good news, bad news, and gratitude

[Bill Maurer]

    Dear social sciences faculty, staff, lecturers, grad students and
    researchers,

    As we prepare for a little break during which we can take the time to
    reflect on all that we are grateful for, I wanted to be sure everyone
    caught some good news this past week (... and some bad news). UC
    Irvine's strong financial position coming into the pandemic (and UCOP's
    decision to let campuses manage their business independently from one
    another) means there will be no furloughs this year. Whew. The so-called
    "winter curtailment" will still go into effect, however, requiring staff
    to use vacation days or leave without pay in the period around the
    winter holidays. This means that the last working day for staff will be
    December 18; staff members will all be back in the virtual office on
    January 4, giving everyone a full 2 weeks of down time.

    Unfortunately, the pandemic is still raging around us, and has hit home:
    due to an alarming increase in the rate of infection among our
    undergraduates, the bad news is that all undergrads living on campus
    have been told to sequester in their own rooms until the end of the
    quarter. And undergrads who leave campus for Thanksgiving are being told
    not to return until January. This is a reminder to all of us to remain
    vigilant.

    Nevertheless, I think we can see some light at the end of the tunnel. I
    remain truly grateful for all that you are each doing as we continue on
    this wild ride for a few more months, and wish you and yours all the
    very best for the holiday. For the staff: if you have not already begun
    your holiday, please feel free to do so starting... now!

    Bill