Coronavirus – Inside UW-Green Bay News

August 5, 2020August 5, 2020

Sims-Aubert sends expectations communication to students

In an e-mail today, Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Climate Gail Sims-Aubert, outlined return to campus guidelines for students:

Dear UWGB students,

As preparations for your return to campus are being actively planned, the global pandemic remains an acute threat, and is one that UW-Green Bay leadership is taking very seriously. Every effort is being made to develop processes and protocols that will work to safeguard you while you learn, live and lead on campus this fall.

As you may have seen, the University has recently affiliated with Prevea Health to provide health and wellness support to UW-Green Bay students. After much deliberation and collaboration with our partners in healthcare, we are able to reveal the following guidelines, that when employed appropriately, will work to protect both you and those with whom you may come into contact with on campus.

Return to Campus Guidelines

Physical Distancing – Stay at least six feet from other people at all times (about two arms’-lengths).
Face Coverings – All UWGB faculty/staff/students are required to wear a face covering over the mouth and nose in all campus communal spaces (including classrooms, hallways and offices).
Handwashing – Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after having been in a public space or after blowing your nose/sneezing/touching your face. (Hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol can be substituted for handwashing.)
Self-Assessment – Monitor for the onset of symptoms daily and do not leave your residence if the possibility of infection exists.

For students living on campus who test positive or may have been exposed to the virus, rooms with private bathrooms have been reserved for isolation and quarantine needs. The University will employ contact tracers trained in conjunction with Prevea Health and Brown County Public Health to help identify those who may have come into contact with anyone testing positive on UW-Green Bay’s campuses. Prevea Health will also be working to provide testing to those students who have a recognized need.

Join me for a live Instagram Q&A where I’ll be answering your questions about returning to campus housing. Visit UWGB Instagram’s story on Monday, August 10 from 11 a.m. to noon and send your questions!

As you know, in-person classroom instruction will look different this fall. Similar precautions are being undertaken in campus housing, where safety protocols will limit capacity in common area spaces and visitation restrictions will be imposed. Dining venues will also operate differently, where more grab-and-go options will be made available along with an adjusted layout in dining rooms to accommodate distancing and volume concerns. Other campus locations (libraries, rec centers, etc.) will engage in comparable risk mitigation measures for your safety across the university.

I fully recognize that the requirement of wearing a face covering and staying physically distanced from fellow students and faculty/staff will be a cultural shift from how we normally would operate. You’ve been away from campus for several months, and want to see one another and be able to gather in large groups. However, we also know that the acts of wearing a mask, keeping a distance from one another and undertaking good hygiene are the very strategies that will keep one another safe and healthy.

UW-Green Bay’s goal is to create a culture of cooperation where all students/faculty/staff will understand that compliance with the safeguards of face coverings, physical distancing and handwashing is critical to the safety of the entire campus community. There may be times when adherence to these safeguards may be inconvenient or uncomfortable, but our goal, is to continue to provide you a safe path to your degree.

The disruption caused by COVID-19 has been hard on everyone, from students and their families to our faculty and staff. I’ve not come into contact with a single person who doesn’t want things to go back to “normal”, but by all indications things are going to be quite different for the coming year. That is why I want you to know how appreciative I am of your commitment to our university community. UW-Green Bay will get through this unprecedented time, and will be better for it. Thank you for signing on as a Phoenix. I am proud of you and eagerly await your return in a few short weeks.

Go Phoenix!

Gail Sims-Aubert

Gail Sims-Aubert
INTERIM VICE CHANCELLOR FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS & CAMPUS CLIMATE
DIRECTOR OF RESIDENCE LIFE
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
2420 Nicolet Drive
Green Bay, WI 54311
tel: (920) 465-2040 / email: simsg@uwgb.edu
web: www.uwgb.edu/housing

July 29, 2020August 5, 2020

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s Lifelong Learning Institute Encourages Learning as Lifelong Pursuit

GREEN BAY, Wis.—At the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, learning is a lifelong pursuit, and the member-led Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI) isn’t going to let coronavirus get in the way of delivering enriching and engaging classes in a safety-conscious way for members.

