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, July 30, for a Wednesday, Aug. 4, publication.
Health and Safety Protocols for Fall 2021
Dear Students and Colleagues,
I hope you have had a relaxing and safe summer and are excited for a successful academic year ahead.
I am reaching out on behalf of the Campus COVID-19 Coordination Team with updates on our health and safety protocols for the Fall 2021 semester. Averett University was very successful in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 last year. We remain committed to providing a safe and healthy campus experience this semester, continuing some of the best practices from last year while providing a more robust in-person campus experience this fall.
We have prepared a comprehensive plan for this semester which will be available soon. Meanwhile, we wanted to share the key takeaways with you as we prepare to enter the busy month of August.
Vaccines
Averett strongly urges all students, faculty and staff (who are able) to get vaccinated. This is the best way for us to protect ourselves and keep one another safe.
A vaccination clinic in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) will be held on campus on Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021, and will be open to all students and employees. We will track vaccination statuses for all students and employees to make informed decisions on future health and safety protocols.
Testing
All on-campus students and returning employees must undergo COVID-19 PCR testing at a pharmacy or health care provider’s office within three days of your return to campus, or at the on-campus testing event on Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. All other employees must get a COVID-19 PCR test prior to August 20 or at the testing event.
The University will assess testing results at the end of August and will consider adjusting restrictions, depending on campus COVID-19 incident data as well as regional COVID-19 activity and health and safety recommendations by the CDC, local VDH officials and the Governor’s executive orders related to the pandemic. Additional future testing may be required at various intervals.
Face Coverings
Because of the increase in new variant COVID-19 incidents and since we are reuniting from many areas of the country and world, all students, employees and visitors must wear face coverings during the month of August 2021 when indoors with others and outdoors when social distancing is not feasible. Any adjustments regarding the use of face coverings will be communicated to campus prior to September 1. We are hopeful vaccinated students and employees will no longer need to wear face coverings from that point forward.
Daily Self-Monitoring
All students and employees must complete daily health self-checks via LiveSafe to assess for any COVID-19 symptoms. Once the assessment is completed, users will receive an email each time that indicates that they have completed their health self-check for the day. Students will need to share their check-mark results with professors for each in-class sessions and at times upon entering other employee areas.
If a student answers “yes” to any of the questions and receives the red ‘X’ at any point, you should call the Averett Health Triage Line at 434-203-3781 to reduce the risk of transmission of disease to other students and to seek support regarding next steps. Employees who receive the red ‘X’ at any point should continue to follow our protocol of contacting your department/division head or supervisor and the Director of Human Resources.
Classes and Campus Life
Classes in the Averett traditional program will return to predominant face-to-face instruction with some protocols from our previous semester staying in effect for the Fall semester. In addition, there will be some classes offered online or in a hybrid format, as well as accommodations for those who cannot attend in-person for pandemic-related reasons.
The Dining Hall will return to full-capacity seating, and all food stations will return to full pre-pandemic operation. Dining Services employees and patrons will follow the University’s protocols regarding face coverings when not eating or drinking.
Events, Visitors and Athletics
During major indoor University events or outdoor events where social distancing is not possible, everyone will be required to wear face coverings at least during the month of August.
Averett is open for all visitors including prospective students and their families. Health and safety protocols are in place for visits.
All Averett Athletics teams will be competing as scheduled, and all Athletics student-athletes and staff will also follow all NCAA and conference guidance. Currently spectators are allowed and will follow the University’s visitor protocols.
Continued Monitoring
We will continue to very closely monitor campus COVID-19 incident data as well as regional COVID-19 activity and health and safety recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), VDH and the Governor of Virginia, all of which will help inform future protocol for Averett’s campuses.
Thank you for the role you each have and will play in keeping our students, yourselves and each other safe.
Sincerely,
Don Aungst
CFO/COO, COVID-19 Campus Coordinator
COVID-19 Discussion with Kathie Tune
The recurring COVID-19 discussion with Kathie Tune will be held from 10:30-11 a.m. today. Click here to join the discussion. For any immediate questions or concerns, contact Kathie Tune at 434-791-7106 or by email.
Welcome Dr. Venita Mitchell
Dr. Venita Mitchell joins Averett this week as our new vice president for student engagement and senior student experience officer position.
She comes to us after a career spanning 30 years in both the public and private college/university settings, working in all aspects of higher education as a student affairs professional. Her experience includes serving over 20 years at William Woods University, including 18 years as the vice president and dean of student life, as well as director of leadership development, and interim athletic director; adjunct instructor at the University of Missouri; assistant dean for student development at Millsaps College; assistant director of recreation services at the University of Kansas; and director of intramurals at Rhodes College.
Dr. Mitchell earned a doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Missouri, a master’s degree in recreation, parks and tourism from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University.
If you see Dr. Mitchell on campus, please give her a warm welcome to the Averett Family.
