Last spring, as the Coronavirus pandemic spread, Eastern Washington University launched “Eagle Strong” to highlight stories of strength and perseverance among our community. Some of our Eagle Strong submissions are well deserved shout outs to the great support students, faculty and staff are giving each other. The sentiment continues into fall quarter.
Below is a submission from Melanie Potts, the assistant director of business operations for EWU Housing and Residential Life. She’s giving recognition to the teams that have been working to keep students safe while living on campus and coordinating the isolation and quarantine efforts.
Thank you to everyone, so much, for all we are doing to make isolation and quarantine work! Our students wanted the university experience and we are doing our best to provide it to them. This process is ever-evolving and I’ve been proud of how we have adapted as we work out the kinks.
Melanie Potts, Assistant Director of Business Operations, EWU Housing and Residential Life
To the Health and Wellness team – thank you for doing the heavy lift of coordinating these efforts and contacting so many students to keep our community safe.
To the Trucking and Custodial teams – thank you for being in the trenches to provide the most basic needs our students have by delivering food, keeping their space clean and healthy, schlepping carts from building to building, and even moving our students up from Brewster.
To the Dining team – thank you for the prep of so many food boxes, providing alternatives for students to eat when things don’t go exactly to plan, and doing the extra tracking necessary to keep everyone fed.
To the RLCs – thank you for being our boots on the ground, welcoming students into a less than desirable situation, getting their questions answered, and being the voice behind the triage call.
To Jenna and Michelle – thank you for being the queens of logistics and always pitching in wherever there is a gap.
To Deb – thank you for carrying the weight of all things COVID for the Housing department for weeks. Housing is truly the convergence of all the areas of the University and you have done a great job keeping us abreast of the various pieces that are all working to keep this thing going.
I believe students choose Eastern because you can feel that the people that work here actually care. Sometimes I feel like I can’t see the Eastern magic that comes from our commitment and care, but being a part of this process—while painful and frustrating at times—shows me that the magic is out there. Our people are the magic. Truly, thank you for all you do!
We know many of you in various departments and units also continue to do special things to ensure Eastern stays Eagle Strong—so please share with us by submitting your Eagle Strong story at Inside@ewu.edu. And please visit ewu.edu/strong to learn more about the university’s ongoing efforts.
