strange cursor, no response to the document command, can't save as a pdf

My user is reporting strange behavior in Word 365 on her Mojave Mac. First, the normal ibeam cursor has morphed into something odd looking. 

This is from an iPhone photo of the screen.  Second, the Document command under Format is ignored when chosen. Third, when trying to save a freshly created document as a PDF, Word complains the file can’t be saved with no reason given.