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. For the next CoffeeBreak, please submit by Friday, Jan. 13, for a Wednesday, Jan. 18, publication.
New Director of Health Services
Welcome alumna Teresa Barker back to Averett as the new Director of Health Services. Teresa is an experienced nurse who has worked in school settings, ICU and hospitals. She has additional experience teaching nursing at Danville Community College.
Teresa has a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Averett, a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Old Dominion University and a Master of Science in nursing from Chamberlain College of Nursing. Teresa believes nursing is a rewarding profession with endless rewards. Nursing is also a continuous educational process. It is this continuous education that allows nurses to grow and explore new areas of practice.
New Director of Counseling
Welcome Dr. Atticia Bundy as the new Director of Counseling. She has worked in higher education for over 20 years. She enjoys working with the college student population and is a certified QPR trainer and Mental Health First Aid trained as well as having specialized training in the 10 Core Competencies of Trauma, PTSD, Grief and Loss.
Dr. Bundy earned her Master of Science and Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and has since worked at East Carolina University, Rockingham Community College and NC A&T State University. Aside from her full-time job, she enjoys being outdoors and volunteering for animal rescue groups and local Hospice.
America’s MLK Sunday Supper 2023
This year’s theme, “Cultivating A Mindset Around Community Health,” will begin with a keynote by Shakeva Frazier and end with a chance for all attendees to engage in conversation on Danville’s Public Health needs.
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sunday, Jan. 15, 3-5 p.m.
Southside Community Learning Center, 524 Chatham Ave., Danville, VA 24541
America’s Sunday Supper is inspired by Dr. King’s vision of people from diverse backgrounds interacting on personal levels. This event encourages people to share a meal and discuss issues that affect their communities. By hosting a Sunday Supper in the Dan River Region, we hope to create a safe environment for people to learn from and about one another.
We encourage ages from 10 and up to attend and share community health needs. Food will be provided. For more information, please contact Tia Yancey at [email protected].
January Faculty and Staff Meeting Reminder
Our first Faculty and Staff Meeting of the semester will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 17, in Blount Chapel, with a Zoom link also available for those unable to attend in person. Don’t forget, the monthly PC Updates document will be uploaded in advance of the meeting into the calendar invite.
Additionally, Staff Council is accepting nominations for the Golden Bagel Award! If you feel that one of your coworkers has gone above and beyond this month, please email your nomination to [email protected].
The last Golden Bagel Winner of 2022 was Travis Dix. Join us in congratulating Travis, and read his nomination below!
“The website is one of those vital tools we all use, and without this person working behind the scenes, many of the wonderful things we use and enjoy may not be there. He is also responsible for the many graphics and designs we see around campus and on paper. When you ask him to do something, you’re met with a, ‘I can do that,’ or, ‘We can make that happen,’ even if he’s up to his eyeballs in work. Without a doubt, we couldn’t make it without the help of Travis Dix!”
Founders’ Day 2023
Founders Day will be held Thursday, Jan. 19, at 11:15 a.m. in Pritchett Auditorium in the Violet T. Frith Fine Arts Center, and will be livestreamed. This year’s program will include alumni and community speakers, and will be in honor of the late Robert Marsh who taught art at Averett for 54 years before passing away in October. We hope you can join us, and please encourage your students to attend.
On Display from the Averett Archives
This month, the Averett Blount Library continues its series of archival displays with a celebration of the centennial of The Chanticleer.
First published in December 1922, The Chanticleer began as an all-in-one student magazine – including short fiction, poetry and jokes – edited by officers from Averett’s two literary societies. This may help to explain the rather fanciful decision to name the paper after the rooster in Chaucer’s “Nun’s Priest’s Tale.” It grew rapidly into a typical student newspaper, reporting on campus events each month.
Along with the display itself, you will also find physical reprints of the first issue. Please take a moment to enjoy outdated news and impenetrable jokes on the main floor of Blount Library.
Spring 2023 Career & Graduate School Fair
As you meet with students, please share that our next career and graduate school fair is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Carrington Gym. Registration for organizations will run through mid-February and students should check Handshake weekly to monitor participant organizations. Please direct questions to Angie McAdams at [email protected].
Save the Date
Spring New Employee Orientation (NEO) will be held on Tuesday, March 7, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Make plans to join your new colleagues and network with faculty, staff and friends. Lunch will be available as part of the program. If you were hired since the Fall 2022 NEO in August, or if you could not make the August program, look for an evite via Punchbowl from HR Director Kathie Tune coming soon. We will host this year’s program at the President’s Suite of the Frank R. Campbell Stadium on our E. Stuart James Grant North Campus. Please call or email questions to Kathie at 434.791.7106 or [email protected].
Minimum Wage Increase
Just a note, starting January 1,2023, the minimum wage increased to $12.00. Thank you
Wellness Rewards
Employees who participated in the Averett Wellness Portal will be receiving a $10 Chick-fil-A gift card, as well as entered into a drawing for a bigger gift card reward. Participants in the 0-100 point range will be in a drawing for a $25 gift card, 101-200 will be in place for a $50 gift card, 201-300 a $75 gift card, and then lastly, those who earned more than 300 points will be in a drawing for a $100 gift card! We will keep you updated on who those winners are so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for updates.
Also, be on the lookout for a Challenge beginning later this month which will be another great way to earn some points and win a gift card! Here is the wellness link to get you started.
Health Notes for the New Year
Flu season hit much earlier this year and Virginia has seen its first influenza-related pediatric death for the 2022-23 flu season. As we are returning to campus, let’s keep a few things in mind:
- Students running a fever (temperature of 100.4) should not return to in-person classes, events, practices or games until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of any fever reducing medication.
- If you have any cold symptoms, please mask around others.
- If you start with cold symptoms, especially a fever, seek care quickly.
- If you have been in close contact with someone testing positive of flu or COVID-19, monitor for symptoms for up to 14 days.
- If you have not already done so, you are encouraged to make an appointment to receive your flu vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine or boosters.
- Take simple prevention steps: wash hands regularly, avoid touching your face and cover your mouth when sneezing/coughing.
For anyone testing positive for flu, RSV or COVID-19, it is imperative they contact Health Services at [email protected] or call 434-203-3781 to discuss details on isolation with each individual person.
