Bert's Alerts—April 3, 2020
In the Spotlight
Look familiar? #mightyCWI's Communications and Marketing department meetings probably look a lot like everyone else's these days! Thank you to all our amazing faculty and staff for all you are doing and continue to do as we make the best of our current and unprecedented situation. Cheers to the rest of Spring 2020 semester as we move CWI online!
President's Message
What makes the College of Western Idaho (CWI) great? “We the People”!
I cannot thank the CWI Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, and administration enough for making CWI the success it is today.
Now is the time to recognize “We the People” have made CWI great in the past and will make CWI an amazing success in the future. From the front-line employees who serve students daily, to the hundreds of support staff who make it possible for us to serve those students – we have passionate, dedicated, and committed employees who assure the public perceives CWI as a first-class operation. We are and have been a high-performing organization serving our community. It is impossible to acknowledge by name all 1,100 plus employees who make this College great.
CWI front-line employees – Academic and Career and Technical Education faculty, Dual Credit, Basic Skills Education, Workforce Development instructors, the Library, Center for Teaching and Learning, Tutoring, and Student Services personnel – please know you have directly changed student’s lives for the better, forever. You have given families hope of a better and brighter future. From comments from students, family members, businesses, and community members at large, it is clear you have set an outstanding customer-relations standard many other organization can only aspire to achieve.
CWI support staff – there are so many of you, and you are all so amazing; from the Business office, Human Resources, Facilities Planning and Management, Information Technology, Institutional Effectiveness, College Relations, the Bookstore, Security, and an army of Administrative Assistants - lease know we could not do our work successfully without your dedicated support. Like every truly great organization, there are so many unsung people behind-the-scenes who make everything possible. You are the ones who make our organization excel and perform at the highest levels. You make a difference in so many ways! It is impossible to thank you enough.
I hope during these particularly tough times we make a concerted effort to thank our co-workers at every opportunity we can for the difference they make in helping us serve our students and local community. It is time for us to lift each other up and realize we are so much greater together – working as one: “We the People”.
It is just us – we are the people who make the difference. Together, we are the ones changing people’s lives for dynamic purposes, forever. When we act as one we are stronger, fearless, unstoppable, and able to accomplish the impossible.
I am honored, proud, and feel privileged to be a part of what I consider to be a high-performing organization. I hope you feel the same about CWI, what we have achieved, and what we will achieve in the future years to come, together.
News Highlights
Online Learning Resources
As Spring 2020 semester classes at College of Western Idaho resume Monday, April 6, 2020, we recognize the struggles many of our students may be experiencing and want you to know we are here for you!
To aid in the transition to online coursework, CWI has created an Online Learning Resources page dedicating to providing students with learning guides and information. Our faculty and staff are ready to support students and help us all complete the semester successfully!
Virtual Event Opportunities for Students
Social distance doesn't mean we can't connect and enjoy the company of our CWI community! Stay in touch with fellow students, and join us as College of Western Idaho's (CWI) Student Affairs team hosts a variety of virtual events designed with YOU in mind!
Student Engagement, Counseling Services, Disability Services, Veteran Services, and Center for New Directions at the College have teamed up to provide online engagement opportunities for our students including:
- Book Discussions
- Educating Children from Home Workshop
- GI Bill Help Session
- Hip Hop Dance Class
- Mindfulness
- Morning Military Physical Training (PT)
- Single Parent Seminars
- Trivia Nights
- Watch Parties
- Yoga Sessions
- … and MORE!!!
Check out the upcoming events on the Student Affairs web page or follow us on Facebook @CWIStudentAffairs to stay up-to-date on all the virtual greatness we have planned!
Do you have a request for a workshop, discussion, watch party, etc? Email studentengagement@cwi.edu with your ideas!
Computer Lab Access
While College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Spring 2020 semester has moved to online instruction, we recognize there continues to be a need for students to utilize CWI's on-campus computer labs. Whether it is due to a lack of funds or available resources, we want to ensure each of our students is provided the assistance they need to be successful. For this reason, CWI will open select computer labs for student use beginning April 6, 2020.
A Standard Operating Procedure has been established to support opening computer lab spaces for those in need of access. Open computer labs will be limited to 10 seats at each site location, may be used for a maximum of two hours per day per individual, and will require a reservation to use. Safety procedures and social distancing protocols will be strictly adhered to and enforced.
Available Lab Times (maximum of two hours per day):
Monday
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Wednesday
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Friday
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Computer Lab Locations:
Lab reservations may be made online or by calling 208.562.3000. Additionally, students are encouraged to visit our Online Learning Resources page for tips, tricks, and general information for a successful online experience as we finish up spring semester.
Faculty of Distinction—March 2020
Congratulations to Jenny Wokersien, College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Faculty of Distinction for March 2020. Wokersien, Associate Professor of Software Development, has been with the College since 2010.
“Teaching is my way of giving back to the community,” she said. “CWI’s hands-on approach to real-world problems gives our students a realistic view of the working world and invaluable experiences! Our instructors and staff care about our students and each other.”
Over the past decade, Wokersien has helped build the College’s Software Development program evolving the curriculum into a modern development environment, ensuring students are on current platforms, and expanding the program with three additional instructors. Additionally, she actively brings in employers to assist students in finding careers in the field.
“Jenny is an excellent mentor to her students and peers,” said a fellow faculty member. “She is selfless in her consistency in helping students become successful and reach their goals.”