Welcome Tammi Devlin
Tammi Devlin joined Averett on July 1 as the Director of Health Services. The clinic, based in the Galesi Family Student Success Center, will provide basic health services for all Averett students and employees. The hours of the clinic are currently Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Devlin is a bachelor’s-prepared registered nurse with 25 years of nursing experience. She will be working in partnership with Dr. Carl Winfield from Providence Family and Sports Medicine, and has joined the Campus COVID-19 Coordination Team.
Welcome, Tammi!
New Employee Orientation (NEO)
Fall NEO will be held on Friday, Aug. 6, from 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. in the Frith Fine Arts Center. A buffet lunch will be available. If you were hired since the spring 2021 NEO in March, or if you could not make the March event, look for the e-vite via Punchbowl from Chief Human Resources Officer Kathie Tune. This event is open to full-time faculty and staff, graduate assistants and part-time, non-student employees.
We are so excited that you may join us in August! Call or email Kathie Tune with questions at [email protected] or 434-791-7106.
Annual August Opening Session for Faculty & Staff
Monday, Aug. 9
1:45 – 2:30 p.m. Informational Showcase and Refreshments
2:30 – 4:30 p.m. Opening of the Year Kick-Off
4:30 p.m. Family Picnic
Join your fellow faculty and staff as we celebrate the new school year on Monday, Aug. 9, starting at 1:45 p.m. in the Frith Fine Arts Center Lobby.
The afternoon begins at 1:45 p.m. in the Frith Fine Arts Center lobby with refreshments and fellowship, including an informational showcase highlighting updates and upcoming opportunities from various departments and committees. This is followed by our Opening of the Year Session in Pritchett Auditorium. President Franks and Joe will then host you and your loved ones for a family picnic in the Student Center.
Please respond to the Punchbowl invite ASAP, in which you will need to RSVP for yourself and the number of family guests you will be bringing (significant others, children) to the Family Picnic.
Football Season Tickets, Tailgating Spots to go on Sale
Season tickets and parking pass sales for home football games open to alumni, faculty/staff and the public begin on July 30. Call 434-791-5677 to reserve yours! Click the image at left for more information.
Dining Services Updates
The dining hall is pleased to announce several updates and changes for the fall 2021 semester, including more options. Please share with your students and colleagues our exciting news:
- Omelets – Every Saturday and Sunday, the made-to-order omelet station will be featured during our brunch meal service. Look for them frequently throughout the semester.
- Power Up Your Breakfast – Get your day started with a made-to-order smoothie from our all new smoothie bar. Available during breakfast and brunch hours, pick from fresh fruits, berries, yogurt, greens and proteins.
- Block Meal Plans for Commuters – This package was designed with commuters in mind. Now available is a 50 block meal plan specifically for commuters. Reach out to the office of housing and residence life now for more details and enrollment.
- Continuous Dining Hours – Dining services for the fall in the dining hall and Juts Café will be operating on a continuous schedule from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Enjoy breakfast from 7:30-10 a.m., lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and dinner from 5-9:30 p.m. Between meal times, the salad and deli bar, cereal, toast, fruits, beverages and desserts will remain available. Look for special treats between meals as well! Jut’s Café is continuous service from open to close as well.
Averett to Offer Record Number of Service-Learning Opportunities to Students in Fall
This summer, Averett University’s Center for Community Engagement and Career Competitiveness (CCECC) facilitated a service-learning fellowship program for seven faculty and two staff members from Averett to engage and discuss future service-learning projects.
As a result, Averett students will benefit from the most service-learning class offerings ever during the upcoming semester.
Dean of Engaged Learning and CCECC Executive Director Dr. Billy Wooten said that following the service-learning fellowship, an additional 11 service-learning classes for students are being added for the fall semester.
“The number of offerings for the fall is the most ever for a single semester. Usually, we have anywhere from 50 to 60 service-learning projects per academic year. In the fall semester alone, there will be nearly 40 projects,” Wooten said.
For the full story, including a list of classes created from the fellowship, click here.
Don’t Wait: Enroll in a Meal Plan Today!
The semester is fast approaching and now is the time to get yourself enrolled into a faculty/staff meal plan and take advantage of the steep discounts.
All you need is an Averett ID with a number to see these savings. Meals are purchased in blocks of 10 meals and the meals never expire. Use them how you please, and if you happen to run out mid-semester, don’t fret, you can purchase more at any time.
The price for 10 meals this year will be $65.96 (taxes included). That’s only $6.60 for any all-you-care-to-eat meal in the main café.
To enroll, call the dining office at 434-791-7307 or send an email to Mary Robertson.
But wait – there’s more. For every 10 meals you purchase, Dining will provide one extra complimentary meal swipe. So that’s 11 meals for $65.96; nearly an additional 10% savings.
Cougar Business Fest
Mark your calendar! Cougar Business Fest is Tuesday, Aug. 17, from noon-3 p.m. on the Student Center Lawn. Click the flyer at left for more information.
