Ava Chuppe
Contributing Writer
achuppe@murraystate.edu
Aiming to connect students, faculty and staff to child and pet care services, the Racer Family Network Resources Board was created on Aug. 12.
The Resources Board was generated to meet the needs of the campus community, Courtney Hixon, interim director of human resources, said.
“The Racer Family Network Resources Board was created after a review of recommendations received from the Presidential Task Force on Work-Life Balance and others related to the needs of faculty, staff and students for additional child care resources,” Hixon said.
The Resources Board is a secure internal electronic bulletin board located on the myGate Home tab and can only be accessed by users with a Murray State University email account.
Hixon said the creation of the Resources Board additionally provides a new opportunity for students, faculty and staff to advertise their own child care and pet care services.
“Individuals that are interested in providing occasional care can submit their information and availability via an online form on the myGate Home tab,” Hixon said. “The Resources Board is then available for individuals that are in need of occasional care to review.”
So far, 38 faculty, staff and students have displayed their information on the Resources Board. The online form shows each individual’s name, email address, MSU status (student, faculty or staff), type of care provided, available locations, available times for each day of the week and whether the individual has reliable transportation to and from the location where care is needed.
Currently, available locations for both child care and pet care include Calloway, Graves and Marshall Counties. Pet care is also available in Christian and Trigg Counties.
Kayla Rexroad, is a sophomore journalism major who provides child care and pet care, said the Resources Board is an important addition to the campus community.
“The Resources Board helps our community by ensuring every student gets the assistance they need,” Rexroad said. “Students have incredibly busy lives, and it’s important that there’s a service like this.”
Students are not the only ones who may require assistance. Because of the extra stress brought on by the pandemic, the Faculty Senate proposed a resolution at an April 6 meeting that faculty caregivers be considered for “temporary modifications of their work-related duties for the academic year 2021-2022,” according to the resolution.
As recommended by the Women’s Faculty Caucus, these modifications include flexibility in teaching modes (in-person or virtual), flexibility in determining the locations of office hours, limitation of non-essential service expectations and having responsibilities taken into account when determining teaching load.
The resolution also included a letter from the Executive Committee of the Women’s Faculty Caucus that noted the strain of COVID-19 “has been felt especially by women,” particularly because women faculty “are more likely to take on additional caregiving responsibilities than men.” The Provost has postponed the consideration of the resolution for the time being.
Andrew Black, a professor in the department of English and philosophy who has a toddler at home, said it is difficult to balance parenting with one’s career.
“It is exhausting, particularly because of the pandemic,” Black said. “My daycare has shut down multiple times because of positive COVID cases in my son’s room, and my wife and I have had to quarantine and miss work. My research has fallen behind and I struggle to keep up with service and teaching, particularly now that it is in-person.”
Despite this, Black said he would not consider using the Resources Board in the future.
“I would not consider using the services on the Resources Board because, as the disclaimer states, the risk is my own and the University has made no effort to confirm that the people who choose to sign up are qualified or capable,” Black said. “I would instead go to a trusted friend or colleague or even student to ask for resources.”
A public child care search tool is also available on the Human Resources page under the “Work + Life” tab. The Human Resources page can be found in the Office Directory at murraystate.edu/headermenu/.
The search tool offers access to certified or licensed child care options in the community and is managed by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services Division of Child Care.
Anyone with further questions can contact the Human Resources office by calling (270) 809-2146 or via email at msu.hr@murraystate.edu.