About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 29, 2020)
8A Midweek Edition - July 29-30, 2020 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com LOCAL UNG classes different this year Hall schools delay return BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com Students at the University of North Georgia can expect quite a different college experience this fall, accord ing to insight gleaned from a virtual town hall meeting on Monday, July 27. UNG held the town hall to provide students and their parents with an update of what the imminent return to fall classes may look like for the university. UNG is based in Dahlonega, with additional campuses in Blue Ridge, Cumming, Gainesville and Oconee. What will class look like? Classes and instruction will be altered heavily, as many courses adopt a hybrid model of teaching that will involve both virtual and face-to-face instruction, according to UNG provost and senior vice president for academic affairs Chaudron Gille. Each hybrid class will be labeled as either HI, H2 or H3. Gille said students in HI classes — the most com mon form of hybrid course — will spend “25% to 50%” of course time in face-to- face learning, which will translate to about one face- to-face meeting with a pro fessor a week per course. The classes will also contain digital coursework, which will be completed via D2L Brightspace, an online learn ing management platform. Gille said the rotation schedules for when students will be meeting in class rooms will be released on that platform. H2 classes will take place primarily online, although students in these classes will still meet with their profes sors four to eight times in a semester, according to Gille. Students in H3 classes will meet at about the same rate as those in HI classes, but H3 courses are those that require additional safety protocols, such as lab sci ence classes. Online components of hybrid courses will go beyond merely video lec tures, and will often include interactive activities, Gille said. When meeting face-to- face for classes, all students will be required to wear pro tective face coverings, per a mandate from the Univer sity System of Georgia ear lier this summer. Gille said final exams for the fall semester will be held entirely online, and there will be no face-to- face meetings for classes after the Thanksgiving holi day. Because of the many requirements professors may have of their students during exams, all students will be required to have computers with both video and audio capabilities. According to Gille, UNG “will do our very best” to work with high-risk students who require additional safety accommodations or feel unsafe attending face- to-face lessons. He also acknowledged that there is a chance UNG will have to shift back to entirely online learning, and said the school has made preparations for that possibility. Mac McConnell, senior vice president of business and finance at UNG, said there is currently no plan to reassess student fees, although he added that “online only would gener ate potential for refunds depending on when that may occur.” What will living on campus look like? Students will also have to deal with a variety of lifestyle changes around campus. Those changes will begin on move-in day, when stu dents will move into resi dence halls in a staggered fashion based on appoint ments, according to Treva Smith, director of residence life. They will not be permit ted to bring more than two guests to help with moving in, she said. Students will be required to wear face coverings in residence hall common areas, such as bathrooms or kitchens, but will not have to wear masks inside their own rooms, according to Smith. The residence halls will remain open through the end of the semester, but they will not be permitting visitors, she said. In terms of extracur ricular activities, James Conneely, vice president of student affairs, said the school is attempting to pre serve the college experience as much as possible while still adhering to CDC, public health and USG guidelines. Conneely said all offices and on-campus services will be available, though “they may look different at times.” UNG will not, however, be offering full contact intramural sports, and will instead focus on “skill- focused” sports, such as tennis. Club sports will not be offered this fall either, but, according to Conneely, the school is exploring the possibility of expanding its club esports. UNG already started including several new intramural esport opportunities this summer. Dining facilities will be open, but will be held to “limited occupancy,” Con neely said. Students will also be given the option to order custom meals from dining halls online and pick up their food to eat it else where, he said. Fraternities, sororities and other student organiza tions will remain available for students who wish to participate in them. “Our advisors for those organizations will work with them to give them best prac tices to ensure that they’re safe and taking necessary precautions,” Conneely said. What if you get sick? Students will not be required to be tested for COVID-19 upon arriving on campus, but they will be expected to perform daily self-monitoring tests, including regular checking their temperatures, accord ing to Greg Williams, associ ate director of emergency preparedness. Those who believe they may be have contracted COVID-19 will be asked to complete the COVID- 19 self-reporting form, which will “activate the university’s response protocols.” The response proto cols are designed to sup port the infected student or faculty member with “academic or employ ment accommodations that may be necessary,” according to school officials. After complet ing the self-reporting form, students are also advised to contact their professors to keep them updated on their ability to come to class. Williams also said that UNG is finalizing plans to offer COVID-19 test ing for students who are showing symptoms of the virus. Testing will be