Oct. 26 Forum on Work-Life Balance: Invitation and Framework

The following invitation was sent to all faculty and staff on Wednesday, Oct. 21.


Dear Colleagues,

Campus leaders invite faculty and staff to a roundtable discussion about work-life balance issues during the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday, Oct. 26, from 1-3 p.m. via Zoom.

Please use this link to access the Zoom meeting on Monday, Oct. 26, at 1 p.m.

Panelists will include representatives from faculty governance, the local chapter of United University Professions, campus administration, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and employees who raised this issue in “No End in Sight: Caregivers in Crisis under COVID,” a recent open letter to the campus community.

The goals of this conversation are to identify additional ways the College can support employees through these challenging times; highlight and recommend existing support that is available; and work toward possible solutions and points of collaboration.

The forum will be moderated by Interim Provost Barbara Lyman and will begin with introductory remarks from President Donald P. Christian.

Melissa Rock, assistant professor of geography and one of the authors of “No End in Sight: Caregivers in Crisis under COVID,” will provide a summary of concerns conveyed in the open letter.

Tanhena Pacheco Dunn, associate vice president for human resources, diversity & inclusion, will monitor the chat for questions or comments.

We ask that those who intend to join this conversation please adhere to the following ground rules:

  • Participants with questions, comments or suggestions should use the “raise hand” feature to signal their interest in speaking (to use this feature, find the three dots with the word “More” at the bottom of your Zoom window, click to reveal participants, and raise your hand from there)
  • You are also welcome to share questions, comments or relevant information on resources in the chat
  • Our goal will be to hear from as many different attendees as possible, so we will prioritize calling on new speakers before returning to those who have already had a chance to speak
  • Mike McInerny, operations specialist in Instructional Media Services, will help facilitate the discussion by identifying those who are raising their hand to speak and muting and unmuting microphones for participants.

We hope you are able to attend this important discussion and look forward to working as a community to address these issues.