As universities across the country shift to teaching and learning remotely to decrease the spread of COVID-19, many places on campuses will remain open requiring some staff to report to work.
Arizona State University announced that housing, computer labs, dining halls, health clinic, counseling services, research labs and all other aspects of the university will remain open for the rest of the spring semester.
The only employees on campus will be those whose work cannot be performed remotely.
ASU announced that it will be scheduling flexible work hours to reduce the number of people working close together, practicing social distancing and transitioning meetings to phone or virtual formats, according to an email sent to staff.
Staff at other universities like Penn State said showing up to work on campus will put their families at risk of contracting the novel coronavirus.
Kareem Ayoub, a junior who works as a desk assistant at the Vista del Sol Community Center, initially was concerned about having to work during the pandemic.
“At first, I thought maybe they should close the front desk for the safety of the workers but, after working this past week and a half, it’s really not too terrible, I just sanitize my hands a lot more often,” he said.
He said unless things get out of hand with the virus in the United States as it has in Italy, where nearly 5,000 people have died due to COVID-19, he doesn’t mind working at the center because it has been quiet with the pool, volleyball area and gym closed, the community center is pretty empty.
Ayoub said he appreciates the opportunity to work while other students have either been laid off or had their work hours reduced.
“On the positive side, at least I can still work and make some money, I’m sure others are out of work completely,” he said.
Yareli Carlos, a junior who works as a student recruitment assistant at the dean’s office, wondered why she was still expected to report to the office when students were discouraged to be on campus.
Since ASU’s announcement to require some staff to report to work, Carlos came to campus for work for three days and is now working remotely.
Carlos said she is grateful to be able to work from home and feels for the employees who cannot.
“I don’t think it’s fair, to be honest. If someone is able to work from home, everyone should. Although, not all roles are able to work remotely,” she said.
Working remotely, while beneficial for maintaining workflow, isn’t ideal for everyone.
Tazeen Ulhaque, a freshman who works as a visual communications project assistant, finds it difficult to focus when working from home.
Without the office environment, it becomes difficult to separate home life from work, she said. Despite the inconvenience, Ulhaque said it is safer for her and her family to work from home.
“I knew ASU was taking a lot of precautions. They’ve done a lot sanitary wise. I just felt like ASU was really taking care of the situation at hand, so I didn’t have to worry about it,” Ulhaque said.
ASU has increased sanitary measures, particularly the increase in usage of hand sanitizers and wipes across campus, and has encouraged the encouraging of social distancing wherever possible, according to Ulhaque.
Some employers have discontinued student jobs entirely in response to the university transitioning to remote services.
Contact the reporter at fabid@asu.edu