“CWI empowers students to not only change their circumstances, but change their lives,” Wokersien said. “I love when students stay in touch with me and let me know how they are doing. What a gift!”
Wokersien grew up in Alabama. Before moving to Idaho, she lived in Michigan and Colorado where she earned a master’s degree in Information Technology at University of Colorado. Prior to teaching at CWI, she spent 18 years working as a programmer, analyst, and database administrator. For fun, she enjoys traveling, camping, and watching her kids in their athletic endeavors.
Staff of the Month—February 2020
Congratulations to Chandra Wilson, College of Western Idaho’s Staff of the Month for February 2020. Wilson started working at CWI five years ago as a One Stop Student Services Representative. Currently, as a Student Success Advisor, Wilson assists students studying Anthropology, Geography, History, Political Science, and Psychology. She holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Boise State University.
“It is a joy to come to work every day and help students identify and achieve their goals,” Wilson said. “Not only do I get to serve a wonderfully diverse student population, but I get to do so with people who are passionate about student success. I value the relationships I have with my co-workers and our faculty who all work together to benefit our students.”
Working nearly 12 years in higher education, Wilson says celebrating student’s milestones are among her most memorable moments.
“Along with celebrating students at Commencement each year, one moment in particular stands out to me. I had worked with a student for two years to complete her associate degree and apply to a highly-competitive program at her transfer institution. After receiving the news she was accepted, she couldn't wait to tell me and called me right after telling her family.”
“Chandra goes the extra mile to create a welcoming environment for each of her students by having resources readily available and collaborative partnerships with their professors. She even has a fun coffee station set up in her office for them,” said Josee Ward, Student Advising and Success Manager.
A proud Air Force brat, Wilson’s family moved from England to Idaho when she was in third grade which she has called home ever since.
“I live in Boise with my quirky dachshund mix, Oliver, who keeps me on my toes,” she said. “As an introvert, I enjoy being a hermit and hanging out at home with him. I volunteer weekly with my church's nursery and youth group, love to read, and learn new things in my spare time often finding myself deep down a research rabbit-trail.”
Campus-wide IT Upgrades
Thank you for your patience as College of Western Idaho (CWI) wrapped up the final phase of the .edu transition this past week!
In addition to the .edu transition, Information Technology (IT) has completed several upgrades across campus to support faculty and staff in delivering high-quality education to students including:
- Increasing Blackboard’s storage capacity
- Implementing a new tool to allow staff to set up call forwarding from office phones remotely
- Expanding the number of web conferencing ready rooms across campuses
- Increasing the number of VPN and Zoom licenses
- Deploying approximately 80% of hardware in storage including laptops, monitors, cameras, etc.
- Working with vendors to purchase additional equipment
- Increasing the load balancing (tool used to manage system traffic) capabilities of Blackboard and myCWI
Please note: Due to the .edu transition and these upgrades, account settings on your personal phone may need to be updated if you are experiencing issues with your work or student email no longer working. Please review our FAQs for Apple and Android to learn more.
IT encourages business units and individual staff to request any additional needs through a Help Desk ticket. To improve turnaround times, employees should include supervisor/management approval when submitting requests on their own.
First Coronavirus Response Act
Congress has put forth new laws to support employees through the COVID-19 pandemic. One of these laws, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), has specific implications for College of Western Idaho (CWI) employees.
Effective April 1, 2020, all CWI employees will have access to new benefits not previously available. The FFCRA poster describing employee benefits is now available on myCWI in the Human Resources (HR) Benefits section. Additionally, Faculty and Staff FAQs on the COVID-19 Information and Resources page continues to be updated as questions come in. Please review this page periodically to find answers to common questions.
The following additional benefits are now available to employees:
- FFCRA Paid Sick Leave: Up to 80 hours of paid leave will be provided to any employee unable to work due to COVID-19 specific implications. Employees are eligible for this additional paid leave before using any accrued sick time.
- FFCRA Expansion of FMLA: Up to 12 weeks additional FMLA will be provided to employees who have been employed for 30 days or more who are unable to work because of reason number five listed below. Of these 12 weeks the first two weeks is unpaid, and the remaining time is paid at 2/3 of the employee’s regular salary. This leave time is in addition to any existing FMLA leave time.
To qualify for these benefits, employees must be unable to work or telecommute due to one of the reasons below.
The employee:
- is subject to a Federal, State, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19;
- has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine related to COVID-19;
- is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and is seeking a medical diagnosis;
- is caring for an individual subject to an order described in (1) or self-quarantine as described in (2);
- is caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed (or child care provider is unavailable) for reasons related to COVID-19; or
- is experiencing any other substantially-similar condition specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretaries of Labor and Treasury.
What do you need to do?
If you are unable to work or telecommute for one of the six reasons listed above, complete the FFCRA Request Form on myCWI, and email to HR Benefits at HRBenefits@cwi.edu. After receiving the form, HR will provide you with instructions and information on next steps moving forward.
Updates to Leave Donation
In addition to the addition to the above benefit changes, CWI employees can now donate either Sick (NEW) or Vacation time in line with the existing Leave Donation Program. For more information, please review the Leave Donation Program found in the Employee Benefits Policy.
These benefit changes for FFCRA Paid Sick Leave, FFCRA Expanded FMLA, and updates to Leave Donation will only be in effect until Dec. 31, 2020. If you have questions please email HRBenefits@cwi.edu.