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. Please submit by Friday, Sept. 14, for a Wednesday, Sept.19 , publication
GPS Student Spotlight
Meet Clayton Ferguson, a student pursuing his Bachelor of Business Administration degree who is expected to graduate in 2020. To learn more about Clayton on this GPS blog, click here.
What is your motivation for obtaining your degree here at Averett University?
“The motivation to attend such an amazing school was a dream that I never thought I would see coming true. But for me to see this dream being revealed, pushes me to work harder than I have ever done before. Starting my own business and building a brand was my secondary motivation in which inspired me to attend college.”
Averett to Close Today at 5 p.m.
Due to inclement weather from Hurricane Florence, Averett University will be closed as of 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12, through the weekend. All Thursday and Friday classes will be cancelled, and all events, games, practices and activities scheduled from 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday evening will be postponed until further notice. Only essential staff will be working.
Essential services will be available to students who need to stay on Main Campus. All other campuses – North, Riverview, Equestrian Center and the Flight Center – will be closed.
Students remaining on campus should sign up at the sign-in sheet on their RA’s door if planning to stay on campus. Meal services will be available as follows:
– Lunch: 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
– Dinner: 4:30-7 p.m.
Campus Safety and Security, as well as Residence Life, will be available and can be reached at their on-call numbers:
– Campus Safety and Security On-Call: (434) 791-5888
– Residence Life On-Call: (434) 203-7245
For immediate maintenance needs during this time, students should contact Residence Life On-Call.
Averett’s Graduate and Professional Studies program is in direct communications with students and faculty regarding class scheduling.
For Athletics:
Football: Averett’s home game scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 15, against Ferrum College has been postponed. The teams are looking to reschedule that game for a later date.
Men’s Soccer: Averett’s home match scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 12, is still on. However, the game time has been moved up to 1 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. Averett’s home games over the weekend (Saturday, Sept. 15, against LaGrange College, and Sunday, Sept. 16, against Huntingdon College) have been postponed. School administration and the USA South Athletic Conference are working to reschedule those games at a later date, which is still to be determined.
Women’s Soccer: Averett’s road match scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 15, at Brevard College has been postponed. The teams have tentatively rescheduled the match for Sunday, Sept. 23, at 2 p.m.
Volleyball: Averett’s two-day Averett Invitational has been canceled. Averett may add additional play dates at a later time.For questions around Averett Athletics, visit https://www.averettcougars.com/.
We will continue to monitor the conditions and provide updates as available. Please follow all communications from LiveSafe, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates. Alerts and information on how to download the LiveSafe app can be found at https://www.averett.edu/student-life/campus-security/livesafe/. For specific questions or concerns, call (434) 203-7245.
“Pinkalicious” Rescheduled for Next Week
Due to inclement weather from Hurricane Florence, “Pinkalicious” has been rescheduled for next Thursday and Friday, Sept. 20-21, 7 p.m., in Pritchett Auditorium. There will not be a Saturday matinee.
Happy September Birthdays
Toot the horn! Bang the drum! It’s a party! Can you come? President Franks and Joe Franks invites faculty and staff with birthdays in September to celebrate with them. On Tuesday, Sept. 18, join the Franks in Main Hall Parlor/Lobby from 3:30-4:30 p.m
Please RSVP to Cyndie Basinger by emailing [email protected].
Criminal Justice Ice Cream Social
Averett’s Criminal Justice Club will be selling ice cream, sodas and water in the Jordan Common from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 13. Ice cream is $1 and sodas and water are $.50. The fundraiser is to help raise money for the October 25-27 ACJA-LAE Region IV Conference in King of Prussia, Pa. For details, call CJC club advisor John Wilt at (434) 770-8822.
Constitution Day Panel on Campus Freedom
On Monday Sept. 17, from noon until 1:30 p.m. in the MPR, the CCECC and Student Life are sponsoring a moderated panel discussion on freedom of expression and campus safety issues facing colleges across the nation.
Potential areas for discussion include:
1. Should colleges restrict students’ rights to protest in the name of creating a safe learning environment?
2. Does campus safety trump an individual’s rights to protest and peacefully assemble?
3. Should athletes be sanctioned for protesting at sporting events?
4. Should colleges censor student work in the arts and humanities?
5. Should clubs and organizations be allowed to protest on campuses?
6. Should faculty and staff be allowed to carry weapons to protect our community in the case of school violence?
These and other topics are everyday realities on some campuses, and they are issues that demand a civil and constructive dialogue everywhere. So, grab some food and come to the MPR to hear our panelists (Lesley Villarose, Dr. Katy Clark, Dr. Adriennne Brune and Toni Gazda) offer their views and ask them the questions you know you’ve always wanted to ask. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Billy Wooten from the CCECC. If you would like to submit questions in advance, please contact him at [email protected].
TIAA on Campus
Matt Meade will be on campus on Monday, Oct. 1, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. in Main 131.
Any member of the retirement plan or anyone interested in joining the plan may set an appointment with Meade. All full-time and part-time (non-student) employees are eligible to enroll in the plan. Additional information concerning the Universal Availability Notice is available on the Averett University intranet.
Mark you Calendar….Day to Engage is Saturday, Sept. 22!
Day to Engage is Saturday, Sept. 22. Visit campusengage.org for a list of events and volunteer opportunities. FREE T-shirts for volunteers!
Dr. Adolph Brown Convocation at DCC
Our partners at Danville Community College are hosting a wonderful opportunity for our students, faculty and staff to attend a student success convocation on DCC’s campus, featuring critically-acclaimed humorist and speaker Dr. Adolph Brown.
The event is Tuesday, Sept. 25, at 11 a.m. in the Temple Building at DCC. The CCECC will provide transportation to those who register with Tia Yancey. To sign up for a ride email [email protected] or drop by the CCECC and sign up for a ride.
Medicare Presentation
The presentation will be held in the Carrington Conference Center from Wednesday, Sept. 26, from 3-5 p.m.
Homecoming Weekend is Sept. 28-30
Homecoming Weekend is getting closer! Join your fellow faculty and staff from Sept. 28-30 for all of our Homecoming festivities. We are kicking off our “Welcome Home” weekend with Blue and Gold Day on Friday, followed by a full day of events that leads into a packed weekend!
Don’t forget to register online ASAP. (Yes, as an Averett employee and an alumnus you can still register and receive fun goodies!) By registering online, alumni can get some great opportunities like preferred parking and discounted football tickets! All alumni are reminded to check in at the alumni tent on Saturday, available from 1 p.m. until half-time, for fabulous prizes!
For the full schedule of events with details, to see the list of award recipients and inductees and to register online, visit Averett.edu/homecoming. Don’t forget your blue and gold Averett gear! Shop the Averett Campus Store, The Schoolfield House Booksellers, at www.averettshop.com.
The spirit days are as follows:
Monday – Jersey
Tuesday –Tourist
Wednesday – Woke up like this (You can wear your PJ’s!)
Thursday – Decades
Friday – Blue and Gold
Averett Moves up in U.S. News & World Report Rankings
Great news! Averett has reached its highest ranking yet as the no. 13 best regional liberal arts college in the South this year by U.S. News & World Report. In addition, Averett was named the sixth best regional college in the South for veterans in 2019, as well as the fourth-ranking Southern regional college for best value. Averett also appeared on this year’s “Schools with the Most International Students” list, which highlights schools with the largest numbers of international undergraduates. To read the full article, click here.
2018 Souvenir Football T-Shirt
Come by the Campus Store or click here to get your limited edition 2018 Souvenir Football T-Shirt!
IT is Making Waves
Over the recent several months, our folks in IT have been very, very busy making improvements to campus for our students, and for our faculty and staff. Here are a few examples:
Recent student improvements:
• Commons apartment feeds were rewired with single-mode fiber, allowing each building to transmit data to Frith individually as opposed to the old design which required all data to transmit through the first building in a serial design causing congestion problems with the switching in the first building. New IT switches were also deployed in each apartment building which will allow for future increases in speed, up to 40gig transfer rates.
• Danville and Davenport dorms received new switches and wired vs. wireless traffic was separated via separate fiber feeds into the IT center as opposed to all traffic going to the center using one connection as was the previous design. The new switching will allow more flexibility in the future for transfer rate upgrades.
• The new Main Hall renovations included two new switch closets with new switches for each floor. New single-mode fiber was also deployed via the telecommunication room to the closets in Main Hall, allowing for flexibility and future transfer rate increases.
• New access points were deployed (one per room) in Danville, Davenport and the new Main Hall to provide blanket wireless coverage in those dorms.
• New Ethernet wiring and switching were added to the esports area for faster transfer rates.
Other key improvements:
• Office 365 implementation – Migrated from 2010 Exchange and Active Directory to the “365” platform.
• Mitel Phone system upgrade – The old phone system was not compatible with the “365” platform.
• Cable Upgrade – Upgraded pieces of the infrastructure to strengthen signal.
• Camera System Upgrade – Upgrading current security camera system and significantly expand the number of security cameras.
• Esports arena – Advanced control panel for room lights/audio/video which facilitates our esports program, but is flexible enough to allow for instruction in the space as well.
We’re proud of the tenacity of our stretched IT folks to handle the extremely busy summer while providing for these terrific improvements at the same time. Be sure to compliment our team when you see them. Thanks, folks!
