May 17, 2021

Dear Staff and Faculty,

As you know from a previous message, we expect to have a return to in-person teaching and learning when classes begin on August 30. I am writing now with information about plans for your return to campus. Before I share those plans, I want to thank every one of you, again and again, for everything you have done, as individuals, as teams, and as a College-wide staff, to support the mission of the College during an unimaginably difficult period. That our students were able to persist in their studies is a tribute to them, and to you and your dedication to the critical role your work plays in their education.

We now have the benefit of some time to plan for a thoughtful and gradual transition to the fall semester. In order to prepare for the return of our students in August, some staff who have been working remotely will need to return to campus during the summer. We know that many staff actively want to return to campus, while others may wish to continue working remotely at least some of the time. Health and safety protocols will be in place for on-campus work. 

Below is a general outline of the approach we will take for a pilot to see what works for the College and for our staff. We want to take advantage of what we have learned during the past 14 months about how to meet the needs of the College while also providing greater flexibility, where possible, for our staff in post-pandemic circumstances. The flexibility will differ from one area to another, even from position to position, because so much depends on the kind of work each of us does. For that reason, providing flexibility inevitably adds complexity. Please bear with us as we work through what’s possible and what isn’t. The initial task of sorting out what will work in a particular division or department will fall to the senior administrator of the division in question, with supervisors working directly with staff to assess individual interests and their congruence with the department’s and the College’s needs. Decisions about whether work needs to be done on campus or not, and by what date, will be made on a case-by-case basis. Here are some of the basic guidelines:

  • Staff who have been working on campus since the start of the pandemic will continue to do so. 
  • Staff who are needed on campus beginning in August in order to prepare for the arrival of students on campus and the start of classes will be informed of that fact no later than June 15.
  • A limited number of jobs will need to be performed on campus before the beginning of August. Staff members in positions of this type will be informed by their supervisors by May 28 regarding the date by which they will be needed. Everyone who is asked to come back to campus over the summer will be given significant notice and flexibility to work out the details of their return.
  • Staff in positions that can continue to be performed remotely, but who wish to return to work on campus, may do so, but not before August 1 so we can focus on preparing the campus for students and staff who are needed on campus. 
  • Staff in positions for which an on-campus presence is not essential and whose work can continue to be performed remotely may continue working remotely for now.
  • Recognizing that vaccines are one of the most effective precautions we can take to return to an immersive living and learning model, we will require all faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated by August 1. This is consistent with the previously announced vaccine requirement for students. More details about the policy will follow soon, including information about how to submit confirmation of your vaccination to the College and about the process for requesting a medical or religious exemption.

You can find more information about these plans in an FAQ, which will be updated as needed. 

At this point, these plans are subject to change based on the course of the pandemic, federal and state regulations, and public health guidelines. They could also be altered by on-campus space needs and limitations and the needs of the College to support our students. We will provide as much advance notice as possible if and when guidelines change.

There are benefits to the College and to the staff of identifying some positions that do not require a full-time presence on campus. This pilot program, based on what we have learned over the course of the past year, will be an important experiment in what makes sense at Amherst. 

Thank you for your cooperation and your extraordinary work during a global crisis that continues to affect millions of people around the world.

Sincerely, 

Biddy