A message to the Columbia University Community (Fall 2020)
From Amy Rabinowitz, Director, Office of Work/Life
Whether you are on campus or online this fall, the Office of Work/Life offers you a warm welcome to the new semester. Although this has been said many times since March, it doesn’t make it any less true or less significant: we are all facing unique challenges and navigating demands that we could not have imagined just last fall. Through it all and into the future, we are here for you and we hope that you will reach out to us when you are considering how to manage a work/life issue. While we can’t promise perfect solutions, we do promise to help you explore options.
Like all of you, we’ve become comfortable with Zoom meetings. Our workshops are now all conducted online and we’re offering a full line-up for fall with programs that range from those that enhance your well-being, to ones that focus on parenting and schooling topics, to ways to de-clutter (my personal stress-reliever during these times!) to a virtual walking tour focused on historical social justice sites downtown. Can’t attend the live session or missed a past workshop? Our virtual workshop library and well-being library are available 24/7.
We know that that so many of you are parents now juggling work and your children’s remote schooling. And, we know how hard that is. We encourage taking a lot of deep breaths and acknowledging that nothing is perfect right now. Over the summer we learned about “good enough parenting,” and we’re big fans. To provide some options for assistance, check out our new Resources for Parents During COVID-19 page and sign up to connect with other Columbia parents who are navigating the 2020-21 school year through our new Columbia-only “Parent Connection” program or by joining the Columbia group on Komae.
Those eligible for the University’s Back-Up Care Program can now access 50 additional hours of Back-Up Care during this fiscal year. You can use back-up care for child or adult/elder dependents.
All of our usual consultation services (child care and schooling, housing, and dual career) remain available by phone, email, or zoom.
With warm wishes for the fall,
Amy Rabinowitz, Associate Provost, Director of Work/Life