Pay practices update

Over the last two months, the University of Iowa has taken deliberate steps to protect its students, faculty, and staff, as well as our surrounding community during this global pandemic. That has included canceling study abroad programs; moving to virtual instruction; shifting to work-from-home status; closing our residence hall system and providing refunds; canceling elective health procedures; and keeping employees in pay status through the end of the semester. With the semester ending and the university facing $70M in losses due to the pandemic, the university must return to regular pay practices on May 18, 2020.

As a result, each college and unit will be working to understand potential changes in enrollment and making decisions about future staffing needs based on projections.

Faculty

Contract extensions and new hires will follow regular processes based on the academic and research needs of the employing college.

Staff (P&S, Merit)

If meaningful work is not available for a current position, employees will be asked to register for the temporary redeployment pool and accept redeployment when offered, utilize paid vacation leave or comp time (if applicable), or request unpaid leave.

Paid leave

If an employee (faculty, staff, or student) is unable to work due to a COVID-19-related health condition or because of responsibilities of caring for a child whose school or childcare provider has closed due to COVID-19, there continue to be paid leave options depending on the employee category and eligibility. For more details on paid leave options and examples of specific leave scenarios, please review the COVID-19 Leave Scenarios.

UI Health Care will issue more specific guidelines for its employees.

The university’s goal is to maintain the safety and well-being of its employees while keeping as many in paid status as possible. As always, the UI will comply with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and policies regarding pay practices and funding sources.

You can find more information on the human resources website or by speaking with your human resources representative.

Limited clinical human subjects research to resume

As some COVID-19 related restrictions are lifted across the state, the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) and the Human Subjects Office are providing updated guidance related to human subjects-related research visits. This guidance applies only to research study visits occurring in UI Hospitals & Clinics and other clinical settings during scheduled patient visits. Guidance for other human subjects and broader research on campus is forthcoming. OVPR is working closely with the campus Critical Incident Management Team, collegiate leaders, and the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, to ensure the university's research ramp-up is methodical, strategic, and safe.

Summer fee update

Following the decision to offer online-only instruction for all five summer sessions, the University of Iowa will not bill the following fees for summer 2020:

• Recreation Fee
• Arts & Cultural Events Fee
• Student Activities Fee
• Building Fee
• Student Union Fee

The remaining fees for summer 2020 are necessary to maintain campus operations and support services for students as they complete their summer coursework and stay on their educational path toward degree completion and graduation.