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, Nov. 5, for a Wednesday, Nov. 10, publication.
Upcoming Vaccine Clinics, Booster Shots Available
The Virginia Department of Health is offering weekly COVID-19 vaccination clinics in Chatham on Mondays and in Danville on Tuesdays in October. Please find the full schedule below.
Chatham Health Department
200 H G McGhee Drive
Chatham, Virginia 24531
Every Monday
9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. = Moderna and J&J
1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. = Pfizer
Danville Health Department
326 Taylor Drive
Danville, Virginia 24541
Every Tuesday
9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. = Moderna and J&J
1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. = Pfizer
Pfizer and Moderna booster shots are available at these clinics. Boosters are now interchangeable, and the types can be mixed and matched. (For example, if you received a Moderna vaccine first, you can now get a Pfizer booster, or if you received a J&J vaccine first, you can now get a Moderna booster, and so on).
Anyone on a college campus is eligible for a booster vaccine six months after their second Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two months after their J&J vaccine.
On-Campus COVID-19 Testing Kiosk
The COVID-19 PCR testing kiosk is available on campus for all students and employees in the Lower Commons parking lot on Main Campus. This service is available Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Saying Goodbye
Dana Nelson, director of operations of Averett’s Booksellers Bookstore, is leaving Averett. She has worked at the campus store since 2010, and her last day will be Tuesday, Nov. 9.
We are grateful to her service of our students, their families, faculty members and guests through the years. Stop by the campus store to pick up your Averett gear and wish her well.
Blood Drive, Donation Eligibility Changes
Averett is hosting a blood drive today, Nov. 3, in front of the Student Success Center. To donate you will need to sign up for a time at Health Services. For questions, contact Nathaniel Lake at [email protected].
In June 2020, the American Red Cross implemented changes to donor eligibility criteria by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including some specific to the LGBTQ community. Read more here.
There is also a push for the African American population to donate in order to help in the fight against Sickle Cell Disease. Learn more here.
Biometric Screening & Flu Clinic
We will host a dual campus clinic on Friday, Nov. 5. Our wellness program will be offering biometric screening and flu shots on sight in Carrington Gym. Biometric screenings will be available starting at 7 a.m. and the flu clinic beginning at 9 a.m., with both events concluding at 11 a.m. Our wellness program is partnering with WebMD to begin hosting clinics for benefits eligible faculty and staff. Stay up to date and on track with your current personal health or receive your flu shot again, or for the first time! Register using this link. For more instructions, click here. Find the link to register for the flu shot here.
Participation in either event qualifies for the wellness premium discount in 2022! If you have any questions please contact Bri Harris [email protected]
We will also have a coffee and tea bar available as well as Nutri-Grain bars and fruit! We hope to see you there!
2021 Averett Invitational
Come and join us for a day at The Danville Golf Club on Friday, Nov. 5!
Not a golfer? No problem! Come join us for a wonderful dinner buffet in their beautiful ballroom that afternoon while spending time with Averett Family & Friends.
Learn more here.
Art Show: Painting the Vision
Join us Tuesday, Nov. 9, from 4:30-6 p.m. in the Frith Fine Arts Center for Painting the Vision for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
This art show is about working to create a culture and environment where everyone feels valued, accepted and connected. SOVAH Health Danville and our partner organizations are excited to share with our community our murals and visions for diversity, equity and inclusion.
Averett, DCC Students Participate in Global Entrepreneurship Week
Students from Averett University and Danville Community College have collaborated to create a student-led entrepreneurship discussion panel on Tuesday, Nov. 9, from 4-6 p.m. in the Mary B. Blount Library. The students have put all aspects together themselves and this is an opportunity to showcase how creative and innovative our students are.
Please join us to support our students during this event and encourage any of your students to attend.
This is an in-person event. Masks will be required. Contact Peggy Wright (434-791-7118) or [email protected] with any questions.
November Professional Development Initiative Series Event
Please save the date for the November Professional Development Initiative event. Dr. Jaime Stacy will present information related to creative and effective Online Learning. Join us in the MPR or via Zoom on Wednesday, Nov. 10. To ensure all COVID-19 guidelines are followed, please register for the event using this link.
If you have questions, please reach out to Staff Council at [email protected].
Graduate School Fair
The CCECC is offering students a graduate school fair to be held Tuesday, Nov. 9, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the MPR. Please share with your students and encourage attendance. Please have students stop by the CCECC with questions.
Reception in Blount Library
Professor Robert Marsh’s artwork will be on display in Averett’s Blount Library until Friday, Nov. 12.
A reception will be held in the library on Thursday, Nov. 11, from 3-4 p.m. All faculty, staff and students are invited. Light refreshments will be served.
Arts@Averett: All Together Now
Hit songs from some of Broadway’s greatest musicals, featuring songs of hope for these troubling times brought to you by the Averett Theatre Department. This is an enjoyable night of music from some of your favorite musicals, and is a fundraiser for the Averett University Theatre Department.
