Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Signals of springtime abound at Mississippi State, with daffodils blooming around campus. As the Bulldog family practices social distancing and other health guidelines in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the university grounds are quiet while employees are working diligently to transfer courses online and adjust operations for students to have a safe and smooth finish to the semester. PHOTO: Megan Bean | Public Affairs

Building closures beginning Monday
Beginning Monday [March 23], Mississippi State University will implement a building closure plan to help keep gatherings in facilities to less than 10 as mandated by the U.S. government. Many buildings on campus will be locked and will be accessible to only those with keycard/key access to a particular facility. This also affords us the opportunity to reduce our energy consumption and save resources. Please join us in doing everything you can to reduce the risk of infection from COVID-19. Your efforts do make a difference.

SMART routes, Paratransit return with limited service
As the Starkville-MSU Area Rapid Transit or SMART system continues to maneuver through COVID-19 and evaluate best ways to protect transit riders and staff, the routes will be returning with limited service (one Bus Per Route) for the following routes: Boardtown North, Boardtown South, Old Main, Highway 12, Sportsplex and Paratransit. Routes will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and will be limited to nine passengers per bus. Routes will stop from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for cleaning and spraying of all buses. GTR (Airport) will run based on flight schedule Monday through Sunday. For more information, please visit www.smart.msstate.edu.

Extension postpones events, continues operations
The Mississippi State University Extension Service has postponed all of its in-person events, trainings and meetings across the state through May 10 amid public health concerns surrounding COVID-19. All Extension offices and units will remain open, and basic operations will continue as normal until further notice. This includes the Bost Extension Center on the main campus in Starkville, the four regional Research and Extension Centers and each of Extension’s 82 county offices (unless otherwise noted). Online educational programming will also proceed as scheduled. “We need to continue our basic operations in order to disseminate health-related information to the general public using our technologies, support our local communities and their leaders and support other federal and state agencies,” said Extension director Gary Jackson.

Travel and group activities restricted
In accordance with the updated CDC guidelines and the President's Coronavirus Guidelines, Mississippi State University is restricting all domestic travel at this time -- both in state and out of state. No travel reimbursements will be approved unless the travel is deemed essential and approved in advance by the employee's respective vice president. The previously issued ban on international travel remains in place. Additionally, no meetings, functions, activities, or other events may be hosted by MSU with more than 10 people in attendance. Please remember to practice social distancing in any and all meetings and interactions. At the current time, these restrictions will extend through May 10, 2020, but this date could change at any time. Please continue to monitor email or www.msstate.edu for additional information.

Mandatory health, safety training videos announced
Mississippi State Emergency Manager Brent Crocker announced last week that online safety and training videos are available online to assist the Bulldog family. "We continue to take steps to protect ourselves against illness on campus. To help make sure everyone is aware of the current best practices and procedures, please take a few minutes to complete this training," he said. He explained that this mandatory training should take only a few moments, but provides valuable information to keep the university safe. The first two videos were developed by Mississippi State University Extension and share important information that is consistent with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Mississippi State Department of Health guidance. The second two videos were developed by the CDC.

Deadline for Jefcoat and Ammon advising awards
The Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President is seeking nominations for Mississippi State’s 2020 Irvin Atly Jefcoat Excellence in Advising Awards and Wes Ammon Outstanding New Advisor Awards. The deadline for nominations for both awards is Monday [March 23]. Nominations are to be submitted in PDF form to the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President via email to nfultz@provost.msstate.edu.

Smoke-free policy enhances healthy environment
Mississippi State University is a smoke-free campus. Official policy prohibits the use of any combustible or vapor products anywhere on campus property including university buildings, university grounds, university vehicles, parking areas and sidewalks. The smoke-free campus policy is part of the university's commitment to creating a healthy environment for all members of the campus community. Use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookah or other similar devices are prohibited by this policy.

The Office of Public Affairs provides Maroon MEMO as a general information
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Operating guidelines and procedures for the week of March 23 outlined
President Mark E. Keenum is extending the emergency guidelines under which Mississippi State University will operate for March 23-27, 2020. The university will be open. In compliance with guidance from the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, MSU will deliver online or other remote instructional course content for the remainder of the 2020 spring semester. That decision is based on national and state public health protocols established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Mississippi State Department of Health. Unless otherwise indicated, the university is requesting that all non-essential employees stay at home until you are contacted by your supervisor to report to work. All employees who are able to work remotely should do so.

MSU students gain free eTextbook access in midst of COVID-19 outbreak
Free access to online eTextbooks is available to Mississippi State students through the remainder of the spring semester. The university’s bookstore, Barnes & Noble Education, Inc., is teaming up with digital textbook provider VitalSource and leading publishers to help ensure that MSU students are equipped to learn, wherever they are. “We are most appreciative of Barnes & Noble for providing these resources to our students during this unprecedented disruption,” said David Shaw, MSU’s provost and executive vice president. “Thanks to the support of Barnes & Noble, our faculty and staff, and so many others in the Mississippi State family, we are very confident that our students will be able to finish the semester successfully, earn full credit for their classes, and continue to make academic progress toward earning their degree.”

Looking for a way to help? Give to the MSU Student Relief Fund
The Mississippi State University community continually exhibits a great sense of responsibility and caring for enrolled students that make the land-grant institution such a special place. The MSU Student Relief Fund, built with private gifts, helps those members of the student body affected with day-to-day crises or like now, the impact to their daily lives posed by COVID-19. The Dean of Students' Office assesses needs and administers the fund for acute crises that may impact students’ ability to succeed academically. The funds have a direct impact on students in extenuating circumstances in order to help them achieve their academic success. The MSU Foundation accepts gifts year-round for the MSU Student Relief Fund. Contributions for this effort can be made online or by contacting the Annual Giving office at (662) 325-2466.

Library limiting access to students, faculty and staff
As Mississippi State continues taking steps to protect the university community during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mitchell Memorial Library is announcing limited hours and access. Only MSU faculty, staff and students will be allowed to enter the building, and Custodial Services will remain vigilant in cleaning the facility. Along with this restricted access, the library will operate with limited services. Access to the library will be available through the Computer Commons door on the west side close to the Drill Field. Library leaders are working with MSU’s Information Technology Services to enable MSU faculty, staff and students to use their MSU ID cards to gain entry. Hours will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.