The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed and upended our lives more swiftly than we could have imagined.聽It has sickened more than two million聽people聽around the world,聽including聽more than 850,000 here in the United聽States. It has taken聽countless聽lives and created economic chaos and insecurity for millions聽of聽individuals and their families. It has changed the way we live,聽study, work聽and connect with each other.聽Now, we are coming to grips with the fact that many of these changes and costs will be felt far into the future.
Thanks to extraordinarily quick action聽and advance preparation聽by聽our city, county and state leadership,聽as well as聽by聽health聽and public health聽care providers, managers, researchers, analysts and聽experts聽across聽our state, including many from the 黑料老司机 and UW Medicine, our efforts to flatten the curve appear to be working.聽Assuming we continue聽sufficient聽social distancing and other聽preventive聽measures, it appears that聽Washington聽has聽聽of聽COVID-related聽deaths and hospitalizations聽without having overwhelmed our hospitals, ICUs or ventilator supply. Because we reacted swiftly and aggressively to prepare for the聽worst-case聽scenario, we聽have聽been聽able to prevent聽it聽from becoming realit测.听Thank you all for聽continuing to do聽your part聽to keep the virus at bay.
Support for students聽
UW students have demonstrated incredible resilience and determination to keep learning and thriving despite the constraints and hurdles created by the pandemic. We are so grateful for your commitment to your degree programs and the empathy and compassion you have demonstrated, even as you face uncertainty about your own futures. We聽are doing聽everything聽within our means聽to support you as you pursue your degrees.
The federal CARES Act聽provides some relief for students聽with the greatest financial need. Once we receive that funding from the U.S. Department of Education, we will be able to rapidly start distributing grants to students based on聽their聽financial need. We hope聽to receive our federal allocation and distribute that funding聽next week.聽The聽Office of Student Financial Aid聽has an聽FAQ with details on how these grants will be distributed.
Because we know the economic crisis has affected so many families鈥� livelihoods聽in ways not聽reflected on financial aid applications filled out before the pandemic,聽additional funding is available聽through our聽campuses鈥櫬�Emergency Aid programs, which can also support students as needs emerge through the remainder of the spring and into summer quarter. Additionally, we have waived聽various student聽fees, including the聽U-PASS聽fee,聽late tuition payment聽fee聽and聽re-enrollment聽fee聽for students who took spring聽quarter off聽and wish to re-enroll in the fall or winter.
Planning for聽the future, including autumn quarter
As Governor Jay Inslee聽, we聽will be聽staying home聽for a while yet;聽right now, no one can聽say with certainty when it will be safe聽to allow聽in-person gatherings of any size.聽When聽the state聽does聽start to ease restrictions, it will聽likely聽happen聽slowly and聽in stages.聽Our聽health care system鈥檚聽capacity to do testing and contact tracing in order to聽prevent聽future聽waves聽of the virus聽will聽play a major聽role in the timing and speed of the re-opening.
We are closely monitoring how our state government, in coordination with the聽, is planning for the聽recovery. At the UW, we are assembling two task forces to outline when and how more UW employees can safely return to our campuses and to prepare for how students may come back to our campuses for autumn quarter. In both matters, we will consult聽with聽representatives of聽students, faculty and staff聽affected by these decisions and will continue to be guided by the public health expertise that has served us so well up to this point.
Budgetary impact聽
We聽don鈥檛聽yet know the full economic impact of the pandemic, but early indications suggest it will be significant, and that our state will face hard choices that will affect the UW as a public universit测.听We鈥檝e聽already seen financial impacts on units ranging from UW Medicine, to Facilities, to Housing and Food Services, as well as to our museums, athletics and performance art programs. All are losing income as a result of the pandemic, even as working conditions have become more difficult and in many聽cases聽expenses are even higher as a result of it.
Our budgetary decisions will be informed by state revenue forecasts later this spring, our best understanding of the potential for additional federal stimulus funds, and by what our enrollment expectations will be after National College Decision Day on May 1. While聽it鈥檚聽too soon to say with certainty what our budget constraints will be for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, we have every reason to believe that there will tough times ahead, including budgetary contraction across the University. We have begun preparations by severely restricting any new hires and examining any and every opportunity for cost savings. I can promise that our values will guide us in聽all of聽our actions, and that we will continue to put the well-being of our students, patients, staff and faculty first.
Town hall听辞苍聽May 1
We聽recognize聽there are many聽questions about how the crisis has affected our current operations and what the future holds.聽Please join me for a live聽video聽town hall聽to address your questions at 11聽a.m.听辞苍聽Friday, May 1.聽I鈥檒l聽be joined by Provost Mark Richards,聽Vice President for Student Life聽Denzil聽Suite, Faculty Senate Chair Joe Janes and Dean of Public Health Hilary Godwin.聽You can submit聽your questions to聽presofuw@uw.edu聽in advance or during the town hall.
As in any crisis, one of the hardest aspects to endure is the great number of unknowns聽and the uncertainty about when we will get back to normal聽and how we continue to adapt in the meantime.聽I share your聽concerns聽and anxiety, but I have no uncertainty about the strength and determination of our UW community. You have all proven that you are equal to whatever challenges we face.聽You聽will be integral to solving those challenges to build聽a聽better future for us all.