Social distancing is key right now. It is what most colleges and universities- including the University of Wyoming- have prioritized to best protect students, faculty and staff from COVID-19.
UW looks a lot different than it did just a couple weeks ago. 54 students remain in the residence halls with access to “very limited” grab n go food service. UW apartments remain open.
Energy plant workers, electricians, plummers, custodians, police officers and grounds workers are still at work in Laramie and on UW’s campus.
“Some people are able to work remotely, others can’t- that’s been tricky. There’s a lot of folks- like police officers- that have to be here. There’s no other way to do the job,” said acting UW President Neil Theobald.
Still, safety measures are being taken to ensure that those workers are still able to socially distance themselves.
“A lot of people in our operations don’t have the option to work away, but we’ve tried to make sure they’re not working in groups,” he said.
John Davis, the executive director of UW Operations, assisted with the process of determining which workers were essential and which could work from home.
Theobald still comes to his office in Main Hall every day.
“If I’m asking other people to come in every day, I should do it myself,” he said.
Learning to communicate and work remotely is one of the biggest challenges he has seen in the university’s response to the coronavirus. On the first day of online classes, there was an influx of calls to security from faculty to unlock the classroom building to get access to materials needed for online lectures.
About 100 million dollars per year is spent in research in a variety of areas, from engineering to agriculture. Keeping those projects going has also been a challenge.
“You can’t work in groups, but you also can’t stop doing the research and let those plants die,” Theobald said.
As far as what has gone well in the COVID-19 response, Theobald mentioned IT and the work they have been doing to help students in rural areas get access to the internet and help students who need other additional resources.
All summer classes will also be moved online, although 80% were online already.
“That gets us through August…we are already actively planning for a variety of scenarios that could happen in the fall,” Theobald said.
He mentioned the university’s coronavirus task force and how instrumental they have been in making decisions related to the pandemic.
Edward Seidel will succeed Theobald this June, who first came to UW 35 years ago. Theobald said he plans to return to his position as Chief Financial Officer for UW, “as long as President Seidel will have me.”
Theobald encourages the student population to stay engaged, even during this unusual time.
“There’s no doubt it’s different. But it’s something that takes effort from both ends-get involved, ask questions and stay engaged,” Theobald said.
