out to IT through the Help Desk or your IT Coordinator for assistance.

All carriers have agreed to provide free hotspot access. Most, but not all, carriers are also offering free unlimited data.

IT is currently exploring ways to further extend Help Desk services.

Please follow the directions given to those at your campus and contact your supervisor for additional direction.

Online Instruction

Instructional Technology and Design offers an array of instructional technology and consultative services to Eastern faculty, staff and students. Please visit the Instructional Technology Canvas page for links to Canvas instructor and student guides. Additionally, Zoom video conferencing may be used to remotely deliver lectures.

In the case of campus closure, the Instructional Technology and Design department will continue to provide support via email (InstructionalTech@ewu.edu), through help desk tickets, and Canvas support tickets (from Canvas, click Help and select Report a Problem). If you need to call (509.359.6656), please note we will be monitoring the phone, but there may be a delay in getting back to you, therefore, we encourage you to use email.

To help you get started, here is a list of best practices for delivering your courses remotely:

For additional information, please visit Continued Academic Operations.

EWU has put together a page to make it easier for faculty to locate resources and find the information they need to move instruction online in spring quarter. Visit the Faculty Commons for more information.

Students needing accommodation should continue to work directly with EWU Disability Support Services to be provided with the best possible learning experience.

Please visit the EWU Online Test Proctoring resource page for more information.

The staff and faculty of Instructional Technology, Information Technology, Online Learning, and the Faculty Commons are providing instruction and assistance to faculty as they transition to online teaching.

The university’s technology infrastructure is well equipped to support this transition with most of our services now based in the cloud.

Although the scale of this transition is new, Eastern Washington University has already been teaching online courses and entire degrees for many years.

Continued Academic Operations

Feedback, Questions & Reporting

All members of the university community should report positive COVID-19 diagnoses or share their concerns and questions using the form below.

Give Feedback or Report a Case

EWU Health, Wellness & Prevention Services

201 URC – Cheney, WA 99004
Phone: 509.359.4279
Email: stuhealth@ewu.edu
Website: ewu.edu/bewell

We are your source for health and wellbeing information on campus. Our mission is to support and empower student wellbeing, growth and development through education, information and positive role-modeling. Successful achievement of this commitment is enhanced through collaboration with our campus and surrounding communities.

Text: Questions about COVID-19? Call the WA State Dept of Health: 1.800.525.0127 and press # or visit srhd.org/covid19