FACS Connection - August 14, 2020
A weekly digest of news, events, and opportunities for all undergraduate FACS students.
Special Edition: A Message from Dean Fox
Friday, August 14, 2020
Dear FACS Students,
As we prepare for a safe return to campus for all faculty, staff, students and visitors, I wanted to let you know the steps the College of Family and Consumer Sciences has taken to safeguard your health and wellness amid the coronavirus pandemic.
As always, your health and safety is our top priority. However, to achieve this we must build a culture of shared responsibility.
There are three things to remember:
- Safety for yourself.
We ask that you self-monitor before coming to campus each and every day.
If you are feeling unwell with any of the COVID-19 symptoms such as a possible fever (100.4 degrees or higher) or any cold or flu-like symptoms, or if you have any degree of discomfort, shortness of breath or fatigue, please do not come to campus.
UGA’s DawgCheck system is an easy-to-use, COVID-19 self-screening tool that will help us assess and respond to risks and exposures on campus. Please take time to familiarize yourself with this important resource and make sure you assess your symptoms before you come to campus.
Also, wash your hands frequently. We’ve also placed bottles of hand sanitizer throughout the buildings. As soon as you enter a building, sanitize your hands, then head to your classroom.
In the hallways near each classroom, you’ll find stations with a large bucket containing surface wipes for you to clean the desktop, arms of the chair and areas where you’ll sit.
Grab a sanitizing wipe and clean the surfaces before the class begins.
An additional five minutes between classes has been implemented to provide more time to sanitize instructional space. Students are encouraged to check these course adjustments in Athena and to contact the appropriate faculty member with specific questions.
Throughout the campus, building services staff will thoroughly clean and disinfect all surfaces, including classroom and lab desktops/tables, each morning. High-touch and high-traffic areas including door handles, elevator buttons and restrooms will be disinfected multiple times throughout the day.
- Safety for others.
It is required at UGA that you wear a face covering inside all FACS and UGA buildings unless you have a documented medical accommodation.
Your mask should be comfortable and fit in such a manner as to create a seal around your mouth and nose.
UGA has provided every student with two masks and a thermometer! Steps 1 and 2 are easy!
- Safety for the community.
We will all be changing our practices to maintain social distancing and limit exposure.
Keep at least six feet of distance from others (or the length of three bulldogs). Remember, the CDC defines an exposure as being within six feet of someone for 15 minutes or longer (whether or not wearing a mask).
So, we’ve made that easier for you and your classmates and instructors.
All the classrooms have designated “Have a seat here” stickers and tape marking the chairs and tables where you should sit.
Don’t be surprised to find plexiglass barriers at the instructors’ podiums and a lot of signage to limit the number of persons in any given room at one time.
So, what’s next?
Your instructors will be communicating with you to establish specific class schedules that allow us to accommodate the reduced number of students in a classrooms at any one time to meet social distancing.
Watch your email and anticipate you will be able to access your course eLC site well in advance of the beginning of the classes. Check in with your class eLC today and definitely prior to the first day of classes!
With the help of our students, we have established a FACS Community Health Pledge. This pledge asks the entire FACS family to abide by all recommended guidelines to stand together and stop the spread of the virus.
Through all of these efforts, my hope and belief is the entire FACS community will continue to work together to ensure a healthy and safe return to campus.
Please visit the college and UGA websites regularly and check in with the FACS Student Success and Advising Center academic advisors.
Come with an open mind to apply yourself in the adjusted learning environment.
We hope you will join me and your faculty and classmates as we each take the pledge:
Safety for myself.
Safety for others.
And
Safety for the community.
See you soon!
Sincerely,
Linda Kirk Fox, Ph.D.
Dean
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