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. 15, for a Wednesday, Sept. 20, publication.

Dr. Jennifer Hughes to Present at Blount Library

Associate Professor of English Dr. Jennifer Hughes will present “Broken Idols: How Mark Twain Grieved” on Monday, Sept. 18, from 3-4 p.m. on the main floor of Blount Library.

While studying Mark Twain’s late writings, Dr. Hughes stumbled upon an unpublished, relatively unstudied elegy entitled “Broken Idols,” written on the anniversary of the death of his daughter Suzy Clemens. He wrote it for his wife, Olivia, so that they might commiserate over their frustration with how few people understood their loss. In her talk, Dr. Hughes explores the tricky narrative frame of the poem, and in the process shows us a Mark Twain we know well – clever, sardonic – but also a Mark Twain we rarely see, offering us surprising, intensely compassionate lessons on how to grieve lovingly.

All students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to attend. Light refreshments will be available.

Averett 110 Dinners

President Franks and Joe Franks are continuing the tradition of hosting Averett 110 classes for dinners at the President’s House this fall. Please see some of the positive comments that were shared at recent dinners:

• Professors are caring.
• Meeting new people is easy and fun.
• Everyone is so helpful here – it has a home feel.
• The area is so laid back – I love it – so different from my home in NOVA.
• Diverse areas downtown are cool.
• President and Spouse really involved with students – I knew this was the place for me and they care about me.
• Averett Central really helped me. They answered all my questions and followed up with me.
• The diverse community at Averett is great.
• I like that we have a great health center and counseling services. They are so caring and I’m not judged.
• Class sizes are great.
• The professors are welcoming and helpful.
• The small size of the college is easy to navigate.
• I like the diversity on campus with all the internationals.
• The Averett staff is really open to hearing feedback.

Arts@Averett Presents: Music of the Mouse

The Averett Musical Theatre Cabaret’s production of “Music of the Mouse” will be performed September 14-17 in Pritchett Auditorium. Performances will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. The show features beloved favorites from classic Disney movies, as well as songs from recent stage productions and movies.

Come celebrate the magical musical world of Disney performed by Averett Theatre majors as we kick of the 2023-24 Arts@Averett series. All Averett students, faculty and staff get in free.

For more information on Arts@Averett, click HERE.

Invitation to DEIB Webinar

The webinar, “Strategies for Fostering Inclusive Campus Communities: Mitigating Stereotype Threat and Imposter Phenomenon,” is available for Averett employees on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 2 p.m.

To learn more, view the flyer by clicking HERE. To register, click HERE.

A conversation with Ben Wintner, CEO of Michael Graves Design

On Wednesday, Sept. 20, please join us from 4:30-6 p.m. for a Zoom conversation with Ben Wintner, on the power of product design methodology. Wintner is CEO of Michael Graves Design, one of the leading design practices in the world.

One of numerous guest speakers this semester connected with Averett University’s course in “Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation,” this conversation with Ben Wintner is open to any Averett students, employees and community members who would like to attend.  Seats are available in Blount Library with the class, or you may join the conversation via Zoom.

For more information, click HERE.

Skyler Daniel Book Signing

On Thursday, Sept. 21, from 6-8 p.m., there will be a book signing by Skyler Daniel, former Averett chaplain, in the Fellowship Hall of West Main Baptist Church. Come greet Skyler and bring your copy of his new book, “Life Wisdom from a Smooth Jesus and a Clumsy College Pastor” to be signed. This will be a casual event with light refreshments.

The book can be ordered on most online bookstore sites. Order yours today to have in time for the signing event.

Get Involved with Harvest Pack

Join us on Thursday, Sept. 21, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Carrington Recreation Center to support food local food programs.

All proceeds will be donated to God’s Storehouse the local food panty in the Dan River Region.

For more information, please contact Tia Yancey at [email protected].

Truth Talk: Preventing Human Trafficking

Averett University’s Center for Community Engagement and Career Competitiveness (CCECC) invites you to attend our TRUTH Talk: Let’s Partner to Prevent Human Trafficking on Monday, Sept. 25, at 5 p.m. in Blount Chapel.

This awareness training will provide an overview of human trafficking, how to recognize it and organizations that support our community. Averett University alumna Kim Luckabaugh, executive director at Reset 180, will be our guest presenter. Please see the attached poster for more information. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].

September Book Club Pick in Blount Library

Heartless by Marissa Meyer has been chosen for the September book club. We are so excited to dive into this villain origin story and see where this trip down the rabbit hole leads! Join us on Thursday, Sept. 28 from 5-6 p.m. in Blount Library to discuss what led to the tyrannical Queen of Hearts. Refreshments provided. Copies of Heartless are available at The Dog-Eared Page bookstore on Main Street.

