COVID-19 Policies and Communications

Dear Bereans,

This is the update for Sunday, March 22, 2020.

COVID-19 local status

We have been notified of no additional cases in Madison County, beyond the one mentioned in the Update to the Daily Update yesterday.  That individual is hospitalized at Baptist Health in Richmond and has been there since Thursday.  No word on his or her condition.

I have no further announcements for today, but am sharing the following items, both of which deal with the very unfortunate impacts of the coronavirus epidemic that we can anticipate for Appalachia.

Continue reading Daily COVID-19 Update: March 22, 2020 →

Dear Bereans,

This is the update for Saturday, March 21, 2020

Beginning with a general, still positive, announcement:

Provost Strong-Leek and I have been taking turns participating in the daily briefing of Madison County’s Emergency Management team, convened by our Judge Executive, Reagan Taylor.  We are happy to report that there are to this point no confirmed cases in our county and that local officials are very actively involved in developing plans and procuring the necessary materials and equipment, should we eventually have an outbreak in our area.

Continue reading Daily COVID-19 Update: March 21, 2020 →

Dear Bereans,

This is the update for Friday, March 20…

I want to start with some very good news!

We received the following announcement from the Thomas J. Watson Foundation this morning.

Continue reading Daily COVID-19 Update: March 20, 2020 →

Dear Bereans,

This is the update for Thursday, March 19.

An announcement from the Campus Christian Center

College Chaplains will continue to offer daily spiritual support through our CCC Facebook page.  Please join us for:

• A written prayer each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning on CCC Facebook.
• Tuesday Chapel Meditation via YouTube
• Thursday Interfaith Moment via YouTube or FB

For encouragement and spiritual support, please follow the Campus Christian Center on Facebook.

College Chaplains are available via email and telephone.  Wherever you are—you are not alone.  Together, we can do this hard thing.

Continue reading Daily COVID-19 Update: March 19, 2020 →

Dear Bereans,

This is the update for Wednesday, March 18.  Again, there is quite a lot to report.

Announcement from the CDL

Our Governor has mandated that day care centers in Kentucky close no later than this Friday.  CDL Director Amanda Messer has decided to close at the end of the day on Friday.  She wanted me to share on her behalf “how wonderful it is that we have a staff and a college that has provided such wonderful and consistent care to our young children though uncertainty.”  At this point the closure is indefinite, but we will be monitoring the situation so that we can re-open as soon as permitted by the authorities and we have confirmed ourselves that it is safe to do so.

Continue reading Daily COVID-19 Update: March 18, 2020 →

Dear Bereans,

This is the update for Tuesday, March 17.

From the Campus Christian Center

Please find attached some guidance for caring for yourself and others in troubled times.

Before they left campus last week, many members of the graduating class of 2020 gathered for the traditional class photo on the steps of Union College Church.  It was inspiring to all of us that they chose not to let a little thing like a pandemic stop them from enjoying their classmates and finding a way to celebrate their upcoming success and mark this tradition.  Please know, Class of 2020, that we will not miss the opportunity of celebrating your accomplishments, even if, this year, it cannot immediately follow the end of the academic year.  (Many thanks to Crystal Wylie for taking this and many other photos at the occasion.)

Continue reading Daily COVID-19 Update: March 17, 2020 →

Dear Bereans,

Here are some updates from the AC for Monday, March 16.

The AC asks all those who are participating in non-essential gatherings on campus of any size to discontinue effective immediately.  Organizers of such activities are encouraged to explore virtual, non-in-person options.

Continue reading Daily COVID-19 Update: March 16, 2020 →

I am happy to report that the move-out process was completed in an effective and orderly fashion on Saturday.  Kudos to the Student Life staff and labor students who worked so hard to make this complex operation work so smoothly.  I am especially appreciative of all the students who managed their own personal moves, having just three days to do so.

For Staff Employees

I am also grateful to the faculty for their cooperation in making extraordinary plans to offer the academic program for the remainder of the semester so that all course work can be completed.  With these arrangements nearly in place, the Administrative Committee has turned its attention to the well-being of our loyal and hardworking staff members, who are also essential to the mission of Berea College.

Continue reading Daily COVID-19 Update: March 15, 2020 →

Dear Bereans,

Here are some updates concerning our ongoing COVID-19 response.

I have attached coping advice from the World Health Organization for dealing with the anxiety and stress of the COVID-19 epidemic.  Thanks to Jill Gurtatowski for passing this along.

Announcement from the CDL: In order to adjust for the loss of a large fraction of their student labor, the CDL will need to advance it’s closing time to 5:00 pm.  Staff with children in the CDL are permitted to leave work at 4:45 pm.  Please inform your supervisor if you need to take advantage of this accommodation.

Continue reading Daily COVID-19 Update: March 13, 2020 →

Dear Bereans,

Here are some COVID-19 updates for Thursday, March 12^th.

We are fortunate to have “microbe expertise” on our faculty, in the person of Dr. Dawn Anderson.  Read her blurb offering some more information about the specifics of the novel coronavirus.

Continue reading Daily COVID-19 Update: March 12, 2020 →