Dear Bereans,
This is the update for Monday, July 12, 2021.
Quarantine, testing and vaccination update
As of last Friday, no on-campus students or employees are in any sort of quarantine at present. We are at about 81% employees (85% of non-PFE employees) who have documented their fully vaccinated status. WELL DONE BEREANS!
Kentucky and Madison County update
The Madison County Health Department reported a total of 37 new cases for the week ending yesterday. The 7-day average of new cases per day remains 5. We are still in the Yellow Zone now at 3.4 new cases per day per 100,000 residents. The department also reports that at this point 40.9% of county residents have been fully vaccinated. The total number of deaths in the county attributable to COVID-19 as reported by the State remains at 112.
Kentucky reports 1699 new cases for the 7 days ending today for a 7-day average of 243 which is up pretty significantly over last week. The Commonwealth has also reported 23 deaths over the last seven days so the average of numbers of deaths/day has decreased to 3, but the latest test positivity rate is up, now to 3.38%.
Counterfeit vaccination certificates
It has come to my attention that one or more individuals known to some Bereans may be marketing counterfeit vaccination certificates to Berea students. Of course, it is well known that such documents are also widely available on the internet.
It likely goes without saying that it would be a severe violation of our policies should anyone knowingly submit false documentation of their vaccination status. The purpose of this message is to advise that the College intends to confirm the authenticity of any submitted vaccination certificate employing state registries intended for that purpose.
In the unlikely event that any student has submitted a fraudulent certificate, this serves as notice that we are allowing through the end of business on this Friday, the 16th, for a student to withdraw such a certificate by email request to Carla Roberts in Student Life. Review of submitted certificates will begin next week, and students found to have submitted fraudulent credentials will face a judicial process which could result in expulsion.
Please note that a student would in that case either need to get vaccinated and provide legitimate verification by the advertised deadline of August 1st, or indicate their intention to either take an administrative leave or to take courses on a remote-learning basis only. In the event that either of the last two options is selected, the student is expected to notify Dr. Scott Steele, Provost, of that intention.
Vaccination policy at other colleges and universities
As of this morning, the Chronicle of Higher Education lists 574 schools that will require vaccination in the fall.
An announcement from the AC regarding catered events at the College
As we return to normal campus operations with the end of remote work on August 1, an aspect many look forward to is the occasional interaction with one another over meals. Teams and committees sometimes meet over the lunch hour with a meal, and our centers regularly provide outstanding learning opportunities with guest speakers where a light lunch might be served. The Administrative Committee (AC) does not want to impede these gatherings where meals are catered, but these events incur significant costs to the College, an expense over six figures in the last “normal” academic year of 2018-19.
With that in mind, the AC is encouraging the use of internal catering options with Sodexo, the Boone Tavern, or the Farm Store for at least 70% of the budgeted spend of departmental catering engagements in the coming fiscal year. The use of these three internal catering options provides good variety and keeps budgeted catering dollars at the College. Doing so also offers major cost savings, which allows those savings to be redirected to other aspects of serving our students and furthering our Great Commitments.
The remaining 30% of budgeted spend for departmental catering engagements will allow for continued healthy financial support of locally owned Berea businesses. If there is a desire to utilize a catering option not locally owned within the City of Berea, that could still be possible with a well-articulated rationale to your divisional vice president. The AC had in mind, for example, a desire to support a minority-owned business beyond Berea.
Catering costs and compliance to the encouraged 70/30 spending split between internal College options and locally owned Berea options will be reviewed at the end of the 2021-22 fiscal year to gauge effectiveness and whether additional measures would be merited for the future. Thank you for your attention to these guidelines.
Stay safe, stay negative, stay in touch,
Lyle Roelofs, President
Berea College