By Karenna Glover

In February 2020 when 51°µÍø’s Chief of Police, Craig Harris, heard about the coronavirus, he knew it was time to act. At the time, there were no reported cases in southwest Virginia, but the U.S. acknowledged it was a global health emergency. As an experienced emergency management leader, Harris felt now was the time to prepare.

 He reached out to 51°µÍø President Robert H. Sandel, who met with Harris and assembled a team of leaders to oversee the College’s response to the pandemic. This team was responsible for developing the response and a reopening plan to protect the health and safety of students and staff. The COVID-19 re-opening taskforce, chaired by Marilyn Herbert-Ashton, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, included representatives from human resources, the business and finance office, facilities management, IT, student services and faculty.

 The diverse makeup of this team allowed for representation from across the College community. “There were no egos involved,” Harris said. “All opinions were valued, and we’ve had very intelligent people making smart decisions.”

 Herbert-Ashton fondly thinks of the team as the “boots on the ground,” individuals who were willing to jump in to make timely decisions while being prepared to address new situations as they emerged. Solutions ranged from creating proper ventilation throughout campus facilities, increasing WIFI hotspots so students could connect to the Internet from their cars in parking lots; creating masking requirements and providing vaccine accessibility.

 These efforts paid off, she said, because the campus never experienced an outbreak, requiring a shutdown. “I’m really, really proud of that,” she said. “Because of all of the efforts everyone — from the team to the students and employees  — put in, the college was safe and healthy.”

 Beyond the core team, the external relationships the College has built were key to successful planning and implementation. Harris, for example, regularly networks with police chiefs and emergency management leaders throughout the region so it was easy to get additional support and share best practices as needed.

“If there’s any solace the Roanoke community can take from the pandemic lessons, it’s that we responded so well to this crisis because we knew each other and we were willing to go the extra mile for each other,” he said. “Relationships were already established, so when the bell rang, everyone knew it was time to pitch in and help.”

 Nowhere was this more evident than within the College’s nursing community. From the early days of the pandemic, community health partners sought out opportunities to engage both students and faculty from the nursing program.

In April 2021, the College partnered with Carilion Clinic to assist with the vaccination clinics hosted at the Berglund Center. Students and faculty completed the six-hour training and skills check, and then assisted at the clinics, vaccinating an average of 2,000 people a day. Students served as scribes, vaccinators and patient evaluators. Volunteering with these vaccine clinics gave them hands-on clinical experience that often takes a semester to earn, said Lauren Hayward, 51°µÍø’s Nursing Director.

 In May 2021, the College partnered with the Virginia Department of Health to host a vaccine clinic on campus. The summer semester had just started, so many of these nursing students were one week into their academic program and already administering shots to the public.

“It was almost like a call to arms,” Hayward said. “Anyone who could do something to help needed to be doing so, and we saw it with our students and our faculty.”

 In fact, Hayward said, many former students contacted her asking what they could to help. “The way we saw it is we’re not defeating anything unless we’re working together,” she said. “It is in our nature as nurses to not sit and wait for someone else to do something. We want to be part of the solution.”

 This willingness and participatory leadership allowed for new partnerships to form and strengthened existing relationships not only with community organizations but between Ccollege departments.

 “The way the College responded as a whole was an incredible journey,” Harris said. “There were hiccups along the way, but they were overshadowed by the unified response by everyone working together.”

 The COVID-19 team continues to meet, and Harris doesn’t expect that to change before the 2021-22 academic year closes. “Even if there aren’t a lot of new things to discuss, it’s still critical for us to get together and make sure things are going well. We don’t want to get slack and end up being forced to shut down.”

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The college performed deep cleaning and sanitizing of the impacted area in accordance to guidance from the VDH. The VDH has directed the college that there is not a need to close the classroom or facility at this time. Employees and students should use appropriate face masks/face coverings as well as practice social distancing and hand washing in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and VDH best practices.

For details on 51°µÍø’s Fall Re-Opening Plan and safety precautions, please visit: /academics/docs/VWCCReopeningPlanFall2020.pdf.

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The donor recalled meeting his wife 45 years ago in a 51°µÍø geology class. “We were so poor, we couldn’t afford to buy a Texas Instrument hand-held calculator for each of us, so I used my slide ruler and gave her the calculator,” he said.

After graduating from a Virginia four-year university with an engineering degree, the donor went on to found a successful business. He supported that university as an alumnus, “but I realize it is 51°µÍø that needs my help now, and they were the first to help me. They prepared me for what was to come.”

His gift benefits a longstanding 51°µÍø Educational Foundation fund that was newly renamed in spring 2020 to recognize the college’s athletics nickname – the Rapids – and to reflect the urgency behind its commitment to assisting students. Applicants may receive up to $500 per academic year to address a financial hardship that threatens to interfere with them completing their coursework.

“Right now, we are seeing students who lack a computer at home, so they cannot complete online classes,” said Amanda Mansfield, Philanthropy Director of the 51°µÍø Educational Foundation. “We’ve been able to buy them a laptop so they can finish the semester and hopefully graduate on time.”

In the past, the fund has been tapped quickly – within 48 hours of application – pay for unforeseen expenses such as medical or car repair bills. The Educational Foundation also can award Kroger grocery or gas cards, and arrange for emergency Uber rides to or from class.

“We know that most of our students work at least one job in addition to going to class. Their finances are tight, and with one missed bill things can quickly snowball,” Mansfield said. “The student can feel overwhelmed and lose focus on class. This fund helps take the pressure off.”

An applicant is also connected with a campus advisory council, whose members assess the student’s overall needs and help them connect with other community resources, such as the Bradley Free Clinic or the Council of Community Services.

“This isn’t just about providing that $500. We want our rapid response to also help connect the student to ongoing support and more long-term solutions,” Mansfield said.

To apply, students must be currently enrolled in at least 6 credits, have a minimum 2.0 GPA and meet other eligibility requirements. There is no deadline to apply; applications are accepted year-round.

• To learn more about applying for the 51°µÍø Rapids Response Student Emergency Fund, go to: /foundation/student-funds/

• If you are interested in donating to the 51°µÍø Rapids Response Student Emergency Fund, visit: /foundation/give-to-emergency-fund/

Or contact:
Amanda Mansfield, Philanthropy Director
51°µÍø Educational Foundation
amansfield@virginiawestern.edu
(540) 857-6962

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The college is working with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to contact any individuals who attended the class on Thursday and advising them to self-quarantine for 14 days unless they experience symptoms of COVID-19, at which time, they should seek medical advice and potentially testing/treatment.

The college is performing deep cleaning and sanitizing of the impacted area in accordance to guidance from the VDH. The VDH has directed the college that there is not a need to close the classroom or facility at this time. Employees and students are advised to use appropriate face masks/face coverings as well as practice social distancing and hand washing in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and VDH best practices.

We want to ensure that messages related to COVID-19 campus impacts are easily accessible and contained in a single location. In the future, if a positive COVID-19 case necessitates the closure of a facility or portion of a facility, notifications will be posted at /covid19/. Health and safety guidance from the CDC and VDH as well as college protocols are also located on that site and within the college’s re-opening plan.

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The VDH has counseled the college that its regular proactive cleaning this week has sufficiently sanitized the facility and other employees and students do not need to take action beyond their regular safety precautions. Out of an abundance of caution, the college has had additional strict cleaning and sanitation performed on the specific classroom.

Thanks to the affected individual’s self-identification of a positive test to college leaders, we have been able to act swiftly to help safeguard as best we can the health and safety of campus, employees and students. For more information on how 51°µÍø is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit: /covid19/.

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In addition to these in-person appointments, online and phone support will continue to be available.  In-person, online, and phone appointments can be scheduled using Navigate, which is accessible through each student’s MyVWCC account.

To learn more, visit: /advising/index.php

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Governor Northam has transitioned Virginia to Phase 3 in the Forward Virginia Plan. This has eased restrictions on non-essential retail, restaurants, entertainment venues, fitness and exercise businesses and more. While the key health indicators in Virginia have improved, please continue to use caution. For the specific guidelines of Phase 3, visit: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/governor-of-virginia/pdf/Forward-Virginia-Phase-Three-Guidelines.pdf.

If you are going to travel, please carefully consider your plans and take precautions to lessen your potential exposure and the spread of COVID-19. Myrtle Beach, Horry County, S.C.; has become a hotspot of the virus and travelers returning to our region from those areas must self-quarantine for 14 days before coming to campus. The Virginia Department of Health also advises self-quarantine after international travel, or travel on a cruise ship or riverboat. For more travel information, visit: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/coronavirus/travel-to-areas-with-widespread-ongoing-community-spread/.

I hope you all have an enjoyable Fourth of July weekend.  

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert H. Sandel

President

51°µÍø

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During Spring Semester, 51°µÍø made unprecedented changes to how we deliver academic courses in order to keep our students, faculty and staff healthy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. I applaud everyone involved for the efforts to rapidly transform 51°µÍø into primarily an online and remote institution in order to complete the semester with as little disruption as possible.

As we prepare to resume a limited number of face-to-face labs and classes with clinical instruction — in accordance with guidelines from the CDC, the Virginia Department of Health and Governor Ralph Northam — I want to share with you our plan for reopening in Summer Semester 2020. This plan is our first iteration – designed to provide a framework for our limited return to campus this summer. Certain CCT training programs will pilot the re-opening of classes next week, with a priority on completing incomplete Spring courses. The rest of the campus will begin a limited return on June 30. As with most things right now, it is a fluid document and will be adjusted as additional guidance is received from the system office, the state and local health agencies.

A cross-functional team has explored regulations, recommendations and best practices in order to create this plan. The plan takes multiple perspectives into account to balance health and safety measures with the need and desire to move forward in fulfilling our mission.

We are pleased to share this with you as a means to communicate our progress and intentions. To view the plan, please visit: /covid19/.

Please share your thoughts and questions with your supervisor or faculty member so we can work to address specific matters. We fully expect this plan to evolve throughout the summer and as we approach further campus classes in the fall. Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert H. Sandel
President
51°µÍø

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