CoffeeBreak is an e-newsletter distributed to Averett faculty and staff to keep them up-to-date on campus activities and information.

Please send information you would like included in CoffeeBreak via this form by 4:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, for a Wednesday, Dec. 14, publication.

Aviation Program Receives Commemorative Bell

Averett’s aviation program was given the commemorative bell by Dr. Tiffany Franks during the Averett Celebrates Christmas celebration. The award is given to an individual or a department whose effort has made a significant impact on our students, and the Averett family wishes to show its love by dedicating this season to them.

The aviation department was awarded the commemorative bell because of the investment, leadership and care Chief Flight Instructor Travis Williams and the entire department is making in their students. The program is currently the largest it has been in the history of the University, serving as a source of pride for our aviation alumni.

Student Accolades

Congratulations to all the students who have been nominated for student accolades this semester. Residence Life and the rest of the Averett family want to personally thank you for all you have done for our campus.

This week Residence Life is nominating Robert Lovelace, Philip Owens, Amanda Wright, Paige Robbins and Chris Walton.

Next week, Lesley Villarose, the dean of students, will be drawing a name of the winner for the fall prize.

Congratulations again to all our nominees!

Community Holiday Light Show

Check out Averett’s display at the 2016 Community Holiday Light Show at Ballou Park! Bren Taylor and Emma Olsson worked very hard to put this beautiful (and impressive) display together. The park is open for the light show from December 10-25, (closed on the 24th) Sunday-Thursday from 6-9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 6-10 p.m. It costs $7 a car. Discount nights: $5 a car, Tuesday, Dec. 13; Monday, Dec. 19; and Tuesday, Dec. 20. Please vote for Averett’s display!

Christmas Readings for Children

“The Dr. Betty Heard Christmas Readings” for children ages 4 to 9 will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. in the multipurpose room. The event was re-named to honor and remember our dear friend and colleague, the late Dr. Betty Heard because of her love for children’s literature and the Christmas Readings.

The circulation manager at the Mary B. Blount Library, Linda Lemery, will be reading at the event. The event is free and open to the public.

Student Success Center Candidate Presentation

Faculty and staff are invited to attend a candidate presentation for the Student Success Center assistant director position. Candidate Aries Wilson will be giving her presentation on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 11:15 a.m. in the Carrington Conference Room, fourth floor of the student center. Email Sherill Anderson at [email protected] with any questions.

Carry Out. Carry On.

Averett Women’s Network presents “Carry Out. Carry On: Challenges of Professional Women and Empowering One Another.”

Dr. Alexis Ehrhardt, executive director of The Center For Community Engagement and Career Competitiveness at Averett University, and Dr. Leanna Blevins, acting executive director, associate director and chief academic officer at the New College Institute (NCI), will be speaking. Our colleagues from Danville Community College and Patrick Henry Community College will also be there.

The event will take place Thursday, Dec. 15, at 4 p.m. in the multipurpose room. To see the flyer, click here.

Doctored Dinner 2.0

Averett Professor of English, Dr. Marc Muneal, is hosting an “Interactive Trini Christmas Experience.” Dr. Muneal is asking folks to come experience some classic Trinidadian/Caribbean Christmas culture and this time, you get to participate! You can take a break from Christmas week preparations and share the gift of food with friends, strangers and special guest, Marc Muneal’s mother Dawn!

You will learn how to make pastelles, a Trinidadian Christmas dish that’s like a cross between a tamale and a mince pie. You’ll get to press the dough, fill the pastelles, wrap them in banana leaves, and enjoy your creations after they’ve been steamed to perfection.

The dinner will take place on Monday, Dec. 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. at 2 Witches Winery & Brewery Company, 209 Trade Street in Danville. For tickets, click here.

Decorating the Trees for a Cause

Averett is participating in the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research’s Decorating the Trees for a Cause again this year. All the trees represent local causes and charities.

This year, a vote for Averett’s tree means a direct donation to scholarships for students. You can go vote from now until Wednesday, Dec. 21, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Let’s get out there and vote for our tree!

Bon Appétit Gets First Right of Refusal

Averett has signed a 15-year agreement with Bon Appétit! As you know, Bon Appétit  is Averett’s independent contractor for all food services, including the dining hall, Jut’s Café and event catering services.

As a reminder, when booking any event, Bon Appétit gets the first right of refusal on food service, meaning you must work with the Bon Appétit team first for your catering needs. If overbooked or otherwise unavailable, they can recommend you work with an outside caterer. For all your event and catering needs, contact Lynnette Lawson, the coordinator of conferences, camps and special events, at (434) 791-5625 or [email protected].

2016 Clery Act Compliance Training

One of our federal regulatory requirements under the Clery Act is that Averett must designate people to be Campus Security Authorities and provide training at least annually. This year’s training is a short, informative PowerPoint and 10-question quiz found on Moodle. Averett has designated nearly all administrative staff and faculty as CSAs because nearly everyone develops supportive relationships with students and could be someone a student would feel comfortable sharing information with.

When you are notified that you have been enrolled in The Clery Act training module, please try to fit it as quickly as possible. We’d like to have as many people as possible complete it before year end, and everyone who is a CSA to complete by Wednesday, Feb. 15. Thank you for being an engaged community!

Payroll

Reminder with the new biweekly payroll schedule, your December 9 paychecks is half of your total December pay. You will receive the other half on December 21. Remember to budget your bill-paying across both paychecks.