Bert's Alerts—April 9, 2021

Welcome April, spring weather, and the home stretch of spring term! First of all, thank you for your diligent efforts and support of our Be Safe, Be Mighty campus campaign. We are proud to report our COVID-19 response and established protocols, along with everyone’s commitment, resulted in a successful 2020-2021 academic year. Campus operations have been able to continue, COVID-19 cases have remained low, in addition to no community spread. All of these factors provide us the opportunity to begin planning for a return to full, on-campus operations.

Vaccinations

Another key factor in our ability to resume in-person operations is access to vaccinations. According to the Idaho COVID-19 Vaccine Data Landing Page, 22.2% of Idaho’s population 16+ have received complete vaccination as of April 5, 2021. We are encouraged by these numbers and hope with continued progress in the area of vaccinations, along with case numbers declining, our community will move forward safely and with confidence. Learn more about how to sign up for vaccinations by visiting Idaho’s COVID-19 Vaccine page. Vaccinations will not be required for CWI students nor employees, however, we encourage everyone to use their best judgment and do what is best for their personal health and safety. For more on this topic and protocols across other state institutions, check out a recent KTVB news story,“Will Idaho colleges, universities require students to get the COVID-19 vaccine?”

Ionization

In addition to CWI’s current protocols proving to be effective, the College has also invested in ionization installation in five buildings. As part of phase two, five additional sites will soon have ionization technology installed including NADM, NCMP, AMAL, AQUL, and ALYN. Through a combination of all of these efforts, we are thrilled to be able share with all of you a timeframe for a safe return to campus and in-person engagement.

Return to Campus

As of June 1, managers may begin transitioning their teams back to work on-campus with an expectation of full return or a telecommuting plan in place by June 30. Please reference the updated HR 320 – Telecommuting and Flexible Work Schedule Policy for guidance. Specific details, planning, and management for the return of each team will be led by supervisors and may look different depending on what works best to meet the business need and support continuity of business operations. We will continue to monitor guidance from the CDC, the state, and our local health districts as we get closer to our return, making adjustments as necessary.

President’s Cabinet believes continuing to be flexible and accommodating in our approach remains extremely important as the health and safety of our CWI community still prevails as our number one goal.

Course Delivery

For summer and fall terms, all five modalities will be offered, however there will be more of an emphasis on the in-person course delivery style.

Resources

The Operational Guidebook is still relevant and proves to be a valuable source for information and guidance. Current protocols for campus operations are still required and will continue to be until further notice.

Please help to communicate the following protocols to your teams:

• Frequent hand washing
• Face coverings while on campus and in common spaces
• Physical distancing
• Heightened sanitizing practice

Employees in need of accommodations as they return on campus should reach out to their managers and work with Human Resources to discuss their individual situation.

Once again, I thank you all for your dedication and commitment to serving our students, while surviving and thriving in our extraordinary environment. We’ve experienced twists and turns, challenges and opportunities as well as accomplishments. Please take a moment to reflect on all that has been accomplished and appreciate the fact that we did this together and we will conquer our next transition, together.

We have much to look forward to! Like our students. We boldly choose to meet the future, greet new challenges, and rise above them. Let’s not forget – we are bold, we are fearless, and together we are College of Western Idaho.

Sincerely,

President’s Cabinet

Bert Glandon, President
Denise Aberle-Cannata, Provost
Craig Brown, Executive Vice President, Operations
Ryan Herring, Vice President, Human Resources
Karl Spiecker, Vice President, Finance
Mark Browning, Vice President, College Relations