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. 1, for a Wednesday, Nov. 6, publication.

West Main Parking Lot to Be Cleared This Afternoon

West Main Baptist Church is hosting a Trunk or Treat in the West Main parking lot (between the church and Main Hall) on today, Oct. 30. ALL CARS MUST BE OUT OF THE LOT BY 4:30 p.m. TODAY: Security will be enforcing this rule and a LiveSafe announcement will go out on this subject as well.

Registration Rodeo

Attention faculty & staff – please remind your students who may have issues with registration to come see us for the Registration Rodeo next week.

Drop by the Multipurpose Room (2nd Floor, Student Center) on your assigned class day (11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. each day) and “lasso” all things registration, enrollment, student success, financial aid, student accounts and more.

Monday, 10/28 – Seniors
Wednesday, 10/30 – Juniors
Friday, 11/1 – Sophomores
Monday, 11/4 – Freshmen

Hope to see you there.

Cyber Club Formation

Are you interested in all things computing? The Computer Science (CS) and Computer Information Systems (CIS) Department is having a meeting to form an Averett’s Computing Interest Club. The meeting will be held on today, Oct. 30, at 2 p.m. in Blount Chapel. All students and faculty are welcome. The club is for ALL AVERETT STUDENTS, not just CS/CIS students. Topics can include:

3D printing
Raspberry Pi
Arduino
Microcontrollers
Classic Arcade Games
Robotics
Embedded systems
CyberSecurity
CnC working
Digitial Electronics
Artificial Intelligence
And more

Let’s get this club started. At the first meeting, we will install an initial set of club officers and create a constitution for the club. For more information, contact Dawn Hendricks at [email protected].

Halloween Lunch

The Admissions Office and Averett Central will host a Halloween Chili/Soup Lunch on Oct. 31, from noon – 2 p.m. for staff and faculty in the Main Hall Welcome Center. Dress up for Halloween for fun.

Open Enrollment for 2025 Benefits Begins Friday

Each year, Averett University and other member institutions in the Virginia Private College Benefit Consortium (VPCBC) conduct an Open Enrollment process for benefits eligible faculty and staff. To learn more about the consortium, go to www.vpcbc.org.

Open Enrollment allows employees to decide which medical, dental and vision benefit plan(s) they elect for insurance coverage for the upcoming calendar year, including FSA and HSA options. The Empyrean health benefits enrollment portal will be open for the two-week enrollment window scheduled for Friday, Nov. 1 to Thursday, Nov. 14.

Plan 8 is another option this year that offers the same coverage as Plans 4 and 7 but carries a lower premium for employees and employers. It is a High Deductible HMO plan that uses the HealthKeepers network of providers for Virginia and the PPO network for all other states. The Anthem HealthKeepers network flyer for out-of-state coverage is provided in this article. HealthKeepers PPO Wrap Flyer 04 24.

For a quick view of Plans 4, 7 and 8 and instructions to locating providers in Virginia and outside of Virginia, see the charts below. If you are looking for additional information to prepare for Open Enrollment 2025, please refer to the 2025 benefits guide available at this link: https://cloud.3dissue.net/8688/8697/8701/119586/index.html?10564. Questions concerning the upcoming Open Enrollment period? Connect with Pam Paynter, benefits coordinator, at [email protected] or Kathie Tune, chief HR officer, at [email protected].

First Fridays with Dr. Franks

All faculty and staff are welcome to join Dr. Franks virtually on the first Friday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. This is designed to be an opportunity for you to ask questions and express new ideas as we reimagine our academic transformation that aligns with the learners of today and the future and reframe how we recruit and support successful students.

If you would like to attend on Friday, Nov. 1, please contact Laura Agnor at [email protected] in the President’s Office to receive the meeting details.

Arts@Averett Presents: Fall Pops Concert

Join us on Friday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. in Pritchett Auditorium for the Fall Pops Concert.

There is something for everyone on this concert full of popular tunes including music from “The Lion King,” “Encanto,” “Black Adam,” “Avatar,” a band piece with a Dubstep track, and more. Free admission, donations accepted.

Connecting Through Conversations Webinar

There are just two weeks left to register for the upcoming webinar, Feeling Welcome: Connecting Through Conversations, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, from 2-3 p.m. ET. Through our campus involvement in the CIC Belong community, all faculty and staff are welcome to attend at no cost. Can’t make the event but still want to receive the content? If you register, you will receive the webinar recording following the live event.

This interactive 60-minute webinar, led by Dr. Teresa Nance, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Chief Diversity Officer at Villanova University, will explore how to facilitate classroom conversations that incorporate diverse perspectives, encourage respectful disagreement, and guide discussions toward meaningful closure.

We hope you will take advantage of this professional development opportunity to enhance your dialogue strategies with students. Please see the attached flyer for more information.

Sincerely, DEIB Team

Men’s Lacrosse Scrimmage

The Averett University men’s lacrosse team will host Emory & Henry on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. for their fall scrimmage at Daly Field. There is no cost to attend, but support is appreciated.

Annual Engaged Showcase

It is time for our annual fall Engaged Showcase on Monday, Nov. 11, from 5:30-7 p.m. in Carrington Gym (see attached invitation). The Engaged Showcase is a time to celebrate our community’s engaged learning accomplishments. If you are a community partner, taught a service-learning course, engaged in an internship or workplace experience or teach an IDS 110 class, we would like to invite and encourage you to set up a table to showcase and celebrate this accomplishment.

Awards will be presented to our Engaged Student, Engaged Intern, Engaged Faculty Member and Engaged Community Partner. We will have light refreshments available. To sign-up for the fall Engaged Showcase, please click HERE. Please RSVP using this no later than Friday, Nov. 1.

