To Enroll, Remove Yourself or Modify Your Volunteer Settings
Log in to Connect Lehigh and select Banner. Choose the "Employee" Link in the Main Menu, then choose "Volunteer to Assist During Pandemic Situations." From there you can fill out the simple form by selecting your Volunteer Services options, providing your contact information for crisis situations and completing the enrollment. To remove yourself from the program, select Remove My Volunteer Information. There is absolutely no requirement to enroll in this program.
Eligibility
Eligible employees are classified as Full-Time Administration, Faculty or Staff. But not every full time employee is eligible to participate. In most instances, the Lehigh Human Resources database will check and report your eligibility on screen as you submit your enrollment information.
You are not eligible if you are:
- Adjunct faculty
- Visiting faculty or visiting researcher
- Part-time staff, wage and temporary employees
- Centennial School faculty or work for an Affiliated Organization like Ben Franklin Technology Partners or the Manufacturers Resource Center
- A student employee
- A Lehigh retiree
- On leave*
*Active and eligible employees returning from leave will be able to participate and any volunteer information that was on file from an earlier time will become active automatically.
Essential Services Staff
If your position description currently identifies you as Essential Services Staff please be aware that your position may already require you to report to campus and remain on campus during emergency situations.
If after reading this information you are unsure of your eligibility, please contact Lehigh University’s Risk Management Office at 610-758-3899.
Frequently Asked Questions
Weather emergencies, social unrest, pandemics or other health emergencies that disrupt University services. It is impossible to list all the ways in which an event might require volunteers, just as it’s impossible to predict a crisis with more than a few days’ notice.
If a major event requires volunteer assistance, you will be notified by a member of Lehigh’s operations team using the contact information you provide. You can make your decision to volunteer at that time.
Absolutely not. History shows that Lehigh employees respond in times of crisis. This program is merely a way to better prepare for the organization of volunteers during an already hectic time. Can’t volunteer when the time comes? That’s OK. We realize a crisis affecting Lehigh University may also affect you personally. Enrolling does not require you to volunteer.
When a crisis requires volunteer assistance, a member of the Lehigh operations team will contact you at the phone number or email you provide.
Volunteers may choose one or more options on the enrollment page including hosting displaced persons, distributing food or supplies on campus and assisting with shelter operations. There are also remote opportunities such as tracking and entering data, and making informational contacts.
There is no requirement. Superstorm Sandy knocked out power to campus for days and dozens of volunteers pitched in throughout. The earthquake of 2011 barely disrupted classes but still required a rapid response from facilities and other services, with no volunteers required. You are welcome to assist for as long as you are able. However, when it comes to housing displaced students, it is best if the student remains in one location.
Following established University policy you will be reimbursed for any approved business expense. Be sure to consult in advance with the Crisis Management Team regarding any expenditure related to your volunteer assignment. You will not receive any additional compensation beyond your regular salary.
You may not be, or you may already be identified as “Essential Services Staff” who automatically respond during a campus crisis. Check the Eligibility section on this page or call Lehigh’s Risk Management Department at 8-3899.
If you are injured while you are volunteering, your medical costs and lost wages are covered by Workers’ Compensation, in accordance with Pennsylvania statutory benefits.
IMMEDIATELY inform your supervisor or department head. You will be directed to complete an Employer’s Report of Occupational Injury or Disease Form that she/he will file with the Risk Management Office. It is important to cooperate fully with Risk Management in detailing how the loss or accident happened and identifying any way that the accident could have been avoided.
If your personal property is lost or damaged while you are volunteering whether it is your fault or not, your own homeowners/tenants insurance coverage would respond. You are responsible for any deductible amounts under your policy. If you do not carry homeowners/tenants insurance, then the entire amount of the damage is your responsibility. Neither the University nor the University’s Insurance will pay for any loss or damage to your own personal property – you use it at your own risk.
The University insures all its vehicles for liability (injury to third parties and third party property damage) and physical damage (comprehensive/collision). If you are driving a University-owned vehicle with the permission of the University, then you are an insured driver under the University’s policy. Driving to or from campus to volunteer does not constitute University business.
When you drive your own car on University business, your own insurance policy serves as “primary” policy for third party liability and physical damage to your vehicle. This means that if a claim arising out of an accident exceeds your policy limits, then the University’s policy will cover the third party liability damages in excess of your policy. If your vehicle is damaged as a result of an accident, whether it is your fault or not, your comprehensive/collision coverage would respond. You are responsible for any deductible amounts under your policy. If you do not carry any collision insurance, then the entire amount of the damage is your responsibility. Neither the University nor the University’s Insurance will pay for any physical damage to your vehicle – you use it at your own risk.
Suggest to the student that he/she submit the bills to his/her medical insurance company. Secondly, report the incident to your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance company. For informational purposes, report the incident to the Risk Management Office at the University.
Your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy serves as a “primary policy” for third party liability.
No. While there is always a potential for you to be sued personally for the work you perform for the University, there is no significant increase or decrease in potential liability because you are volunteering.
The University carries insurance policies for its liability; its employees and volunteers who are working under the direction of the University are also covered under these policies for their negligence. No one is insured for willful misconduct.
Volunteer Acknowledgment
By enrolling in the program, I understand and acknowledge that the decision to volunteer during a time of crisis at the University is a personal choice and one that I am making voluntarily without undue influence from others. I understand that conditions on or around campus during the crisis may be challenging (e.g., power outages, downed trees, disease, etc.) and that, as a result, it is possible that I could suffer injury to myself or damage to my property. I have read the Volunteering Eligibility/FAQs page on the Volunteering in a Crisis webpage, and have had any questions answered to my satisfaction prior to agreeing to volunteer at the University.