Hardship Fund | Graphic by Dylan Collison | The Wright State Guardian
An idea born out of human resources, the Wright State University (WSU) Employee Hardship Fund is coming into fruition and is aiming to be set-in-stone by the end of the spring semester.
What is the Employee Hardship Fund
The intention of the Employee Hardship Fund is to provide a mechanism of temporary financial assistance for both faculty and staff of WSU in times of emergency or temporary financial hardship.
Chief Human Resources Officer Shari Mickey-Boggs is shepherding the institution of the WSU Employee Hardship Fund, and said that providing emergency relief for faculty and staff has been a long-standing topic of discussion amongst the two bodies over the course of her tenure at the university.
“I would hear members of the now Staff Senate say things like ‘it would be nice if we could support employees in some way when they are in a crisis situation’,” Mickey-Boggs said. “There are leave banks and a variety of other mediums that other institutions have explored so I went out and did some research. I had a colleague at Vanderbilt University talk to me about an Employee Hardship Fund they had created and I thought it was a really neat idea.”
Mickey-Boggs said that in her research she found funds in similar contexts have been established at places such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Vanderbilt University since the mid-’90s.
Most recently, Mickey-Boggs spent time looking into Ohio State University (OSU) and an Employee Hardship Fund at OSU that is run through their Employee Assistance Program and has been in place for roughly 10 years.
Taking the idea to Interim Vice President of University Advancement and Director of Planned Giving Bill Bigham, Mickey-Boggs inquired about seeking possible backing from the WSU Foundation and something advertisable as a part of the university’s charitable campaign.
“For me, the pandemic was the final straw that made me really want to push for this to come to life and say hey, now is the time,” Mickey-Boggs said.
The Employee Hardship Fund has been a topic of discussion at recent Faculty Senate meetings, receiving backing from WSU President Sue Edwards during the Senate meeting on Jan. 25.
“We have heard talks of a potential Employee Hardship Fund, and while details on this are still in the works this is a great opportunity for our employees to help one another during crisis situations,” Edwards said.
Additionally, Faculty President Dr. Laura Leuhrmann sought unanimous approval on the backing of the Employee Hardship Fund during the Jan. 25 Faculty Senate Meeting.
According to Mickey-Boggs, Leuhrmann is also serving as a part of a core group of leaders in the finalization of the Employee Hardship Fund and the creation of a Frequently Asked Questions document that can be distributed amongst the Raider Community.
Remaining sensitive
Mickey-Boggs said that an Employee Hardship Fund Committee will be established and will be the governing body over the funds to be allocated.
This committee will be composed of members from the Faculty Senate and Staff Senate, with an exact number of committee members to be announced at a later date.
“We must be able to discern if the employee requesting funds is indeed facing a temporary financial issue, or if the issue at hand requires the employee to seek a different means of support. This could be financial counseling or a number of other agencies at our disposal,” Mickey-Boggs said.
At this time, Mickey-Boggs will serve as the point person for applications, rendering her responsible for redacting personal identifying information and keeping the process as anonymous as possible.
“Of course, anonymity cannot be 100% guaranteed, but we are doing our best to protect and remain aware of the privacy of those applying,” Mickey-Boggs said. “There are a few people that will have to know the names of applicants such as myself as I intake the application and those involved in the payment process. We realize that putting yourself out there and asking for help is not an easy task at times, so again, we want to make those individuals comfortable and maintain sensitivity at all times.”