LLI is a 20+-year strong membership program developed by retirees for retirees. LLI is offering more than 120 classes, virtually this year. Registration is open now through August 13, 2020.

Susan Pike, program specialist, and volunteer on the curriculum committee, worked diligently and creatively with a network of instructors developing courses in formats best suited to the subject matter. Instructors include existing and retired faculty, local experts and enthusiasts. Class formats encompass online live, online recorded and outdoors. Topics cover art, fitness, government, health, history, reading, writing, science, nature, religion, special interest and travel.

Classes are accessible online which means you can access courses anywhere – engaging at home, visiting your grandchildren or snowbirding elsewhere.

Notable instructors include Professor Ryan Martin, a nationally-known anger researcher, Susan Lepak-Gallagher, Dean of the College of Health, Education and Social Welfare, Erin Giese, Field Crew Leader for the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program and John Chandik, retired meteorologist with WLUK-TV.

New members can register for up to 20 classes each semester. Join LLI for a tour into the Packers archives. If you are a history buff, you will enjoy classes about local history or major world events like “From the Holocaust to Civil Rights.” Naturalists can learn more about wildlife and the environment with classes like “Sustainability and Solar Energy.” There are also classes about food “Spreading the Word about Cheese, Spread, That is,” topical issues “Drugs in Brown County – Are Your Grandchildren at Risk?” And classes for fitness or fun like “The Art of Repurposing Thrift Shop Finds (and Your Stuff).”

The annual LLI membership fee is $125 – an average cost of $10.42 per month – and includes two semesters. You may register for up to 20 classes per semester.

More than 120 interactive and fascinating subjects! Registration is completely online. A gorgeous 20+-page catalog of classes will be available at www.lli@uwgb.edu Monday, July 27, and at 10 a.m. registration will also open. Registration closes August 14 at 4 p.m. Join today, because TOGETHER, WE LEARN.

For more information on the program visit: www.uwgb.edu/lli or contact Susan Pike, Program Specialist, at 920-465-2356.

About UW-Green Bay’s Division of Continuing Education and Community Engagement
The Division of Continuing Education and Community Engagement focuses its mission on creating educational opportunity and access for all ages, encompassing K-12 student programs, personal and professional development and customized training to meet the needs of a progressive economy. The division develops, collaborates and executes responsive solutions for diverse communities statewide, all of which reflect a deep commitment to inclusion, social justice and civic responsibility

–47-20–

July 29, 2020July 30, 2020

It’s Phlash with a mask and a message

Phlash Mascot holding a sign with a stop the virus icon — Phlash the Phoenix reminds us to stay safe and stop the spread of COVID-19

“Bird watchers” have you spotted this one? It’s UW-Green Bay’s own Phlash sporting a mask, and the graphic is the new face of a communication campaign directed at your personal safety. It’s up to all of us—faculty, staff, students—on all four campuses to keep each other, and family and community members safe throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Health leaders will be using Phlash to communicate important messages and reminders through signs, videos and email. The three most important things to remember according to local health officials and the CDC:

Wash your hands
Watch your distance
Wear a mask

As Chancellor Alexander noted in his communication to our campuses and extended communities last week, “I am unable to predict exactly what will happen with education in the coming months. However, I know we are resilient. As the Phoenix, we are up for the challenge that lies ahead. We will rise into the unknown together.”

July 29, 2020July 31, 2020

Video: UW-Green Bay Chancellor Alexander discusses the ‘wash, watch, wear’ responsibility of the entire campus community

Hello UW-Green Bay students.

I hope you’re all doing well. I’m here today to give you another campus update, and to let you know that we have given campus guidelines out to area and divisional leaders for how we’ll be able to operate in the fall. Over the next week individual leaders will work to respond to those guidelines and make sure that each area of campus can open responsibly.

We want to make sure that you know that there are going to be three core things to do for us to be able to open successfully: One is to wear a mask. Second, wash your hands. Make sure you’re always practicing good hygiene. And third, watch your distance. Make sure you’re staying apart as much as possible. Make sure that you’re observing that distance so that we can all stay safe when we’re here together.

