Averett CoffeeBreak 7-8-2020

Posted on July 8th, 2020 by Matt Bell

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 10, for a Wednesday, July 15, publication.

University Protocol on Face Coverings During COVID-19

Averett University adheres to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidelines and expects face coverings to be worn properly throughout each of its campuses by students, faculty, staff and visitors, except when:

· Employees are working alone in the office;

· In residence halls rooms unless guests beyond one’s roommate are present;

· In residence hall bathrooms, yet residents should seek to physically distance;

· During physical activity in gyms or athletic facilities;

· While eating or drinking.

Every student, faculty and staff member will receive a reusable face covering. In addition, face coverings will be expected to be worn by visitors to any one of Averett’s campuses including spectators at games.

HR Reopening Updates

Employees (full-time and part-time) who will be physically returning to work recently received an email from Kathie Tune, director of HR, that included instructions on preparing to return to campus. The email has several attachments for employees and managers including a Return to Work Employee Questionnaire, a To-Do Checklist for Employees and a To-Do Checklist for Managers.

In order to help answer questions and clarify the process, Tune will offer a Zoom Q&A session for employees on Thursdays, July 9, 16 and 23, from 10-11:30 a.m.

Join the meeting if you need clarification on what to do before returning to work, what to do while at work, and what to do if you need to leave work. Email [email protected] if you need information outside of the Zoom meeting. To join the Zoom meeting, click here.

Meeting ID: 921 8287 7384
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Dial by your location
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+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
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+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Meeting ID: 921 8287 7384
Find your local number: https://averett.zoom.us/u/abCCrynLvV

Staff (Social) Distancing Lunch Hour

A staff social distancing lunch hour is set for Thursday, July 9, from 12-1:30 p.m. via Zoom. Join your colleagues in a virtual staff social for fellowship, catching up, trivia and taking a break from self-isolation. If you are still working from home, or transitioning back to the office and want some company on your lunch break, pop in and say hello. We hope you all will take a break from your busy day to join us!

Join Zoom Meeting
Phone one-tap: US: +16465588656,,92522830048# or +13017158592,,92522830048#
Meeting URL: https://averett.zoom.us/j/92522830048
Meeting ID: 925 2283 0048

Join by Telephone
Dial: US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799
Meeting ID: 925 2283 0048

University Book Club via Zoom

The University Book Club was meeting monthly in the Blount Library; however, due to COVID-19, we have been able to conduct two meetings via Zoom. We would love for more faculty, staff and students to join us.

This Book Club is different because we do not require a specific book. We realize that everyone may enjoy diverse genres. Therefore, we each share what we have been reading and we have found many books which have piqued our interest. The meetings begin at 4:45 p.m. and last approximately one hour.

The next meeting is Thursday, July 9, at 4:45 p.m. via Zoom:

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 941 1569 4022
Password: 876183
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,94115694022# US (New York) 13017158592,,94115694022# US

Dial by your location:

+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

Meeting ID: 941 1569 4022

Tickets for VMFA on the Road: An Artmobile for the 21st Century Exhibit

The University has a limited number of tickets available for a special traveling exhibit to be at the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History. If you are interested in attending the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on the Road: An Artmobile for the 21st Century exhibit on Thursday, July 16, from 9:30-10 a.m., contact Kathy Nester in Averett Central at [email protected] or 434-791-5632 for more information.

Final Virtual Visit with Dr. Franks for Summer 2020

Feel free to join me by Zoom on Friday, July 24, from 11 a.m. to noon if you would like to connect, have questions or want to visit with your colleagues. This optional time can’t make up for our informal visits in the hallways or at games or events, but it is one way we can try to keep in touch.

Email Cyndie Basinger at [email protected] for questions.

Join Zoom Meeting
Phone one-tap: US: +16465588656,,93394656142# or +13017158592,,93394656142#
Meeting URL: https://averett.zoom.us/j/93394656142
Meeting ID: 933 9465 6142

Join by Telephone
For higher quality, dial a number based on your current location.
Dial: US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799
Meeting ID: 933 9465 6142

Warmly,
Tiffany

Outstanding Faculty and Staff Award Nominations

The nomination process has begun for the Outstanding Faculty and Staff Awards! Please take a few minutes of your time to nominate your fellow faculty and staff members.

The criteria for the award and nomination process can be found by clicking here. The nomination form can be found by clicking here. These forms can also be found on the intranet.

The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, July 31, by 4:30 p.m. Completed nomination forms need to be sent to [email protected].

VPN Changes Coming Soon

As we continue to pursue technology modernization and continue our efforts to protect the network infrastructure,  the I.T. department will be retiring our Microsoft based VPN (Virtual Private Network) service and moving to a client-based service as of July 31.

What does this mean? Instead of navigating through network settings to connect remotely to our network, you will use an installed client.

To determine if the client is installed, look to the bottom right corner, down next to the time. If you see a little yellow padlock, (if you are like me and have a lot of icons in the bottom right corner, click on the caret (^) to see more icons), the client is installed. If the mouse pointer is hovered over it, it should say “Check Point Endpoint Security”.

To have the new client installed, kindly open a help desk ticket and one of our friendly technicians will contact you to make sure your machine gets the new Checkpoint VPN client installed.

If you have any questions, contact Doug Appleton at [email protected].

New Employee Orientation (NEO)

Make sure to save the date for the Fall NEO on Friday, Aug. 7, from 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. If you were hired since the Spring NEO in March, or if you could not make the March program, look for an e-vite from Kathie Tune, director or HR.

Frith Fine Arts Center is the venue for the program and we are so excited that you may join us!

Send questions to [email protected] or call 434-791-7106.

RSVP Today: Best-Selling Author Ron Rash at Averett

Danville’s Friends of the Library and Averett University’s CCECC welcome you to Frith Fine Arts Center on Friday, Sept. 11, to hear best-selling author Ron Rash discuss his book “Saints at the River.” Refreshments will be available in the lobby at 5:30 p.m. The event starts promptly at 6 p.m. Rash’s novel is the winner of the Weatherford Award for Best Novel.

Please reserve your spot by registering here.

When a 12-year-old girl drowns in the Tamassee River and her body is trapped in a deep eddy, the people of the small South Carolina town that bears the river’s name are thrown into the national spotlight. The girl’s parents want to attempt a rescue of the body; environmentalists are convinced the rescue operation will cause permanent damage to the river and set a dangerous precedent. Torn between the two sides is Maggie Glenn, a twenty-eight-year-old newspaper photographer who grew up in the town and has been sent to document the incident. Since leaving home almost ten years ago, Maggie has done her best to avoid her father, but now, as the town’s conflict opens old wounds, she finds herself revisiting the past she’s fought so hard to leave behind. Meanwhile, the reporter who’s accompanied her to cover the story turns out to have a painful past of his own, and one that might stand in the way of their romance.

Drawing on the same lyrical prose and strong sense of place that distinguished his award-winning first novel, “One Foot in Eden,” Ron Rash has written a book about the deepest human themes: the love of the land, the hold of the dead on the living, and the need to dive beneath the surface to arrive at a deeper truth. Saints at the River confirms the arrival of one of today’s most gifted storytellers.

Monthly Golden Bagel Nominations

The Golden Bagel trophy will be awarded every month at staff meetings, to the staff member of the month. Nominations can be sent to [email protected], with details about why you think your co-worker is deserving of the award.

For those who may not be aware of the award, the Golden Bagel award was created by Staff Council as a fun way to show our appreciation for each other and create pride among staff members. The trophy stays with the staff member of the month, during that month, and then is passed to the next!

All Things Zoom

Faculty and staff may request a Zoom license as part of Averett’s Education Zoom plan. To request an account, faculty members are encouraged to contact Marietta Sanford and staff members are encouraged to contact Carly Pearce.

If you would like some additional one on one Zoom training please schedule a time with the Averett Online team by clicking on the appointment link provided, or refer to Averett’s Zoom resource website.

Want to learn more about Zoom Meeting Etiquette? Click here and learn 15 tips and best practices for online video conference meetings.

In addition, Zoom is now integrated into Canvas. The Canvas-Zoom integration allows instructors to schedule online meetings from within Canvas and is available in all Canvas sites. Instructions on how to integrate Zoom into your Canvas course can be found in the following link.

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