COVID-19 Weekly Digest

See the newly updated COVID-19 Update Page on the university website for the latest information.

University News

Ole Miss Bookstore

Beginning Thursday, March 19, walk-in customers will not be accepted at the Ole Miss Bookstore. Phone orders will be accepted for Café items, including coffee, convenience items and pre-packaged food items only. Orders may be picked up at the register at the patio door. Online orders for textbooks, supplies, and apparel with free shipping will continue to be processed. https://ole-miss.bncollege.com/shop/ole-miss/home, bookstore@olemiss.edu, 662-915-7137 / 662-915-5893

O.U.T. Bus Service

Effective Wednesday, March 18, O.U.T. bus services (Oxford’s public transit system, and a partnership among the city, county and university) have been reduced to a Saturday schedule/service level.

The Red Line SOUTH is the only line that currently stops at Baptist Memorial Hospital. From campus, this requires the rider to transfer from the Red Line NORTH, boarding at the Union, and then transferring to the Red Line SOUTH at the Old Armory bus stop.

O.U.T. has implemented MDOT/CDC recommended deep cleaning practices on the bus fleet which include daily disinfection with hospital grade products. Hand-sanitizers have been installed on all buses for use by riders. Bus drivers have masks, gloves and additional sanitizer options for their use. Posters with appropriate CDC guidance are displayed in all buses.
Visit https://olemiss.edu/parking/ or call 662-915-7235 for more information.

UM Libraries: Keep Teaching, Keep Learning Services

UM Libraries is supporting teaching and learning needs with online resources and services through the University of Mississippi Libraries homepage. The chat service, Ask a Librarian, is available online Monday-Thursday 9am-5pm and Friday 9am-1pm. Contact umladmin@go.olemiss.edu or 662-915-7091 with any questions.

Gertrude C. Ford Center Performance and Event Updates

Information regarding performance and event changes or cancellations are listed below.

• March 17 – An Evening with Bruce Hornsby has been rescheduled for December 4, 2020. Tickets purchased for the original date will be valid for the new date.
• March 18 – It’s Time: Oxford Film Fest screening has been postponed. For updates, check the Oxford Film Festival website, email info@oxfordfilmfest.com or call 877-560-3456.
• March 19 – Thacker Mountain Radio Hour has been canceled.
• March 19 – Pump Up The Volume for the Oxford Film Festival has been postponed. For updates, check the Oxford Film Festival website, email info@oxfordfilmfest.com or call 877-560-3456.
• March 21 – The 2020 Friendship Ball has been postponed. This event will be rescheduled. Tickets purchased for the original date will be valid for the new date.
• March 23 – LOU Symphony Orchestra has been canceled.
• March 27 – Conference for the Book Children’s Book Festival has been canceled.
• March 29 – BEAUTIFUL: The Carole King Musical has been canceled, but the Ford Center is working to reschedule this musical for next season. Patrons who purchased tickets will receive a refund from the Box Office in a timely manner.

Events planned for April are being reviewed and updates will be posted. For additional questions, contact the UM Box Office at 662-915-7411 or visit www.olemissboxoffice.com.

Students

Graduate Writing Center Online Appointment Availability

The Graduate Writing Center will continue to offer online appointments beginning Monday, March 23. In compliance with the University of Mississippi’s precautionary response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus), the Graduate Writing Center will only offer online consultations until further notice, and all face-to-face workshops will be rescheduled at a later date. Please visit this link to register or access the online appointment calendar. Hour-long appointments are available Sunday-Friday. Email gwc@olemiss.edu with any questions.

Faculty and Staff

Status of Zoom

The university’s latest Zoom purchase has been fully processed and there are enough licenses in stock to serve administrative units. Departmental leadership is asked to consider carefully how many licenses their units need. Over the next few weeks in particular, requests to upgrade will be prioritized to serve faculty upgrades for instructional purposes. Contact zoom@olemiss.edu. See also: https://elearning.olemiss.edu/elearning-tool-review-zoom-video-conferencing/

Pharmacy Health Services

Pharmacy Health Services, located inside the V.B. Harrison Health Center, will continue to operate normal hours and deliver to faculty and staff on campus, as requested. For more information, visit healthcenter.olemiss.edu/pharmacy or call 662-915-5279.

Printing and Creative Services

Beginning Wednesday, March 18 and until further notice, Printing and Creative Services has suspended normal business hours and is working by appointment only. For all requests, please email printing@olemiss.edu with detailed information, including name and call-back number, and someone will be in touch. We will continue to offer design and printing services. Timeframes and turnaround times will be extended to accommodate our temporary status. If you need to pick up a completed order, please schedule a time to do so by emailing printing@olemiss.edu.

