Seattle U has moved to remote instruction through the Spring Quarter. More details and FAQs on the COVID-19 website.
hr@seattleu.edu
206-296-5870
Rianna 200
Lobby Hours
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, the front door will remain locked.
Please ring the doorbell for assistance. Visitors are highly encouraged to schedule an appointment whenever possible before being seen in person.
Seattle University is directing all faculty and staff to work remotely unless they have an essential or critical need for being on campus. The policy is in full effect Friday, March 20, at noon. In areas which serve our students or manage public safety, we will move to critical staff only. Each division leader and Dean will make the determination on those staff roles where an employee’s physical presence on campus is critical and will communicate this to the staff in their respective area. Vice Presidents and Deans will be working remotely as well.
During this time of disruption, the Office of Human Resources is available to serve our campus community. Most of our HR team is working remotely, available on email, phone and Zoom appointments throughout each day. We will also have minimum core staff in the office. One HR leader and one administrative staff member will be present on campus with core hours from 9-3pm.
We are fortunate that many employment and benefit transactions can be done electronically. Our core team will ensure that the following tasks that may rely on paper or fax will still be addressed promptly in service to our employees:
While we are attempting to observe an appropriate level of social distancing during this time, whenever possible, please schedule an appointment to see someone in person in the HR offices. Also, be aware that although the HR offices will be open during the hours of 9-3pm, the front door will remain locked. Visitors will be asked to ring the doorbell for assistance, which also supports that visitors are highly encouraged to schedule an appointment whenever possible before being seen in person.
Lastly, if you are experiencing symptoms of illness, please refrain from visiting our offices in person, and call or email for assistance. We ask for your patience as we work to respond to the inquiries and needs we are receiving from our community.
The university will extend Supplemental COVID-19 Leave Pay through the next pay period closing on April 15, 2020. Please complete the Supplemental COVID-19 Leave Request and submit to hr@seattleu.edu to apply for or extend your currently approved Supplemental COVID-19 Leave Pay. As a reminder, you will not need to exhaust your sick time to qualify for Supplemental COVID-19 Leave Pay.
Note that Good Friday and Easter Monday fall within this period which are observed holidays and will be paid as such. The university will be in communication with you prior to the Easter weekend for the pay period of April 16-30. We appreciate your patience.
Any staff member who meets the following requirements will be eligible to apply or extend their Supplemental COVID-19 Leave Pay:
Use the form Supplemental COVID-19 Leave Request to apply and submit the completed form to hr@seattleu.edu.
The University's paid sick time benefit complies with the City of Seattle’s Paid Sick and Safe Time ordinance. Our sick time benefit protects the income of employees during incidental or occasional periods of:
Regular, benefits-eligible employees are awarded up to twelve days of paid sick time each year. Other employees, including part-time faculty and student employees, accrue one hour of sick time for every thirty hours worked or credited by the University.
More information on the university’s paid sick time benefit can be found here.
Your current sick time hours are accessible online here. Select the “Employee” category. From the Employee page, select the “Leave” link.
Questions? Reach out to HR here.
Questions? Reach out to HR here. Your supervisor is also an important resource.
Questions? Reach out to HR here.
The university is authorizing student workers to be paid according to their expected work schedules through the next pay period ending April 15, 2020. Students able to do their work will continue to report their time in the usual manner. Others will report the hours they would have worked but are not able to perform due to the disruption to campus services due to COVID-19. Student supervisors are responsible to review and approve each student worker’s timesheet submission.
We will offer guidance on student employment after April 15 prior to the Easter break. A range of factors are being considered as we plan ahead, including the relief provisions in the economic stimulus legislation that is expected to receive final approval in Congress this week and we are in the process of reviewing.
The strong presumption should be against most student employees working from home or remotely. However, given the unique nature of the university’s COVID-19 response, you may request that Human Resources (Jeff Pixler, pixlerj@seattleu.edu or Mary Dawson, dawsonma@seattleu.edu) and your Cabinet Member approve an exception to the general prohibition against students working from home. If the request is approved, as their supervisor you will be required to brief student employees on accurately recording their time and ensuring they take their proper meal/break periods.
A spreadsheet from HR requesting details on the duties of student workers is circulating. This will be used to assess coverage needs as soon as possible. More information to follow.
The university will suspend paycheck deductions for employee parking permits starting with March 31 paychecks. Many faculty and staff are working remotely and it is appropriate that we temporarily lift this charge. Permit charges will automatically resume at a later date. We’ll be sure to notify you when that happens.
As an Aetna or Kaiser member you can seek medical support electronically to avoid an in-person office visit.
Teladoc is available to all Aetna members 24/7. Through Teladoc you can speak to a licensed provider by phone or video within minutes. Costs will depend if you are enrolled in the PPO or HSA medical plan.
Kaiser members can utilize the Care Chat online messaging system, available 24/7. You can also access an E-Visit to consult with a healthcare provider online and receive a treatment plan within a few hours.
If you or a qualified family member are diagnosed with a serious health condition, an extended absence from work may qualify under the new Washington State Family and Medical Leave Law. Applicable leave eligibility requirements would apply. Meghan van der Sluys (vandersm@seattleu.edu) administers leaves of absences for faculty and staff and is the contact for extended absences due to medical reasons.
Fidelity Investments, the recordkeeper for the university’s 403b retirement plan, regularly posts information for investors. A current example is ‘Six tips to Navigate Volatile Markets’. Log into your Fidelity account at https://netbenefits.fidelity.com/NBLogin to see the latest Fidelity guidance. On-campus consultations with a Fidelity representative have been suspended until further notice. Phone-based consultations remain an option.
Aetna is waiving co-pays for all diagnostic testing related to COVID-19. This means Aetna will cover the cost of physician-ordered testing for patients who meet CDC guidelines, which can be done in any approved laboratory location. Aetna will waive your member costs associated with diagnostic testing at any authorized location. SU is a self-insured plan and has the ability to opt-out of this program at our discretion.
For the next 90 days, Aetna will offer zero co-pay telemedicine visits – for any reason. As an Aetna member, you should use telemedicine as your first line of defense in order to limit potential exposure in physician offices. Aetna will waive your member costs for all video visits through Teladoc®, the CVS MinuteClinic app, and in-network providers who offer virtual care options. SU is a self-insured plan and has the ability to opt-out of this program at our discretion.
To stay current with Aetna’s response to the outbreak, please log in to https://www.aetna.com/
Kaiser Permanente announced that it has the ability to test members for COVID-19. If testing is warranted, please contact Kaiser to make the appropriate arrangements. As a Kaiser member, you will not have to pay for costs related to COVID-19 screening or testing. In the event you are diagnosed with COVID-19, additional services, including hospital admission (if applicable) will be covered and charged according to your normal plan coverage rules.
Questions? Reach out to HR here.
Seattle University is an inclusive community, and we deeply value the diversity of our community. We are committed to fostering a community that not only values diversity, but also models the principles of inclusive excellence throughout the university. To that end, it is critical that we equip ourselves with facts and each take on the responsibility of dismantling the myths and stigmas that have resulted in rampant ignorance and discrimination. And while we’ve not received any reports of harassment or discrimination on campus related to COVID-19, it is essential that we continue to share accurate information during this time of heightened concern. We must stay committed to our Jesuit values of inclusion, respect and care for the whole person. Important facts to know: