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, Sept. 30, for a Wednesday, Oct. 5, publication.

Averett Online Welcomes New Admissions Counselors

Averett Online has added six new admissions counselors to the enrollment team! The initiative to go remote began in July and they have been able to hire wonderful candidates from all around the country due to this expansion. Josh Williams serves as interim director of admissions, and Erica Bailey was recently promoted to associate director of admissions. They are excited for their growing team and the increasing beneficial impact these hires will have on the Averett Online community. Check out our counselors and where they reside! Myranda Barker is in Danville, Va.; Elizabeth Bernhard is based in Killeen, Texas; Holly Blowe is in Newport News, Va.; Madison Dadez lives in Chester, Va.; Skyler Hayes is in Wilmington, N.C.; and Autumn Stephen is in Lakeland, Tenn. Welcome to Averett!

Arts@Averett: “The Play That Goes Wrong”

The first theatre show of the year kicks off Thursday! The play is a show within a show. A theatre company is presenting a murder mystery where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. The play has everything you never want in a show and more such as an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead and actors that trip over everything (including their lines). Click here for ticket information.

CROP Hunger Walk to End Hunger – Join the Averett Team

The annual CROP Hunger Walk is happening soon on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 3 p.m. in Ballou Park near Averett’s Main Campus. Averett’s CCECC plans to be a financial sponsor for the event and would like to invite you to take part in the walk to end hunger in the Dan River Region.

You have the option to walk a three-mile course or a 1 mile course, depending on your level of comfort. Since 2008, we have raised over $223,000 to fight hunger. Please help us continue this success.

If you would like to join the Averett team through the CCECC, please complete the following form before Wednesday, Sept. 14, so we can get the appropriate t-shirt sizes to the walk committee.

When you register, we’ll send you a confirmation with a social media post you can share on your accounts to boost the word about the walk.

LGBTQ+ Awareness Month

Join us to celebrate LGBTQ+ Awareness Month. Click the picture at left for more.

Professional Development Series Returns Soon

You don’t want to miss the first event of the 2022-2023 Professional Development series.

The CCECC, Staff Council, DEI Taskforce and Averett University Human Resources have partnered to host a Safe Zone Training on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 11 a.m. in the MPR.

Please see the attached flyer for more information. Lunch will be provided by the CCECC for all attendees, so please make sure you register for this event! All faculty, staff and students are welcome to attend. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to Staff Council, [email protected].

Click the picture at left to enlarge and scan QR code to register. Hurry! Registration closes Friday, Oct. 7.

Interested in Football Games from the President’s Suite?

Football season is upon us! There will be limited space available in the President’s Suite this year for home football games, but we hope to have an opportunity to invite members of our faculty and staff. If you have interest in coming to the President’s Suite for one of the home games listed below, please respond to [email protected] and list the games for which you are available. We hope to enjoy the opportunity for fellowship with as many as possible, and encourage you to respond as soon as possible.

Saturday, Oct. 29, 1 p.m. – Shenandoah University
Saturday, Nov. 5, 1 p.m. – Guilford College

Jordan Commons Lighting Complete

Sterling Lighting has completed exterior lighting in Jordan Commons.

During the summer, Sterling Lighting held a conference on campus that included an exterior lighting competition on campus. Read about their time on campus here.

Creditable Coverage Notice – PPO Plan 4, HDHP Plan 7

Medicare Part D Notice Reminder: The annual October 14 deadline is fast approaching. Employer group health plans that include prescription drug coverage must provide a Medicare Part D creditable and/or non-creditable coverage notice (“Notice”), as applicable, each year to all Medicare-eligible employees and dependents before the annual October 15 Medicare Part D enrollment period. The purpose of this annual Notice (available here) is to notify Medicare beneficiaries whether or not their employer’s prescription drug coverage is at least as good as Medicare’s prescription drug coverage. Please note:  The Virginia Private College Benefit Consortium (VPCBC) has determined that the prescription drug coverage offered by the Medical Plan(s) is, on average for all plan participants, expected to pay out as much as standard Medicare prescription drug coverage pays and is therefore considered Creditable Coverage. Because your existing coverage is Creditable Coverage, you can keep this coverage and not pay a higher premium (a penalty) if you later decide to join a Medicare drug plan.

If an employer’s prescription drug coverage is not creditable, meaning it is not as good as Medicare’s prescription drug coverage, Medicare eligible individuals can incur a late enrollment penalty for failing to timely enroll in Medicare Part D. The Notice is intended to help them decide whether to enroll in Medicare Part D or not.

For additional information, please contact Pam Paynter, Benefits Coordinator, at [email protected] or by calling 434.791.7184.

Family Day Thank You, Feedback Requested

To everyone who participated in Averett’s first Family Day on Saturday, Sept. 17, we want to say thank you! If you have any feedback about the day please click here to email Emma Olsson. She is seeking your input on what went well, what could use improvement and anything that could make this event better for 2023.

CCECC Partners with VDH, The Book Lady

Averett’s CCECC recently partnered with Averett alumna Jennifer Hogue Williams ’90 (“The Book Lady”) and the Virginia Department of Health to provide children’s books to families while we are out distributing health awareness in Danville/Pittsylvania County and Southside Virginia. On average, our population health team serves 200 families per weekend, and this partnership will help combat low literacy rates in our region. Pictured are VDH Population Health Team members Tara Rogers, Barbara Johnson and Jasmine Mckenzie as well as Williams.

COVID-19 Booster Opportunity

Did you know that we are still losing 400 Americans a day to Covid? Covid-19 remains the third leading cause of death in America. (Source: NVSS Vital Statistics Rapid Release)

The majority of these deaths continue to be among unvaccinated individuals. Unvaccinated people have 14 times the risk of dying compared to those with two boosters. (CDC)

Even though it may seem that Covid is not still happening, it is and we continue to lose an unacceptable amount of Americans as a result of SARS-CoV-2.

We are excited to share that we will be having a Bivalent Covid booster clinic on campus Wednesday, Sept. 28, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Click the poster at left for information and how to register.

There are a limited amount of doses so if you want to get your booster on campus please register ASAP.

Here are some important things to know:

• This is the booster that is designed to target and protect against the current BA.4 and BA.5 variants, getting our campus population boosted will bring us community protection again.
• This is a Booster clinic only, you must have the primary series which is 2 vaccines of the Moderna or Pfizer or 1 dose of the J&J.
• The Moderna booster is for ages 18 years and older, so if you are 17, please register for the Pfizer.
• Please only register for the vaccine that you choose to receive.
• There are studies that show that for Men below the age of 30 have a higher risk for Myocarditis after receiving the MRNA vaccines. The Pfizer vaccine has a lower risk of Myocarditis due to having less of the RNA, if you are male under 30 years old, the Pfizer booster may be the better choice for you.
• CDC says that you can receive your booster immediately following recovery of symptoms, however studies are showing that it may be beneficial for a longer term benefit to wait 60 days after a Covid infection.
• You can get either vaccine as a booster, it doesn’t matter what vaccines you have had in the past.
• The VDH also continues to offer both Boosters at their Chatham and Danville locations.
  • Chatham VDH is located at 200 H.G Mcghee Drive, Chatham Va. 24531
  • Danville VDH is located at 326 Taylor Drive, Danville Va. 24541
  • Both offer the boosters on Tuesdays, the Moderna vaccine from 9-11 a.m. and the Pfizer vaccine from 1-3 p.m.
  • Appointments for these locations can be made by going to vaccines.gov or vase.vdh.virginia.gov.

Flu Season Update

Wellness News!

Greetings all!

I hope everyone has had a more than fun time getting some steps in during our Invitational Step Challenge. Week 5 of the competition ended Tuesday, Sept. 27, which also brought the invitational to an end. I am excited to see who our top steppers are when all of the steps are tallied!

With the step challenge coming to an end, you may be wondering what cool event will Averett Wellness be holding next? Well, you all are in for quite a treat!

Beginning in November, we will be holding a water challenge. If you participate, we will give you a BPA free water bottle to get you started! They come in some really cool colors.

On Tuesday, Nov. 1, we will also be holding our annual biometric screening and flu clinic. Stay tuned for the time and place details for that coming soon.

Please reach out to me via email with any questions regarding the Averett Wellness portal or feel free to stop by my office in the student success center room 116B.

Have a great week!

– Victor