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW

At the City of Oxford Board of Aldermen meeting on Tuesday, March 17, the following resolution was unanimously passed by the Board. The resolution took effect at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, March 18 and will be valid for 15 days.

• Section 1: Effective immediately and for a period of 15 days unless extended by Motion and Order of the governing authorities of the City of Oxford, all restaurants shall only serve food using drive-through, curbside (only) pick-up, or delivery methods, and shall not allow the use by the public of interior or exterior common dining or bar facilities.
• Section 2: The Mayor may order the closing of all retail liquor stores and the discontinuance of the sale of intoxicating liquor and/or beer;
• Section 3: The Mayor may order a general curfew applicable to such geographical areas of the municipality, or to the municipality as a whole, as he or she deems advisable, and applicable during such hours of the day or night as he or she deems necessary in the interest of the public safety and welfare, with such curfew only to remain in effect for a period not to exceed five days, or an earlier date of rescission as may be ordered by the Mayor;
• Section 4: The Mayor may issue such other orders as are necessary for the protection of life and liberty.

Move On Up Mississippi Offers Assistance to Families Affected by COVID-19 moveonupms.org/COVIDhelp, COVIDhelp@moveonupms.org, 662-234-9300

Treasury pushes tax payment deadline back 90 days due to coronavirus https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/17/politics/irs-extends-tax-payment-deadline-coronavirus/index.html

Why is social distancing so important? This viral ‘Scrubs’ clip will explain — The Today Show https://www.today.com/popculture/why-social-distancing-so-important-viral-scrubs-clip-will-explain-t176106

We wanted to take this time to reiterate a crucial message to our students: We all have a role to play in stemming the spread. All students — whether they live on- or off-campus – are strongly encouraged to return to their family home and stay there during this period to promote social distancing and minimize the risk of spreading the virus. This is not a time to get together for parties or treat it as an extended vacation. You may not get sick, but failing to practice social distancing may lead you to transmit the virus to someone else who could die from it. Act in the interest of the greater good and stay home.

University News

We wanted to take this time to reiterate a crucial message to our students: We all have a role to play in stemming the spread. All students — whether they live on- or off-campus – are strongly encouraged to return to their family home and stay there during this period to promote social distancing and minimize the risk of spreading the virus. This is not a time to get together for parties or treat it as an extended vacation. You may not get sick, but failing to practice social distancing may lead you to transmit the virus to someone else who could die from it. Act in the interest of the greater good and stay home.

Hotlines Are Open

The university is operating two call centers to answer your questions. Both are open weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

• COVID-19 Hotline for questions about university operations: (662) 915-3600
• Health Services Hotline: (662) 915-3700

Food Bank

Starting March 18, the Food Bank is moving to a Grab-N-Go bag system to promote social distancing and limit person-to-person contact. It will be a self-serve operation in the lobby outside the Food Bank on the second floor of Kinard Hall. These items will be available any time while supplies last. Currently, the Food Bank is low on high-demand items, but will have some ready-to-go meals with recipes and pantry staples bags. Food is on order with Kroger with the hope of restocking in the next week.

Rebel Relief Campaign

We have heard from many in our community who want to help. In response, the university has established the Rebel Relief campaign to serve members of the Ole Miss family who need extra assistance during this uncertain time. This campaign supplements existing measures that offer housing and food assistance, academic support and quality health care to every member of the UM community. Visit the Rebel Relief campaign site for additional details.

Help Facilities Management Keep Campus Spaces Clean

In accordance with the direction to minimize the number of people on campus, Facilities Management (FM) is operating with reduced staffing to support mission-critical requirements

only. As a result, FM is employing a couple of strategies for custodial services to help us identify spaces that actually need to be cleaned on a daily basis:

• For classrooms and teaching labs – FM is working under the assumption that these spaces can be cleaned once, then closed and locked until normal operations resume. If there are classrooms or teaching labs that need to remain open, departments must submit a list of those rooms tofm@olemiss.edu to get them cleaned daily.
• For offices – FM is working under the assumption is that many personal offices will be unoccupied on a daily basis as many faculty and staff work remotely. FM will issue “Services Needed” door hangers for faculty/staff to hang on their office doors to indicate a need for services. Faculty/staff who hang this tag on their doors by close of business will have their offices cleaned the following morning by our custodial staff. Otherwise, custodial staff will not enter the office. Door handles will continue to be disinfected daily.
• Restrooms, common areas, and other public spaces will continue to be cleaned/disinfected on a daily basis.

For questions or to identify exceptions, please send an email to fm@olemiss.edu or directly to Dean Hansen, director of facilities management.