Friday, Nov. 12. 2021 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Pritchett Auditorium in the Violet T. Frith Fine Arts Center
Tickets: $10 adults, $8 students/senior citizens (60+)
Averett students, faculty and staff receive free admission.
Engaged Showcase
On Tuesday, Nov. 16, from 5:30-7 p.m. in the lobby of the Frith Fine Arts Center, all students, faculty and community partners engaged in service-learning, internships, field research, job shadowing, study abroad, senior capstone research or any high impact practice will showcase their work. We will have light refreshments available and will be awarding our annual Engaged Awards for faculty, staff and students at the ceremony. Please join us as we celebrate learning, service and labor.
Open Enrollment for Benefits Eligible Employees continues…
Just a reminder that Open Enrollment for your health benefits (medical, dental, vision) is open and will continue through Tuesday, Nov. 16.
Questions? Register for a Zoom with Tammy Wall meeting if you need assistance with the portal, questions concerning benefits options or the Wellness Plan premium incentive.
To ensure you are registered in the portal, please open the link, click the register button and continue to follow the prompts to enter additional information and to verify your profile information already in the portal such as your mailing address. You will save time and some troubleshooting by registering now for a username and password instead of waiting until the open enrollment window opens.
Once you have registered, take a few minutes to look around the Empyrean site as it has a Resources page with Health and Welfare Contacts and a Documents Library of resources for you to learn about the programs offered through the VPCBC such as First Moms, Health Advocate, IngenioRX and LiveHealth Online, just to name a few.
Questions can be sent to Tammy Wall, senior accountant/benefits coordinator, at [email protected], or by calling 434-791-5679.
We Want Your Christmas Photos!
Dear Colleagues,
You are invited to get involved in a new and creative way for the Averett Celebrates Christmas concert!
We’d like for each of you to send a picture, to [email protected], of an image of what Christmas or the winter holidays mean to you. This can be a photograph from your personal collection (preferred) or an image you find online. These images will be displayed on the large screens in Pritchett while the music is happening. You may send more than one image if you feel torn between a couple of great ones.
Please get these submitted by Thursday, Nov. 18.
Thanks, and let’s have fun with this!
Yours,
Janet Phillips
2021 Staff Council Halloween Costume Contest Winners
Thank you everyone for participating in the Staff Council 2021 Halloween Contest. We had a lot of wonderful costumes this year and we can’t wait to see what you all come up with next year. Click here to view the contest winner slideshow.
Congratulations to our winners!
Group:
1st Place: Golden Girls (The Registrar’s Office)
2nd Place: The Jelly Fish (Health Services)
3rd Place: 101 Dalmatians (Student Life)
Individual:
1st Place: S’mores (Dana Mehalko)
2nd Place: Monsters Inc. (Matt Bell)
3rd Place: Steam Queen (Liz Cervantes)
Pet:
1st Place: Fire Fighter Pup (Laura Breeden)
2nd Place: Jurassic Park, Georgia the corgi (Katie Johnston)
3rd Place: Hot dog Guinea Pigs (Hannah Glass)
Winners will be contacted separately to receive their awards.
Averett Launches New 24/7 Mental Health Access
Averett Mental Health offers a 24/7 support line for immediate support to help you manage your concerns.
Common reasons students call are:
- Feelings of anxiety, depression or stress
- Relationship problems or worries
- Grief and loss
- Help with coping skills
- Support between therapy sessions or waiting to see a therapist
Call 833-434-1217 to speak to a counselor for immediate support and/or connection to counseling sessions.
The 24/7 support line is available at no cost therapy through a telehealth or face to face therapy for up to 6 visits per issue per year.
The clinician will ask you some questions to get a sense of your concerns and what you are looking for (immediate support, a connection to counseling or both).
We Need Your Help! 2021 Grassroots VTAG Campaign
For 2021, we are excited to again launch our grassroots advocacy campaign to support VTAG funding for our students. With an election pending, this campaign is more critical than ever.
Each year, we ask any faculty, staff and students to write emails to their elected officials to support our student’s educational pursuits. The volume of emails is always a positive metric to show our support as a university community. If you are from out of state, you can write a letter in support of Averett or a specific student.
This year, we are asking our state government to increase the VTAG award to $4,500 from $4,000. This increase in funding will go a long way to support our students financially and allow access to a private school education. The state has the increased funding, and we are excited to show/tell them how important this program is to our students.
You can send your letters and show your support by clicking here.
As a reminder, our Virginia students receive a financial aid award, the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG), designed to assist Virginia residents who attend accredited private, non-profit colleges and universities in state. This award is always a point of state budget conversations, so the grassroots campaign is vital to show how much this award helps our students succeed.
Our students appreciate your support and voice!
Matthew Mann
Admissions
