Last Updated Oct. 1, 2017

Here is the latest information regarding University status.

As reminder, please note that all ad hoc agreements, partnerships, collaborations and affiliations with external parties related to Hurricane Harvey must be reviewed and approved on the vice-presidential level.

Table of Contents

Help and Information for Students

Enrollment, Financial Aid, and Withdrawal Deadlines

Understanding the impact of Hurricane Harvey on students’ ability to conduct university business, a number of deadlines have been. Many of these new deadlines are now upon us. Included below is a list of final dates for various transactions as well as information on how to request exceptions.

Last Day to Drop with a W: Tuesday, Oct. 31 (no change)

Due Date for the second payment installment has been extended to Monday, Oct. 16

Student-athletes and international students are required to meet a minimum credit requirement and should speak with their respective departments (Athletics/ISSSO) prior to requesting a drop to ensure compliance.

Withdrawal Options

We encourage any student considering withdrawal to contact Enrollment Services at Enrollmentservices@uh.edu prior to taking such action.

UH is committed to accommodating students during this difficult time as they transition back to school. We wish everyone a successful semester.

If you have not yet applied for financial aid for the Fall Semester, it is not too late. Simply go to www.FAFSA.ed.gov to complete the application.

If you need additional time to pay your tuition, please send an email to enrollmentservices@uh.edu. We will work with you to protect your classes from being dropped.

Semester Will Not Be Extended

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has issued guidance that UH does NOT have to make up the contact hours missed as part of any face-to-face or online classes cancelled during the time the University was officially closed (1 p.m. Friday, August 25, to 8 a.m. Tuesday, September 5. Consequently, UH will NOT extend the Fall 2017 semester, nor will it require that cancelled classes and class assignments due during this time period be made up.

New Commuter Residential Housing and Emergency Housing

Students not living on campus, but would like to do so for the remainder of the academic year, may apply online via AccessUH and click on “myHousing.” The prepayment requirement will be waived and the $50 application fee will be billed to the student fee bill. Contact the SH&RL office at housing@uh.edu or call 713-743-6000.

UH commuter students with need for emergency, short-term housing may call 713-743-3243 or come in person to the SH&RL office in Cougar Village 2, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to apply for and be placed into double occupancy space in Bates Hall or Law Hall. Rooms are modestly furnished, and sheets, toiletries and towels are not provided. There is no application fee to apply for emergency guest housing, and the cost is $23.79 per person per night to be billed to the student account on the date of check out. Temporary residents will have access to the Cougar Village 2 24-hour service desk to address any facilities issues and for general assistance. Student emergency housing will not be offered after Sept. 30.

Discussion Site for Students

A discussion site has been created for students to connect with their Cougar family to ask for assistance, offer assistance, or simply check in on one another. The site Students Helping Students – is available through AccessUH: https://accessuh.uh.edu/login.php.

Transportation

Carpooling

Students in need of carpooling may want to check out a new service being offered by WAZE. Click here for information: https://www.waze.com/carpool/harvey.

METRO/UH Program

Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) offers eligible students, faculty and staff the opportunity to join COAST (Coogs on Alternative and Sustainable Transportation), a new program for individuals who carpool or utilize alternative and sustainable options, such as METRO to get to campus. To register, come to the PTS office in the Stadium Parking Garage near Taco Cabana, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fill out the membership form and a member of the PTS team will arrange a meeting to finalize your registration.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAP) is available to students, faculty and staff 24/7. Please call 713-743-5454, then press 2, to be connected to an after-hours counselor. For initial appointments and crises, please walk in anytime Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. To speak to a counselor after business hours, please dial 713-743-5454 and press 2.

Additional referral options for counseling and other services are available on the CAPS website, http://www.uh.edu/caps/referrals/.

Volunteering, Donating, Discussion Groups

UH CARES (Cougar Assisted Relief Efforts) has been launched as a database and clearinghouse to help UH volunteers organize into teams and take on projects in the aftermath of the storm.

Volunteers can select college affiliations such as NSM or the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts, service groups such as the Bonner Leaders, academic interest groups such as Medicine and Society, or campus organizations such as the Metropolitan Volunteer Program ‒ or they can ask to be placed where needed. The program is open to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of UH.

If you are interested in serving as a Team Captain, contact:

Andrew Davis at adavis5@Central.UH.EDU or 281-380-9464

Andrew Hamilton at alhamil4@Central.UH.EDU or 480-252-5919

Bill Monroe at wfmonroe@Central.UH.EDU or 713-927-1077

Information may be found here: http://www.uh.edu/honors/about/news-events/uhcares/.

Students interested in volunteering in Houston and surrounding areas may do so through a special Facebook page listing carpooling and volunteer opportunities: https://www.facebook.com/groups/485703798462567/?fref=nf.

