Planned Protest Action March 5th

To: UCSC Community

From: Lori Castro, Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor, Staff Human Resources; Pamela Peterson, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Academic Personnel

There is a possibility that access to the main campus may be impeded on Thursday, March 5th due to student protests.  We offer the following guidance to help campus employees plan in advance.

Accessibility – Employees are expected to work their normal schedules on Thursday, March 5th.  Please check campus accessibility before coming to work.  Information about actual impacts will be posted on the campus web site. Please check the campus home page(ucsc.edu) or go directly to a web page (http://news.ucsc.edu/2015/02/campus-advisory.html) for information about transportation, dining, and other services that could be impacted.

In addition to updating the web page as information warrants, the Public Affairs Office will be:

· Recording information on the campus's communications hotline, 459-INFO (831-459-4636). 

· Relaying information on a regular basis to KZSC Radio (88.1 FM) for broadcast. 

· Sharing information via Twitter (twitter.com/ucsc).

Work Flexibility – In order to minimize the number of people attempting to access campus, employee requests to work from home or from an alternate work site may be considered and approved based on operational needs and divisional protocol. 

Request for Vacation or Compensatory Time Off (CTO) – Managers and supervisors may approve advanced requests to schedule vacation or CTO in accordance with policy and labor agreements and as it is customarily administered within their unit/division. 

Request for Sick Leave – Requests for sick leave should be handled in accordance with policy and labor agreements and as it is customarily administered within the unit/division.  For example, if it is normal practice to require a doctor’s note from an employee who calls in sick, then it is appropriate to do so on this day.  However, if it is not normal to require a doctor’s note when an employee calls in sick, then a change in practice is not acceptable.  Be advised that a unit/division may be required to provide at a later date that its practice existed prior to March 5th.

Absence without Approval – If the campus is accessible and an employee is absent without advanced approval to use vacation or CTO and has not called in sick, then the day should be recorded as an unapproved absence and the employee’s pay will be adjusted in accordance with policy and labor agreements.

Absence due to Inaccessibility – Employees should not be encouraged to enter the campus to work nor should they be transported onto campus if it is deemed inaccessible by the Police Chief.  If the campus is officially determined to be inaccessible, the Campus Provost/Executive Vice Chancellor may approve administrative leave with pay for those employees who are expected to work but are unable to access the workplace.  Campus will be notified should administrative leave with pay be approved.

Recording Attendance – Employee attendance will be reported as normal through CruzPay and other time reporting practices. 

Please be assured that the campus is planning for the day’s activities and will provide communication updates as the day unfolds.  Questions should be directed to your Employee & Labor Relations Analyst or your Divisional Academic Personnel Coordinator.

Thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation.