Posted on Friday, August 21, 2020
After months of intense study, planning and work, the college is welcoming students back to campus. Monday is the first day of class for fall semester.
President Susanna Baxter expressed her gratitude to faculty and staff who worked tirelessly this spring and summer to develop a strategy to ensure a safe return for everyone.
“Four committees were formed to tackle different aspects of reopening,” she said. “We also worked closely with District Four Public Health officials, who provided a campus liaison to help us.”
Dr. Baxter said she was impressed with the caliber of knowledge within those groups.
“We tried to thoughtfully consider every single possibility that we might face,” she said. “I am confident in the plan we have put together.”
The committees studied key components of conducting a fall semester during the pandemic.
Health and Safety focused on ways to protect the campus community, including social distancing, masks and testing, as well as examining ways of continuing the college’s mission while limiting the interaction of large groups of people.
Student Life considered methods for keeping students safe and healthy while maintaining a vibrant campus. Major concerns were student COVID testing, move in, behavior in common spaces and student movement throughout campus.
Faculty Development worked to enhance teaching through technology, building on the successes during spring semester. This team’s major responsibilities included recommendations for whom, when, where and how training in effective alternative teaching methods should take place prior to the beginning of classes.
Scheduling and Space examined course and classroom scheduling to promote social distancing and limiting numbers of people who will come into regular contact in academic settings. They also created a list of technical resources needed to facilitate alternate delivery methods in identified spaces.
Michael Coniglio, Director of Physical Plant for National Management Resources, said his staff has been working in overdrive since the pandemic forced a shift to online learning in March.
“During this period, Tonya Parsons and her staff have deep-cleaned, disinfected and scrubbed every single dormitory room, classroom, office space and restroom on our 800,000-square-foot campus,” Coniglio said. “The floor techs have extracted and deodorized most of the carpets that are accessible to clean.”
That attention to detail will continue throughout the year, he said.
Students began arriving on campus Tuesday. Move-in will continue through Sunday, with two-hour appointments each day. Before students can check in at their residence hall, they will need to have completed multiple requirements that were posted on the college’s website and sent to them. All students, faculty and staff must provide a negative COVID test result before returning to campus
Everyone, including visitors, will be required to wear masks in public spaces and classrooms. The college will provide each student with two cloth masks.
A list of new policies and procedures can be found on the college’s coronavirus website.
“As we navigate all this together, there is a sense of camaraderie, and all of us have the best hope for our community that we can stay safe and mitigate any large spread of the coronavirus,” Dr. Baxter said.
Convocation 2020 takes place Monday, the first day of class, and will be hosted virtually this year. The ceremony marks the official start of the academic year and symbolizes a joint commitment to teaching and learning in the year ahead. Visit l0jb.kongtiao11.com/convocation on Monday to take part in the event.
Tony Alexander, Thomas Bird, Emily Boswell, Tia Braxton, Brandon Collins, Valarie Hicks, Emily Hughes, Carissa Lee, Ryan Mabee, James Monroe III, Joe Thomas and Emily Wyzykowski from the American Experience course joined Dr. John Tures, Professor of Political Science, in having their research, “Can Consistent Grand Juries Improve The Arbery, Taylor and Floyd Cases?” published in Like the Dew, A Progressive Journal of Southern Culture and Politics.
Congratulations to the 2020-21 Executive Council of the Panther Activities Committee. They are Director, Callaway Cook; Assistant Director, Lilly DeGennaro; Treasurer, Destinee Tate; Membership Coordinator, Landon DeLamar; Marketing Coordinator, Sydney Beaird and Advisor, Kayla Watson. PAC is the student-run organization that creates and plans social events for LaGrange College students. Follow the Panther Activities Committee on social media at Instagram; Facebook and Twitter.
Stay connected with everything going on at LC. Subscribe to our official social media channels – Facebook; Twitter; YouTube; Instagram and Pinterest. Want the latest Panther news? Check out LC athletics on Facebook; Twitter; and Instagram.
The new “From the Front Line” series will spotlight former student-athletes who are working in the health-care profession during the COVID-19 crisis. We will be recognizing these remarkable individuals on our Panthers' athletic website and social-media channels.
You could not have designed a more ideal Division III student-athlete than McKenzie Brunel. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in May and is focused on making an immediate and considerable impact in the medical field. She will begin her career working in the critical-care department at Piedmont Newnan Hospital on Aug. 31.
1 - Toni Anderson
2 – Stephanie Thomas
3 – John Tures
Melinda Pomeroy-Black
7 – Preston James
9 – Nickie Cauthen
15 – Nick Moore
16 – Pam Cox
Pamela Tremblay
Dyshon Hines
17 – Margaret Reneke
18 – Cindi Bearden
Kendal Todd
21 – Sheila Scott
Brian Carlisle
Jennifer Shaw
26 – Amber McGlawn
27 – Ronald Stafford
28 – Greg McClanahan
LaGrange College President Susanna Baxter welcomes students back to campus.
LaGrange College aims to keep students safe – WRBL Columbus, Aug. 12, 2020
Carolyn and Audrey Harkness of Jackson share love for LaGrange College and soccer – Jackson Progress-Argus, Aug. 11, 2020
ECHS grad plays volleyball at LaGrange College – Savannah Now/Savannah Morning News, Aug. 3, 2020
Category: Academics, College, Faculty, Students
Keywords: COVID reopen