Worship Together at Averett University

In the midst of the week, find a moment of peace and renewal at our Thursday Prayer Service at Averett University. Let us come together in prayer and fellowship, lifting our hearts and voices in unity.

Every Thursday
Time: 11:15 a.m.
Location: Blount Chapel

Whether you’re seeking strength, guidance, or a quiet time to connect with God, this service is the perfect space for you. Everyone is welcome to join—bring a friend, and let’s find comfort and community through prayer. We hope to see you there this Thursday. Stay connected with https://www.instagram.com/Averettspirituallife/ on Instagram for more details. Looking forward to worshipping with you all.

For further details, contact Sean Timmons – University Chaplain at [email protected]

ACA Employee Consent Forms (IRS Form 1095) Available

The site will open on Friday, Nov. 1.  As you progress through the portal, please note that you may access electronic copies of your IRS Form 1095 from this enrollment site.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires employers to report health insurance coverage as well as health insurance offers provided to full time employees each year. IRS Form 1095 demonstrates the employer’s compliance with the ACA requirement.

If you choose, you may also opt-out of receiving a mailed IRS Form 1095 via the electronic “consent” process.

You must submit your consent before December 1 to opt out of receiving a mailed IRS Form 1095 for the current calendar year. Click the “Consent to Online Only Forms” button for details.

Entrepreneurship: Gong Show Pitch Competition for Averett Students

The Department of Business Administration is sponsoring an entrepreneurship competition called the Gong Show Pitch Competition during Global Entrepreneurship Week, Nov. 14, 2024. The time will be 7-9 p.m. and it will be held in the multipurpose room in the Student Center.

Any student at Averett University may enter the competition and compete before three judges for cash prizes. To register, click HERE.

On Display from the Averett Archives

In recent years, November has become the time of year when writers engage in “National Novel Writing Month” – challenging each other to write the entire first draft of a novel in a single calendar month.  In honor of the aspiring novelists among us, the archival display in Blount Library for the month of November will be on the publication process, as seen through a collection of materials donated by alum Sam Patterson, Jr. (class of 1948).

In 1966, Patterson released his only published novel, “A Nickel’s Worth of Ice” – a story about a boy growing up in a small town in Virginia in the 1930s.  Late in Patterson’s life, the remaining materials related to this experience were donated to the Averett Archives.  On display until the end of the semester are numerous items from across Patterson’s publishing experience, including: rejection letters, revision requests, galley proofs, the final contract, and responses both from the press (reviews) and friends and acquaintances (private letters).

All staff and students are welcome to visit Blount Library during operating hours to view the display.  You are always welcome to contact the archivist ([email protected]) if you would like to explore the collections further.

To access the Blount Library Blog, click HERE.

Spring 2025 Service-Learning Intent Form

If you are a faculty member that is interested in teaching a service-learning course in the spring, please fill out the Spring 2025 Service-Learning Intent form. This does not bind you to a service-learning course but indicates that you would like more information. Please complete the form by Monday, Nov. 18.

Click HERE to access the form.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact April Love-Loveless at [email protected].

Multidisciplinary Course: Spring 2025

Dr. Catherine Clark is offering ENG444: Literary Modernism for the spring semester, which will be cross listed with WGS and AFAM. In addition, the course will connect its content to the Danville community through a service-learning component in collaboration with Dr. Nina Huff in Education. Please share widely with potential students.

For information on the WGS program, contact Dr. Slade Lellock at [email protected].
For information on the AFAM program, contact Dr. Tonitta McNeal at [email protected]

Important Links

Driver Certification Form – Driver Certification Information

Drug and Alcohol Policy or Drug-Free Workplace Policy – 855-Employee-Drug-and-Alcohol-Policy-2024 (2)

Service-Learning Intent Form – Fall 2024 Service-Learning Intent Form (office.com)

Tuition Remission Form – Click HERE

Tuition Exchange Websites – tuitionexchange.org & cic.edu

Part-time Employment Form – Part-time-Employment-Form-2024.docx (live.com)

To Schedule A Virtual Meeting with A Retirement and Financial Planning Advisor – Select a Date & Time – Calendly

Wellness Portal – www.healthadvocate.com/AverettUniversity

Averett Employee Assistance Plan (Telus Health One)

Averett Fringe Benefits Fact Sheet – 2024-Fringe-Benefits-Fact-Sheet-1.pdf (averett.edu)

Virginia Private Colleges Benefit’s Consortium, Inc. (VPCBC) – https://www.vpcbc.org

Reach out to an EAP counselor, which is available to all benefits-eligible employees and their eligible household members (details below).

• • To set an appointment with a licensed EAP counselor, call 1-888-319-7819 and select “Employee Assistance Program” when prompted to be connected to a counselor. There is no cost to the employee for the first three phone or video consultation sessions.
  • For the online chat option, visit one.telushealth.com, user name: metlifeeap and password: eap. There is a chat feature that allows users to talk directly with a consultant to guide you to the information you are looking for or help you schedule an appointment with a counselor.
  • Employees on the Averett health plan can go to “Find Care” on their Sydney App or Anthem dashboard and locate counseling services that would be available to us through our CICV plan. Go to Anthem.com and locate Find Care or go to https://www.sydneyhealth.com/.

Health Roundup

The Biometric Screening scheduled for Nov. 13 will be rescheduled to the Spring semester due to scheduling complications. Stay tuned for further details regarding our next biometric screening in Spring 2025.

Need anything regarding the Wellness Portal? Reach out.

Have a great rest of your week.

-The Wellness Guy