Campus Mail

Beginning Tuesday, March 17 and until further notice, normal campus mail deliveries/pick-ups will be suspended and mailroom operating hours will be limited. Departments may drop-off or pick-up mail at Campus Mail Services on Monday-Friday from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Campus Mail is located in the JAC Resource Building on West Jackson Avenue next to the Mississippi Federal Credit Union.

Offices in the Lyceum and Martindale Hall, as well as other mission-critical areas, may request a daily mail stop. Delivery will be between 1-2 p.m. daily, and office doors MUST be open during this time. If departments would like to request a mail stop, please email Rachel Bost.

Central Receiving

Beginning Tuesday, March 17 and until further notice, normal delivery service by Central Receiving will be suspended. Departments will be contacted by email and/or phone as packages are received at Central Receiving. Deliveries to departments will be scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays and by appointment only. If a delivery is requested, the office door must be open and an employee must be present to accept delivery. Otherwise, departments are welcome to pick-up their departmental packages from Central Receiving between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. from Monday-Friday. Questions should be emailed to receiving@olemiss.edu or to Rachel Bost.

Students

Keep Learning

Check out the university’s Keep Learning website, an invaluable resource for students with advice and links to help you transition to remote learning.

Student Health Services

Student Health Services will operate on an appointment-only basis for urgent care/sick visits. Walk-in patients will not be accepted at this time. It is very important that students call 662-915-7274 to schedule an appointment before coming to the clinic to protect other patients and clinic staff as recommended by the Mississippi State Department of Health. Visits that are not urgent, such as annual exams or physicals, will be scheduled for a later date or at a time that will limit potential exposure. This approach will allow more capacity for urgent care and help to protect healthy patients as recommended by the Mississippi State Department of Health.

Faculty and Staff

University Limits New Expenditures

Until further notice, faculty and staff are expected to limit new expenditures to mission-critical acquisitions and purchases only. During this time, we will focus on mission-critical needs and ask Procurement to ensure mission-critical purchases are processed in a timely manner. Invoices for products and services already rendered to the university should be paid under our standard procedures. It is unclear how long this period of reduced operations will last, or what financial impact it may have on our institution. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Resources for Transition to Teaching Online

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Faculty Technology Development Center and Division of Outreach have created a website, a dedicated e-mail address and drop-in Zoom hours to support the transition to teaching online. https://www.olemiss.edu/keepteaching keepteaching@olemiss.edu

Additionally, live webinars are available daily, March 16–20: 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. https://zoom.us/j/362276795 Meeting ID: 362 276 795 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. https://zoom.us/j/259195382 Meeting ID: 259 195 382

Employee Health Services

Employee Health Services will operate on an appointment-only basis for urgent care/sick visits. Walk-in patients will not be accepted at this time. It is very important that employees call 662-915-6550 to schedule an appointment before coming to the clinic to protect other patients and clinic staff as recommended by the Mississippi State Department of Health. Visits that are not urgent, such as annual exams or physicals, will be scheduled for a later date or at a time that will limit potential exposure. This approach will allow more capacity for urgent care and help to protect healthy patients as recommended by the Mississippi State Department of Health.

University Counseling Center’s Employee Assistance-Mental Health Program (EAP-MH) will be available by appointment-only for faculty and staff. Please call 662-915-3784.

Other Things to Know

• UM’s McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement list of community resources https://twitter.com/McLeanUM/status/1239960732118274048
• UMMC abbreviated guide to life in the time of COVID-19 https://www.umc.edu/news/Miscellaneous/2020/MarchCONSULT/CON032020SE.html
• Lafayette County School District resource page http://www.gocommodores.org/news/what_s_new/covid19
• Oxford School District newsletter with details about COVID-19 school closures https://www.smore.com/yatj2-osd-update-covid19-school-closures?ref=email-content#w-9140856556
• Johns Hopkins University & Medicine site of COVID-19 Global Cases interactive map https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

As we enter a “new normal” for our university, our overarching goal is to protect public health in ways that will also allow our students to maintain their academic progress this semester. I greatly appreciate the dedication and ingenuity shown by so many people across our university who are working day and night to get ready for our move to online classes and other alternatives to in-person instruction. To our faculty and staff, your dedication and commitment to serving our students is inspiring.
[Read more…] about Monday, March 16, 2020 COVID-19 UM Updates

To date, no cases have been confirmed at the University of Mississippi. Six cases have been confirmed in the state of Mississippi, and President Trump has declared a national emergency. We have entered an unprecedented time for our university and our nation during our lifetimes.

For the university, we know there are a lot of unanswered questions, and we are working diligently to develop answers. Due to the range of demands on our faculty and staff, we are unable to respond to individual inquiries at this time. We urge you to monitor the COVID-19 Update page, which will be continuously updated as more information becomes available.
[Read more…] about Friday, March 13, 2020 COVID-19 Update