Dear ISR Community,

As we protect our physical health through social distancing, I hope you’re finding ways to maintain connections with your friends, colleagues, and loved ones virtually. I’m happy to see teams maintaining or starting daily check-ins via BlueJeans, Zoom, or Hangouts. Many have also been sharing resources and their work from home stories on Slack and Facebook Workplace. For many in the Director’s office, our morning huddle has become the highlight of the day and provides a space to catch up as well as express our collective anxieties around and hopes for our current situation.

Please remember: Need to share sensitive information? Use BlueJeans. More details on each of these applications can be found on the ITS Remote Resource Guide. Also, please remain mindful of access to these virtual services for those with disabilities. Guidance can be found on U-M’s Accessibility site.

We will soon start holding some more virtual events that I hope you’ll attend, including a lunch with me and an opportunity to meet our new DEI Director, Sheri Notaro. If you have suggestions for other events, please let me know.

As a reminder, we will post this and all announcements and updates on the ISR Intranet (for ISR faculty and staff) along with links to helpful resources to guide us all through this unprecedented and unique situation.

For all of the latest updates on this issue from the university, please visit the U-M Announcements page and the U-M Public Affairs website.

We have collected the following resources for you to use during this uncertain time to hopefully help boost your spirits as we get through this together.

Stay healthy and safe, and to those of you with school-age children, stay strong!

David Lam, ISR Director

Resources

Online U-M Exhibits, Talks, etc.

The University of Michigan is providing multiple opportunities to learn and explore online while staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

U-M’s art and performance organizations and its libraries have many exhibits, performances, speakers and other enriching resources online. Many museums, galleries and units across campus are currently working to create online content to assist K-12 and college learners. Stay up to date at arts.umich.edu.

CAPS Mental Health Care Package

CAPS has created a virtual Mental Health Care Package, including things like virtual museum tours, kid-friendly activities, and other coping ideas.

ICPSR Summer Program online offerings

The ICPSR Summer Program has decided all workshops and courses will be available online. Registration is now open, including those that were planned to be in-person but have since moved online. In addition, ICPSR also have a reduced fee structure to accompany this move to remote instruction.

Zoom backgrounds

With most social interactions now being on conference call platforms, you can personalize your background virtually with Zoom. ISR and U-M Social have created some you can use to feel more at #hoMe. Check out ISR’s virtual backgrounds.

Michigan Medicine – Maintaining Your Social Wellbeing during COVID-19

There are several resources at Michigan Medicine available to help faculty and staff navigate the professional and personal stressors related to COVID-19. Find resources such as The Office of Counseling and Workplace Resilience (Faculty and staff can contact OCWR at 734-763-5409 for information, resources, and brief support services), among other tips and resources:

https://mmheadlines.org/2020/03/maintain-your-emotional-well-being-during-covid-19/

Experts from the University of Michigan School of Public Health compiled this presentation for University of Michigan leadership and administration and distributed it on March 18, 2020. In an effort to broaden the understanding of the pandemic, it is also being made available for public consumption. Please note that this presentation is not intended to provide ongoing updates of this dynamic situation, but to serve as foundational knowledge from Michigan Public Health’s faculty experts on a broad range of topics related to coronavirus. For more information on coronavirus, visit publichealth.umich.edu.

SPH’s general page for COVID-19 updates

The University Record: Quick guide of well-being resources for COVID-19 coping

U-M ITS – Remote Resource Guide, Community & Wellbeing, Online Learning Opportunities

If you need to connect remotely, ITS has resources available to help you bring your university work to you: https://its.umich.edu/remote-resource-guide

As far as Community Wellbeing, ITS offers tips on staying busy, including a list of online course opportunities through LinkedIn Learning, Michigan Online, etc.

https://its.umich.edu/remote-resource-guide/community-well-being

U-M HR: Guide to Well-being During the COVID19 Pandemic

The University of Michigan’s Human Resources has also compiled a list of resources to help you take care of yourself during this time. Check out their resources for:

• Mental and Emotional Health
• Back Care
• Working from Home
• Physical Activity
• Nutrition
• Tobacco Cessation
• Alcohol Management
• Meeting Basic Needs & Community Resources for You and Your Family
• MHealthy Champion Support
• Social and Community Platforms
• If You Would Like to Help