COVID-19 Communications

There’s a lot of discussion/concern about the mental health of students during these times. Rightfully so. National studies warn about increases in psychological symptoms, substance use and suicide rates among young adults, and the TCU Counseling Center is seeing an unprecedented increase in demand for services. As such, I write this open letter to ask for help.

Many questions are related to employees’ obligations to care for family members, an employee’s own health condition or risk factors that may affect reengagement or return to campus. To answer some of your questions, we have information regarding FMLA – Family and Medical Leave Act as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADA) to determine if any of the following reasons are applicable to your situation.

These past few weeks have been challenging for our country, and for our community. Not only are we thoughtfully preparing the campus for the return of our students, faculty and staff, we are addressing the gamut of emotions resulting from the tragic death of George Floyd. We want to acknowledge the emotional toll this has taken on our community, and especially our black colleagues as they experience ongoing racism. Please listen to one another, offer support in the form of your presence and your compassion. Stand resolute against racism in all its forms – let’s be better together.

We successfully completed the Spring semester, thanks to everyone’s hard work, long hours and deep dedication to our students and to each other. Now, we turn our attention to implementing a safe, phased return to campus over the summer months.

Two (very long) months ago, the TCU community collectively encountered the need to find new ways of doing our jobs. We have learned to engage differently with one another and proven our resilience by overcoming limitations placed on our community by COVID-19. As Texas starts allowing some businesses and service providers to open, we anticipate approval for colleges and universities to begin reopening on-campus processes.