Covid Impact Statement FAQ

Documenting COVID impact

For all evaluations, including annual, tenure, and promotion reviews, you can include a letter documenting the impact of COVID. You can read the entire MOU between UAOSU and OSU administration, which establishes your right to include such a letter, here. This document includes information to help you craft your letter. It will be updated over time as additional information comes in. If you have resources (or questions) to add, please email us at info@uaosu.org. 

Shared working sessions

It’s not easy to sit down and draft this kind of reflective document. Come work on your statement — or talk through what you’re thinking — in a Zoom session on June 17, noon-1PM. Register here. If you cannot make this time and really want to participate in such a session, please email info@uaosu.org and we’ll connect you with a supportive colleague. 

FAQ

Do I have to write a COVID impact statement?

No — it is not required. However, this is an opportunity to reflect on the ways that this past year was unusual, whether or not you experienced big disruptions to your work. The more that we all participate in this process, it normalizes discussing the effects of the pandemic, which may especially help faculty who experienced the most disproportionate effects. Writing an impact statement for your annual review also will mean that you have that documentation should you go up for promotion in the future. 

I haven’t heard anything from my unit head/supervisor about this, what should I do? 

Ask them! You can share this document with your supervisor and ask how your department or unit is implementing these practices. 

Who will read my COVID impact statement? 

It depends — we know that unit-level practices vary. If you are concerned about disclosing something, please ask your supervisor. 

I already submitted my self-evaluation. Can I still add a COVID impact statement? 

You always have the right to include comments, responses, or rebuttals to your annual review file, as established in Article XV of our collective bargaining agreement. If you’ve already submitted your annual review, tenure, or promotion packet in 2021, and you want to add a COVID impact statement, let your supervisor know. 

Sample unit-level guidelines

Several academic units have provided guidelines to help faculty consider how to document the impact of the pandemic. 

Sample COVID impact statements

These are lightly edited letters shared by colleagues across the university. 

Best practices from other organizations

  • The ADVANCE program at UMass Amherst has a list of questions for faculty to consider, as well as for supervisors. 
  • Supporting Faculty During and After COVID-19 by the National Alliance for Inclusive and Diverse STEM Faculty addresses ways to support faculty, particularly focused on how the pandemic has exacerbated existing inequities among faculty due to race, gender, and other social identities. 

Information about differential impact of COVID across race, gender, and other social identities

The pandemic has had disproportionate impacts on some of our communities. The following Zotero bibliographies are not intended to be comprehensive, but rather a starting place to examine research on the differential impacts. 

Support for distress/mental health

On top of any stress you may have experienced during the pandemic, writing about it can be its own burden. Here are some resources if you find yourself struggling: