The NVU-Lyndon and NVU-Johnson SGAs held a joint Virtual Town Hall meeting on Tuesday, August 4 at 7:03 PM. If you’d like to view the meeting in full, it’s available on the NVU-Lyndon SGA’s Facebook page.
Ryan Cooney, the Student Trustee of the VSCS Board of Trustees, started by briefly summarizing what the board has been doing over the summer. This was going over the appointment of Sophie Zdatny as Chancellor, as well as bringing in new people for other roles like Chief Financial Officer and Chief of Legal Council. The board has been hard at work to get the funds necessary to eliminate the deficit in the system’s budget. Finally, he stated that all of the Vermont State Colleges had announced their opening plans, and will all begin classes by August 24th at the latest. Cooney is open to questions if you have any going forward.
Alexandra Huff then summarized the VSCS Forward Task Force’s meetings from over the summer, based on conversations with the University of Maine. Up-to-date information is also present on the task force’s tab on the VSC website for further reference. Some of the items discussed included finding ways to provide unique learning experiences for non-traditional students, contemplating renting out space on campus to outside groups, and offering access to all VSC classes from any campus. Remember though that these were just ideas being discussed; none of these are set in stone at the time of writing. Another idea in consideration is a unified accreditation model, which was put in place at the Maine university system about a year ago, though it’s understood that it wouldn’t solve the budget problems that the task force is prioritizing at the moment. Huff ended her summary by encouraging students to continue to send feedback and questions to the task force.
NVU Dean of Students Jonathan Davis then took the floor to discuss what has been happening at NVU specifically over the summer. The health pledge was released via email, and it should be signed if you haven’t done so already. The staff is working hard to prepare the mandatory COVID tests for move-in, as well as for random testing over the course of the fall semester. The floor was then opened to questions. Be sure to check out the Return to Campus FAQ on the NVU website frequently for new updates and further answers to frequent questions.
Some questions weren’t able to be answered in the moment, but Davis said he would try to the best of his ability to find answers. One such question was about whether lab fees could be waived if students choose to do their classes online. Others asked how in-person classes would handle situations where there isn’t enough seating for the whole class, or whether students could be exempt from the first wave of testing by providing a negative test from outside of campus, like from a workplace. Long term questions were also asked, like how campus would handle another government-mandated closure, or how vaccinations would be rolled out if one to combat COVID-19 completed development.
Though guidelines have been established about maintaining social distancing and monitoring one’s own actions and health, questions were asked to specify how these regulations affect certain areas and people. CastleBranch is the app that will be used to assist students with following the regulations in place, and further information about it is available on the FAQ page. The campus staff intend to find ways to implement contact tracing in a non-invasive way, which they will share as more information becomes available.
A question was posed for what areas and rooms will be open to the student body, as well as how social distancing will affect the number of available jobs on campus. Areas like the Hornet’s Nest are reducing the amount of seating and working on rules for maintaining social distancing, like marking which seats are available to use and removing keyboards and mice in the computer labs to keep students seated far apart. Job opportunities will likely be reduced, but the possibility also exists that some departments will increase employment due to increased demand.
Residential students have a few regulations to keep in mind. They have no restrictions from visiting others within their own residence hall, but will have to complete a guest form to visit friends in other halls. As for off-campus travel, it’s recommended that students simply use common sense for where they go, and avoid going places where they could be at higher risk of exposure. Off-campus guests are not allowed on campus, but students are allowed to meet said guests in off-campus locations. It’s simply asked that they maintain common sense about safety, especially if guests are coming from high-risk areas.
Commuters also have regulations to keep in mind. They will not be allowed to visit the residence halls, though this could be subject to change. If they need a space to take their online classes, locations will be set aside all over campus for that purpose. Ideas are being discussed on how to pull this off, like using signage to determine which spaces are available and which need to be cleaned, or requiring students to clean these spaces before and after they’re used with provided supplies. Again, keep an eye out for updates about this.
Finally, some clarifications were made about move-in day for residential students. All students and any helpers that come along will be tested upon arrival. ((Editor’s Note: Helpers will have their temperatures taken with a screening, but not participate in COVID-19 test swabs)) Testing will go as follows: you will be required to sanitize your hands and blow your nose in preparation. Tissues and sanitizer will be provided by the staff for this. You will then be given a swab and container, and you will swab the inside of your nasal cavity as instructed, then give it to the staff. It’s less invasive and uncomfortable than the “brain tickler” tests hospitals often use, and has proven to yield good results on other campuses. If your test comes back positive, or if you are unable to verify that you self-quarantined prior to your arrival, then you will have to stay in quarantine housing on campus. The Whitelaw/Crevecoeur residence halls are reserved for this purpose. If you’re not able to get tested, then you won’t be allowed on campus.
The meeting concluded at 8:11 PM. The full meeting is available on The Critic’s Facebook page, and you’ll be able to find more information as it becomes available on the NVU website’s COVID information page. We look forward to seeing everyone again soon!