Family Day is September 30

Mark your calendars for an exciting event! Averett University Family Day will take place on Saturday, Sept. 30. We’re thrilled to welcome families to our campus to give them a taste of the Averett experience.

Let’s extend a warm and enthusiastic welcome to our guests, offering assistance and making their day memorable. Together, we can showcase the spirit and hospitality of our University community. Thank you for your support.

Registration for the event can be found here. Please share with your students. For a full schedule for Family Day, click HERE.

President’s Suite for Cougar Football

Join President Tiffany Franks and Joe Franks for an unforgettable experience in the President’s Suite! Averett University faculty and staff are invited to be part of the action as our Cougars face off against tough opponents. Choose from a lineup of exciting matchups:

• September 30 vs. Washington & Lee
• October 21 vs. Bridgewater College
• November 11 vs. Ferrum College

RSVP for the games via this form or by contacting [email protected]. Let’s come together to cheer for Averett.

CANS Across the Conference Competition

This initiative is held annually as a community service competition among all institutions in the ODAC. Each campus Student-Athlete Advisory Committee collects cans and other non-perishable items at their school to benefit their local community. This year, Averett University SAAC has a goal of collecting over 10,000 items to help benefit God’s Storehouse in Danville. There will be drop-off locations around Main Campus that will be checked periodically by a member of SAAC E-Board.

For any additional information or questions please contact SAAC Advisor Ariyanna Mason at [email protected].

Download LiveSafe

Averett utilizes a mobile notification and reporting system called LiveSafe. This is also how we share emergency broadcast communications. Download the app to your mobile device now to get the latest updates and connect to campus security officials.

Click Here to download from the iOS App Store

Click Here to download from the Google Play Store

Work Orders

Is there something that needs repaired or fixed in your dorm or hallway? See something, say something. Use this QR Code to submit a work order in NetFacilities.  Use your email and password.

To access NetFacilities, click HERE.

Counseling & Health Services Fall Events

Counseling and Health Services has several events this fall for students as well as faculty and staff. Every second Wednesday from 1:30-3 p.m. this semester, we will have therapy dogs from Hearts of Gold (see dates on flyer). Also in September, we will have a blood drive (date TBD). In October we will recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month with an event on Tuesday, Oct. 3, and a Susan G. Komen walk on Saturday, Oct. 28. Finally, we will celebrate No Stress November (aka DeStress Fest) on Reading Day with events on the Student Lawn, Student Success Center, Library and North Campus. Please share with students and colleagues.

Voicemail Instructions

We are now live with our new, temporary voicemail system. Below is a knowledge-based link that should provide documentation and information that you may find useful.

The CommPortal is the easiest way to access your voicemail. Here is some documentation for accessing your voicemail by other means:

https://averettu.samanage.com/solutions/1154949-granite-voicemail-instructions.portal

NOTE: Your Averett phone number/extension will NOT change, as this number is only to hold the voicemails. It is advised to change your greeting so that callers are not greeted with the default number.

If you need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the IT Helpdesk.

Office 365 Work Groups and Teams Training

IT is offering guided, hands-on Teams training conducted by Tahsha Harmon, independent IT contractor, during the upcoming weeks in September. Training will cover the following learning objectives:

What are O365 Work Groups and Teams?
Which one should I use?
How to create, edit, or delete an O365 Work Group or Team
Teams interface
Activity feed
Channels
Posts and conversations
Notifications
Document storage in SharePoint
Setting alerts, editing, version control

Training is offered for all Averett employees. You may sign up for a training session using the following link to the training registration form: https://forms.office.com/r/7SE2dkudFE.
Contact Tahsha Harmon at [email protected] for any questions regarding the Teams training.

New Volunteer Opportunities

Averett employees have 16 hours of service time for the academic year. You can volunteer at your child’s school, voter registration stations, at your church or a community event, for example.

If you would like to volunteer and need suggestions, contact the CCECC for volunteer options. To use these hours, you must have permission from your supervisor and log your hours in Paylocity. Hours can be used in 1–16-hour increments. Once you complete the information below, you can save the form for your records. To highlight your volunteer experience, please upload a photo to share with the campus.

Below are a few community volunteer opportunities. Contact Tia Yancey at [email protected] for more details.

Harvest Pack 2023-01
Danville HW Volunteer 
2023 Color Run Flyer 2023
CROP Walk 

Water Challenge Update

Are you staying hydrated? Our folks in the Water Challenge are. Great job for those participating in the challenge; there are a lot of daily check-ins for having at least eight cups of water a day, which is crucial for many health functions.

Not in the Water Challenge but want to compete with other coworkers during your wellness journey? Good news. You can use the attached link to sign up for our wellness portal and keep your eye out for the CoffeeBreak newsletter. This is where we will post all the updates for the wellness portal and other wellness tips to help us all develop healthy habits.

Wellness Portal Link: https://www.webmdhealth.com/VPC/

Do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions. [email protected]