Ohio U student employees to remain out of work as campus employers shutter, reduce hours

Baker Center. Photo by Sarah Horne.

Many student hourly employees at Ohio University are left unable to work as the university announced Sunday that numerous campus employers will close or reduce hours of operation beginning Monday, March 16 until further notice.

Those employers include:

• Ping Recreation Center

• Aquatic Center

• Bird Arena

• Golf & Tennis Center

• Walter Fieldhouse

• Driving Range

• Outdoor Pursuits

• Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium

• All dining halls, markets, and cafes

• Athena Cinema

A limited number of student hourly workers may be asked to work beginning March 16, but their manager must first get approval from the university, Jennifer Tate, executive assistant of the Scripps College of Communication, said on Friday. Graduate students, however, will receive their stipends uninterrupted for the remainder of spring semester, according to a university statement released Wednesday, March 18.

Students who are approved will be contacted by a supervisor to discuss work options, which, in some circumstances, may include remote “work-from-home” opportunities, she said.

Student hourly employees, however, should not return to campus to work without arranging in advance with a supervisor, according to Tate.

Baker Center will remain open Monday through Sunday with adjusted hours, according to a statement from the university. West 82 will remain open at assigned times only for students who have been approved to stay in the residence halls.

Alden Library, which employs students, will also remain open Monday through Sunday. But its hours are subject to change "in alignment with campus efforts to limit the impact of the coronavirus," according to its website.

It's unclear whether resident assistants will remain employed as the university previously announced some students with extenuating circumstances can be authorized by Housing and Residence Life to remain on campus in residence halls.

Classes are set to resume online beginning March 23 after Ohio U’s extended spring break.

No coronavirus cases have been reported on Ohio U’s Athens campus or any regional campuses as of Sunday night, and the risk of virus transmission on campus is believed to be low. Those who are ill were instructed to not come to campus.