I also want to encourage you as a campus to please understand that we are working through literally thousands and thousands of details to be able to open up successfully in in the fall. If you have concerns over any of those details, please do not hesitate to reach out. The first place you could start with is by emailing gboss@uwgb.edu. Any concerns that you have about the opening of fall please you can start with them, and they’ll be able to route your question to the appropriate place and make sure you get an appropriate answer.

We want to make sure we continue to communicate with you in the lead up to the fall and you can expect a lot more communication in the coming weeks. I hope you’re doing well and that you have a great rest of your week, and thanks for listening today.

July 29, 2020

UW-Green Bay chemistry student Alexis Miller thanks professors and staff for assisting in online learning transition

Although UW-Green Bay is intending to be open in fall and welcoming faculty, staff and students back on campus, some classes originally scheduled for in-person instruction will be moving online or having online aspects to them for the safety of the UW-Green Bay community. Current UW-Green Bay students who transitioned to online learning in Spring 2020 demonstrated that they are resilient problem-solvers and describe their experiences while providing some advice to future students…

Alexis Miller is a sophomore majoring in Chemistry.

“I’m going to be honest, I was nervous and worried for the online learning. I had never done an online course before, but I am so thankful for the faculty at UWGB. Every professor that I had was very helpful with this new way of learning. They gave endless support and help and made sure that we as students knew that. Although we weren’t in a classroom setting anymore, the staff still had made sure that we understood the information of the course. Many of my professors provided problems and videos to help expand my knowledge of the topic. The professors also responded to any questions via email or canvas very quickly which helped a lot.”

July 28, 2020July 28, 2020

Video: Mask Up with Tommy!

UW-Green Bay Chancellor Michael Alexander and Phlash the Phoenix join UW System President Tommy Thompson and the rest of the UW System Chancellors and mascots in encouraging you to mask up! UW-Green Bay along with the rest of the UW System is doing everything possible to provide in-person classes safely this fall. But we can’t do it without you. Remember the three W’s: Wash your hands; Watch your distance and Wear a Mask! We all have a role in keeping everyone safe. Please do like our chancellors and mascots, and mask up!

Check back often for UW-Green Bay’s COVID-19 Updates

July 23, 2020

UW-Green Bay purchasing director discusses sanitation costs prior to students returning to campus | WLUK

Gallons of hand sanitizer, disinfectant, and personal protective equipment. Tory Ortscheid has to buy it all before students come back to the University of Wisconsin Green Bay.

“It would be upwards of tens of thousands of dollars,” he said. He’s the purchasing director for UWGB. “We are purchasing large quantities of PPE supply to support the return of the students and the faculty and staff.

Thousands of college students will return to campus next month, and part of making sure the campus is safe is having plenty of hand sanitizing stations.

Source: Local start-up hopes to help schools, businesses cut PPE, sanitation costs | WLUK

July 22, 2020

Fall sports not to begin before Oct. 1 at Horizon League schools

In case you missed it, the Horizon League postponed the start date for all fall sports. Here is the announcement:

“Guided by its core value of student-athlete well-being, the Horizon League Council decided on Thursday, July 16 to delay the start of fall competition for all sports (championship and non-championship) with the understanding that if competition occurs, it will not begin before October 1.

The decision allows each campus to further focus on ensuring return to competition protocols uphold the Council’s principle of safety and can be reasonably implemented. The delay in competition includes all exhibition, League and non-League contests in all sports (championship and non-championship).

Decisions related to training and practice will be left to members’ discretion. Rescheduling of non-conference contests impacted by the postponed start of the fall seasons will be determined by each school. The Horizon League’s Council will continue to monitor developments related to COVID-19, and will evaluate fall schedules and competitions with the understanding that there may be future changes.

The Council will continue to be guided by our top priority: the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff. The Horizon League Council consists of the 12 member institutions’ athletic directors, chairpersons of the Senior Woman’s Administrators and Faculty Athletic Representatives and a student-athlete.”

Tag: Coronavirus