Campus Reaches Out to Help Employees Deal with Aftermath of Fires

Ioana Patringenaru | October 29, 2007

What kind of help will be available for fire victims? How will employees get paid?  Will employees who worked while the campus was closed get extra vacation?

The fires that devastated San Diego County aren't out yet, but UCSD top administrators already have some answers to these questions. They worked round-the-clock in the campus' Emergency Operations Center last week to find resources for faculty, staff members and students whose homes were lost or damaged, or who were traumatized by the fires. They also worked their way through complex pay and vacation questions.

“In a nutshell, the approach that we want to take is to keep whole those who weren’t able to come into work during the closure,”  said Tom Leet, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Human Resources. “At the same time, we wanted to provide something extra for those people who were required to be here to keep things running.”

Assistant Vice Chancellor of Human Resources Tom Leet

All employees that aren't represented by a union on the UCSD main campus and were scheduled to work last week before fires broke out will receive paid emergency days to cover that time period, so no one will take a pay cut. In addition, non-represented employees who worked during the closure also will receive one additional day of paid leave for each day worked, subject to their supervisor's approval. The paid leave must be used by April 30, 2008.

Human resources officials are currently working with the campus' unions to broker an agreement for represented employees. Similar discussions are under way at the campus' medical centers.

“We want to provide flexibility and support to people who lost homes, had their homes damaged, or have been traumatized,” said Leet.

Leet experienced some of what the victims are going through four years ago, during the Cedar fire. His home wasn't lost, but suffered major damage on the outside. It took Leet a year to get it fixed. The university was very good about giving him time to do that, he said. This time, Leet stayed on campus while his wife had to evacuate. Their Scripps Ranch home was spared.

Campus administrators have put in place measures for others who did suffer losses. All vice chancellors have been asked to keep track of those who lost their homes, said Steven Relyea, Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs. These victims can call a special hot line, staffed by the campus' Faculty and Staff Assistance Program. The same program will offer counseling for those whose homes burned down or were damaged, and for those who suffered trauma, said Leet. Supervisors also will get information about the support available for fire victims. 

Those who lost their homes also will have access to up to $3,000 in emergency loans, with no interest. The loans are designed to tie victims over until their insurance comes through, Relyea said. Also, the campus set up a leave donation program to benefit fire victims. The Faculty and Staff Assistance Program also is keeping track of employees willing to take in fire victims. The campus' dining halls have become drop-off points for donations of clothing and other articles for fire victims, among other initiatives.
“We're finding out if there’s anything we can do to help people who lost their homes,” Relyea said. 

Meanwhile, classes resumed Oct. 29 and campus officials announced that students won't have to make up for lost classes. As a result, the calendar for the fall quarter and final exams will remain the same.The normal 4th week deadlines for students to change grading options, change units and drop classes without a "W" on the transcript will be extended one week to Nov. 2.