Across the United States, colleges have reversed their reopening plans or sent students home after experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak in the first weeks of the semester. Despite concerns expressed by faculty and staff –– including a petition to revise the college’s reopening plans –– Bates managed to successfully bring students back to campus. So far, the in-person fall semester is going according to plan. 

Between Aug. 25-27, nearly 1,800 students returned to campus. As of Sept. 8, 1,163 employee test results have been received, with zero positive results. There is currently one active student case and one recovered on campus following more than 7,500 tests.

Although the future seems promising, outbreaks can happen quickly and some faculty and staff remain concerned for their personal safety, the safety of the community, and their job security. 

The Bates Student spoke with four Dining Services staff members, one Facility Services worker, and a Campus Security staff member, all of whom wished to remain anonymous. Rick Mcqueeney, who works for the Bobcat Express, and Alex Kunzweiler, a member of the Grounds & Maintenance Crew for the last three years, both agreed to express their opinions on the record. Additional concerns raised in this article were shared across faculty and staff listservs. 

SAFETY

Kunzweiler shared that he is concerned about the health of his older coworkers because of how often they come into contact with students. He added that “morale was low before [the pandemic], and for me it continues to drop. The work is really taxing, it’s hard on the body. Lots of physical labor, lots of lifting.” 

Many staff have expressed fear about returning to their jobs and a campus full of students. On Aug. 23, before students returned to campus, one maintenance worker sent an email to the faculty and staff listservs, writing: “The trash truck has 60-100 stops a day, five times a week. It’s going to be a lot of doorknobs to touch. Hallways to pass people…Failures at other institutions, the way I’ve been treated in the past, a second wave of Covid on the way. I’m intimidated by what comes next…” 

Dining and Custodial staff members have also stated that they worry about potentially bringing the virus home and infecting their older relatives if an outbreak were to occur. 

As of Tuesday, no staff or faculty members have tested positive for COVID-19 since reopening campus.

In an email on Tuesday, Christine Schwartz, Assistant Vice President for Dining, wrote to students detailing new changes to Commons to improve the welfare of staff. The communication stressed to students the importance of physical distancing during dining and stated that dining will now be centralized to Commons. Gray Cage will be removed as a dinner option and a third hot food line will be added in Commons to allow dining staff the “necessary time to rest, relax, and refresh.”

Commons staff members serve hot food to students in take out containers behind a plexiglass wall, handing students their meal through a small slot. 

The college has also instituted an Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response Plan, specifically designated to protect employees and students, which includes “protocols for distancing, wearing face coverings, hygiene, and meetings, self-monitoring, employees with symptoms or diagnoses, exposure to symptomatic and diagnosed individuals, and returning to campus, among other steps.” 

Additionally, the Harward Center hosts The Caring Commons, a web page “designed to share resources amongst Bates faculty and staff during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.” The Caring Commons includes resources for food, health and mental healthcare, employment and labor services, and housing resources; among other things. 

Finally, a comprehensive testing policy, where faculty and staff may be tested twice a week, is available to all campus employees. The Bates healthcare plan is comprehensive, waiving “member cost-sharing for FDA authorized COVID-19 tests and healthcare provider visits  including telemedicine visits, urgent care visits, and emergency visits that result in an order for or administration of the test.”

COMPENSATION

Despite reduced need for hourly staff after students were sent home in March, Bates kept its staff on payroll. 

“I give [the administration] the utmost respect for [that],” one dining staff member shared. Yet, they also worry that Bates’ decision was partially financially motivated.

Many of the staff members interviewed for this article worry that they will be out of a job if Bates has to send students home before the end of the semester. “We are all frustrated and afraid of being laid-off or let go,” one dining staff member said.

In a statement written in response to the Bates Solidarity petition in August, President Spencer stated that “to date, we have not implemented furloughs or layoffs, and we very much hope to continue on this path.”

Staff will not be receiving hazard pay to cover risks associated with working during the pandemic. However, they can apply for paid pandemic sick leave for up to 15 days, or the equivalent of 120 hours, which will be prorated for part-time staff. 

This policy went into effect on July 1, and states that “if Pandemic Paid Sick Leave Bank is exhausted and the employee remains absent, then regular paid time off will be used for the remainder of the 30‐day elimination period.” 

Short-term disability will be applicable for absences exceeding 30 days. Non-benefit eligible positions ‒ per diem or temporary ‒ do not receive any paid leave, according to Human Resources. In response to the increased financial burdens due to the pandemic, there will be no raises or contributions made to employee retirement funds for fiscal year 2021.

Kunzweiler highlighted a change that was made to the college’s overtime policy earlier this year, and the implications this has during a pandemic. He said that staff used to be able to take a sick or vacation day to stay home with their kids. However, the current policy states: “Sick leave benefits are intended to provide income protection in the event of illness or injury, and may not be used for any other absence.”

Since the pandemic started, Kunzweiler said that the administration has cited the college’s financial status as the reason that they won’t be increasing staff pay or making contributions to their 401k accounts, but believes it’s more a matter of what the college would rather spend money on. 

“We see them spending money on other things, like the science building, the Adirondack chairs we put out, and the indoor tables for the Gray Cage that we set up and then took down because of the changes made to dining,” he said. 

Kunzweiler shared that many staff, including himself, are living paycheck to paycheck. “I care a lot about the people I work with on [the grounds crew], and also the dining and custodial staff. I want everyone to be able to take care of their basic needs,” he said. 

Kunzweiler came in making $13.50 per hour. His current hourly wage, $14.91, will remain the same for the foreseeable future. “It’s hard to stay motivated, knowing that it’ll be a while until there’s something to work toward,”he said.

One dining staff member shared that part-time dining staff make just $12.00 per hour – Maine’s minimum wage – and many hourly staff make less than $15.00 per hour. Kunzweiler shared that for many staff, the 401k benefits are a key reason people apply for a job at Bates. 

According to Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics Alyssa Maraj Grahame, “Pandemic or no pandemic, I think that it’s disappointing that Bates doesn’t pay its lowest paid workers a living wage.” Maraj Grahame believes that staff should have the biggest say in what constitutes a “living wage.” 

Kunzweiler said one of the changes he’d like to see happen at Bates is for all staff to earn a living wage.

STUDENT ADHERENCE TO BATES AND CDC GUIDELINES

A recurring concern amongst staff, students, and faculty alike is that students are not adhering to the college’s guidelines. 

“I’ve definitely seen students without a mask or in close proximity,” Kunzweiler said on Sept. 2. “We have heard there’s been parties going on over the weekend and we’ve seen a lot of beer cans and red cups.” 

Kunzweiler thinks students are trying to do the best they can, and wants them to have their college experience on campus but thinks “there could be safer ways to do that.” 

One dining staff member acknowledged how challenging it is to prevent students from socializing. “I’m not going to put all of this on the students because I was young once too. If I was paying $70,000 to go to college, my attitude would’ve been: ‘I’m going do whatever I want.’” 

Administrators have sent numerous emails to students and employees in the last two weeks warning against behaviors which violate Bates’ public health guidelines. 

On Aug. 24 Director of Athletics Jason Fein sent an email to the Athletic Department about a rumor regarding off-campus gatherings. The following day, Senior Associate Dean of Students Carl Steidel sent an email to students residing off-campus about numerous complaints from community members.