Alumni and friends in the community who want to volunteer may contact Susie Molina, director community relations, at srmmolina@central.uh.edu.

All those wishing to make a gift benefiting students, regardless of major or classification, are invited to do so through the “UH Cougar Emergency Fund”: https://giving.uh.edu/gift/?allocation=HC55074HA45. The term “Harvey Relief” should go in the comments/notes box.

Help for Faculty and Staff

Temporary Housing Available for Faculty and Staff

Student Housing & Residential Life (SH&RL) has a very limited amount of emergency, temporary student housing that we are also making available for UH faculty and staff.

Starting Monday, Sept. 11, 2017 faculty and staff who have an emergency short-term housing need may come to the SH&RL office in Cougar Village 2 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays to apply for, and be placed into, double occupancy rooms, as space is available, in Bates or Law Halls. These spaces are modestly furnished and do not contain personal items such as sheets, toiletries, and towels. Additionally, there are a few small apartment options available in University Lofts.

There is no application fee to apply for emergency housing. The cost for rooms in Bates and Law Halls is $23.79 per person per night and will be billed to your UH account on the date of check out. The cost for apartments in University Lofts is $85 a night or $325 a week for a one-bedroom apartment or $150 a night or $550 a week for a two-bedroom apartment. Your UH account will be billed on the date of check out or at the end of the month, depending on the length of stay.

Bates and Law Halls were originally scheduled to close permanently in May 2017 and the facility is quite aged. Temporary residents of Bates and Law Halls will have access to the Cougar Village 2 24-hour service desk to address any facilities issues and for general assistance. Faculty and staff choosing to live in temporary student housing must check out no later than Sept. 30, 2017. Because of the short-term nature of this housing, faculty and staff should arrange mail forwarding or rent a P.O. Box. Additionally, rooms in Bates and Law Halls do not have kitchens (only a modest community kitchen) and faculty and staff staying there should make arrangements to eat at campus dining locations or elsewhere. The apartments in University Lofts have kitchens.

Faculty and staff with specific questions may call 713-743-6000 or come in person to the SH&RL office Cougar Village 2, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Faculty Senate has launched a Facebook group called Faculty Helping Faculty During Hurricane Harvey. You are encouraged to join this group and connect with other faculty members: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1954848748091214/

In addition, Provost Short has launched a Harvey Resource Page for faculty that contains relevant, up-to-the-minute information for UH faculty: http://www.uh.edu/provost/harvey/

A discussion site has been created for staff to connect with their Cougar family to ask for assistance, offer assistance, or simply check in on one another. The site – Staff Helping Staff – is available through AccessUH: https://accessuh.uh.edu/login.php.

Child Care

The UH Children's Learning Centers (CLC), www.uh.edu/clc, has a very limited number of temporary enrollment openings available through December. These openings are in the toddler (approximately 1-3 year old) and preschool (approximately 3-5 years old) programs.

Openings are contingent upon a child's birthdate (due to our multi-age classrooms), so it is important for interested families to work directly with the CLC to determine if their child fits into one of the availabilities. These openings will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, pending age availability.

Requests should be sent to Jennifer Skopal, Director of the Children's Learning Centers at jjdora@central.uh.edu.

Payroll, Time Reporting, Employee Resources, Etc.

Returning to Work

Some employees may be facing transportation, housing, or child care needs and may require a flexible schedule or other work-related accommodations. Please check the Harvey Updates daily at http://www.uh.edu/2017-harvey/ for any additional options we may have going forward. We encourage you to contact your supervisor to request return to work accommodations.

If you are not able to return to work, extended emergency leave may be available. Please notify your supervisor to report your status.

able to return to work, extended emergency leave may be available. Please notify your supervisor to report your status. Supervisors should contact your Human Resources Business Partner for guidance with employee requests for return to work accommodations.

Payroll

Payroll direct deposit for monthly and biweekly employees was delivered September 1. Employees who do not have direct deposit can pick up their check on September 5 at the Treasury Department in the basement of the Ezekiel W. Cullen Building.

During the campus closure (beginning 1:00 p.m. August 25 and ending September 1), Weather Emergency Leave was uploaded in payroll for all benefits eligible employees. Biweekly employees should not enter time during this period unless they worked during the campus closure.

Any adjustments to time entered will be corrected on the next pay period.

Employee Resources

Employees who need confidential counseling during this difficult time may call UTEAP at 713-500-3327 or 1-800-346-3549 for support. More information on UTEAP is available at http://www.uh.edu/human-resources/wellness/employee-assistance-program/

Consistent with President Khator’s message, please remember that some members of the UH family are still coping with the impact of Hurricane Harvey. As such, Human Resources will continue to update our HR webpage http://www.uh.edu/human-resources/ with important information as we receive it.

Other Questions

If you don’t find the information you need in this FAQ, you can send an inquiry to harvey2017@uh.edu.