set up by appointment through student health services. Students who wish to be tested must first undergo an evaluation by a clini cian, who will decide if the student should be tested or not. COVID-19 tests will be covered by the student health fee for all students who have already paid the fee, according to Williams. Hall County students will have to wait one more week to get back to school. The Hall County Board of Education voted unani mously Monday evening to extend the teacher pre-plan ning period an extra week, through Aug. 21. The calen dar change would push the first day of classes to Aug. 24. Superintendent Will Schofield said the decision was made in response to concerning trends in local COVID-19 cases. He said the extra week of time would be used to give school employ ees more in-depth training in school safety precautions. “Although we’re not exactly sure what this year is going to bring us, one thing I do know is that the overarch ing goals this year are No. 1 that we keep our students and our team members healthy, and No. 2 that what ever instructional model we have to deliver from time-to- time throughout this year, that we do it with integrity,” Schofield said at a school board meeting Monday eve ning. “With that in mind, I’m asking you gentlemen to extend pre-planning for an additional week, which would be August 3 through August 21, giving our team members time to make sure we are absolutely ready to keep everybody as safe as possible.” Schofield said at a webi nar conducted by the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce last week that precautions taken by schools would include social distanc ing wherever possible, and an increased emphasis on hand sanitizing for students and staff. School employ ees will be required to wear masks while working. Hall school staff, as well as stu dents, will also be asked to pre-screen themselves for fever and other symptoms of COVID-19 every morn ing before entering a school building. Also on Monday evening, the board of education voted 4-1 to approve both the FY21 budget as well as a millage rate of 17.55 mills. Both the budget and millage rate were already approved by the board preliminarily at a July 6 meeting. The Hall County board of commis sioners approved the mill- age rate unanimously during a Tuesday meeting. The millage rate is the same as last year’s, although some homeowners may see a tax increase, depending on the valuation of their homes. The complete budget can be viewed on the HCSD website. Nathan Berg Heritage Heights and Country Place Apartments 101 Heritage Avenue • Jefferson, Georgia 30549 62 MODERN 1 & 2 BEDROOM APARTMENTS * Heritage Heights and Country Place Apartments is financed through USDA Rural Development certain income restrictions apply. Quiet residential neighborhood Special features for mobility impaired individuals Wall to wall carpeting Laundry hook-ups in the units Cable TV hook-ups Generous closet space Fully-applianced electric kitchens Trash removal Attractive grounds Tenant-controlled Heat/AC Good Cents Energy Efficient 0 Lease, security deposit, and references required For information & an application contact IS3 ""opportunity* 706-367-9891 7-1-1 (Georgia TDD Only) Heritage Heights and Country Place Apartments is managed by W.T. Lamb Investments, Inc. • 216 Broad Street • Wrens, Georgia 30833 W.T. Lamb Investments, Inc. is a top quality management company that cares for your needs. “This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.” If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http:// www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov.” THANK YOU! Thank you to our readers and business partners who have generously donated to help sustain our editorial mission. Many of you have sent kind words of encouragement along with your donation. Your thoughtfulness has uplifted the spirits of our team. Thank you also to those in our community supporting independent local journalism by purchasing a subscription or advertising with us. A special thanks to the donors below and the many more who requested to remain anonymous. Alice Ann & Tom Mundy in honor Donald Urbancic John Ferris Priscilla Strom of Johnny Vardeman Edward Walker Johnny Vardeman in honor of Rebecca Lopez Ann Gillespie Eric Falls Lessie Smithgall Regina Wilson Anne Higgins Frenchies Modern Nail Care, Joseph Cooley Reneigh Satterfield Barry Stinson Braselton Joseph Seymour Richard Levasseur Becky Byrd Gene and Joy Cape Judy Kreps Richard Pilcher Beth Lisk H Ferrell Singleton Kathy Hamilton Robert G Kopp in memory of Dr Betty Foster Hudson Wilson Kenneth Helfrich Charles B Kopp Bill & Susan Brooksher In honor of Charlie and Lessie Kristi Westmoreland R. E. Tanner Bill Stephens in honor of Johnny Smithgall Larry Pritchett Richard Levasseur Vardeman In memory of Andy Pearson Linda Brady Robert L Owen Billy Grimes J Alexander Lisbeth Fabiny, Five Seasons Ruth Ebbs Brian Moss J C Bedingfield Health & Wellness Coaching Silas C Randall and Dorothy A Murray James Bailey Lois Kemp Stan Preczewski Caroline Kelly Jane Hemmer Lydia J Sartain Stanley Longman Charles E Cook Jr Janet Walker Mark Hall Steven Minion Charles George Jennifer M Pulliam in memory of G Marty Owens Stuart Albertson Cherilyn Singleton Donald Pulliam Maxine Gilstsrap Susan Paris Chris Sanders Jeremy Bargainnier Mean Marie Tamara Guilday Tamra and Steven Glenn Christine Peters Jerry Castleberry Merrianne Dyer Chuck Hendrickson Jerry V Lewis Nancy Clark Tamra Schardl Dale Granata Jerry & Judy Horton NINJON Inc Taylor Roark Daniel Herrmann Jill Momper Noreen & Frank Sherwood Teresa Gay David George Jim & Mazie Patricia England Thomas Vivelo Debbie Powell Jo McClellan Patrick Horgan Wandreka Dubose Don C Hill John and Patricia Mouvery John Brady Pete Roshau Phyllis Solgere William Rogers SUPPORT LOCAL INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM! DONATE OR SUBSCRIBE TODAY! gainesvilletimes.com/subscribe | gainesvilletimes.com/donate (The (Times gainesvilletimes.com
