Close

Faculty & Staff Newsletter

November 17, 2020

Mercy College Faculty & Staff:

As the holidays approach it is customary to reflect on the past year.  This year has certainly been much different, in many ways, than years past.  We are currently in the midst of a pandemic that has affected everyone with COVID fatigue, not to mention those that may have been directly affected and struck with this disease.  We’ve experienced social events that have caused us to question our own personal values and where we stand with the racial tension.  And most recently, we completed a national election that saw us conduct the democratic process, and elect a new leader, but was very contentious and added to the strains of the year’s events. 

Since this past spring, I have included in my monthly Student Affairs Updates, as well as my meeting agendas, resources for our students to utilize in understanding and dealing with the aforementioned events.  I’m including those resources below.

Counseling and Wellness - contact Suzanne Hall at (419) 251-1454 or suzanne.hall1@mercycollege.edu.  In Youngstown, please contact Ann Bair at (330) 480-2874 or ann.bair@mercycollege.edu.  Also, please access the Counseling & Wellness webpage (https://mercycollege.edu/student-affairs/student-success/counseling-wellness) or the Student Success folder  on Canvas.

Campus Ministry and Pastoral Care - contact Annie Devine at (419) 251-1866, annie.devine@mercycollege.edu, or https://mercycollege.edu/student-affairs/campus-ministry.

Know that it has been our faculty & staff that has been affected by these events, and not just our students, I am including the Life Matters resource below.

Life Matters – Faculty & Staff - call 877-692-7780 or text “Hello” to 61295.  Additional information for Life Matters can be found on the Mercy Health Hub.

I wanted to take the time to thank the faculty & staff for their patience, flexibility and understanding as we address COVID at Mercy College.  I am listing below the safety protocol that needs to be followed for all faculty, staff, and students while at the college.  It is important to remember that we all have a role to play with enforcing the protocol, in that we need to communicate and reiterate, this to our respective faculty, staff & students.

-Park in Jefferson lot or garage
              -Enter 1st floor Jefferson entrance
              -Upon entrance to the building, mask must be worn at all times (supply your own mask)

              -All persons are required to be screened (temperature above 100 degrees = no admittance)
              -Must show Mercy College ID

              -Upon completion of screening, use the most direct route to your office or destination.

              -Using the elevator (only 2 persons, staggered, per ride).
             -Stairs are to be used only in an emergency
              -Observe physical/social distancing at all times

              -Only 2 persons in women’s restroom at one time (1 person in men’s restroom)

              -Once your work has concluded, leave the college immediately, via the route you entered!

To address the recent increase in COVID numbers, externally from the college and internally, President Wajert sent out an email on Friday, November 13, with revisions to the fall semester schedule and hours of operation (see below).  In that e-mail, as well as Dr. Wajert’s newsletters and at College Assembly, she has stated that on-campus requests (if not part of the already approved fall schedule), must be provided to the Incident Commander (IC).  These requests need to be made only in URGENT situations, meaning the request shows a direct service provided to the student.

We have developed, implemented, and revised a travel & exposure protocol with Jen Barber acting as the health nurse at the college.  First off, I want to thank Jen for her diligence and persistence in serving in this role, as she is a pleasure to work with and has helped the effort tremendously!  Second, if you are exposed to COVID, regardless if you are asymptomatic or symptomatic, please contact Jen for further instructions.  If you are required to quarantine you are required to stay off-campus for the number of days that Jen has provided you.

In closing, I ask that you please understand the decisions being made related to COVID, in that we have been able to keep our numbers low.  Even with the increase at the college, our numbers are still much lower than most comparably sized colleges and universities, over the same period.  We have, and will continue, to follow the CDC, AICUO, Governor of the State of Ohio, and other like-institutions in developing, implementing, and/or revision of any protocols to address COVID. In short, right now, it’s about keeping our campus community safe. Happy Holidays!

Cordially,

Marc S. Adkins
Incident Commander

College Hours through 2020

Wednesday, November 18, 2020, all classes are moved to the virtual/remote/digital,-mediated learning environment.

Tuesday, November 17, 2020, is the last day of on-campus activities unless it is an ATI, HESI, or other scheduled examination.

The week of November 16, 2020-November 20, 2020, the College will be open for URGENT situations only from 10 am-3 pm. The administrative schedule will continue during this week. Administrative Schedule is as follows: Monday: Wajert and Sancrant; Tuesday: Bates and Watson; Wednesday: Adkins, and Vatan; Thursday: Edgeworth and Stoos; and Friday: Erwin and Sprunk.

The week of November 23, 2020, the College is only open two days: Monday, November 23, 2020, and Tuesday, November 24, 2020, from 10 am-3 pm for URGENT situations only and as noted above for testing and skills lab appointments. The administrative schedule continues as above for Monday and Tuesday.

The week of November 30-December 4, 2020, the College is open Monday-Friday from 10 am-3 pm and all make-up work must be completed during this week. All faculty who need to conduct make-up work for students must obtain approval from their manager and the Incident Commander. The administrative schedule continues as noted above.

In the remaining weeks of the semester from December 7, 2020, through December 17, 2020, the College will be open minimal hours due to the increasing COVID numbers. The hours will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 am-2 pm. Students, faculty, and staff should only be on campus for URGENT situations. Jefferson 6th floor will be the point of entry for students who need to study in the cubicles, use the computers, print papers, etc. The administrative schedule will continue as noted above and staff will be at the Jefferson 6th floor desk during the hours the College is open.

The College will be open with faculty/staff working remotely from Friday, December 18, 2020 through Monday, January 4, 2021. (We will re-evaluate operations at the College prior to January 4, 2021, given the Coronavirus situation and numbers at the time.)

During the holiday weeks of December 21, 2020, and December 28, 2020, the College will be open with all faculty/staff working remotely, except the holidays (December 25, 2020, and January 1, 2021). The College will be open and faculty/staff will work remotely on December 24, 2020, and December 31, 2020, unless PTO is taken for those days.

Youngstown will follow the same schedule. Please check with Dr. Pat McAllen and/or Kim Pavel if you have questions.

Mercy Café Menu

Submitted by Steven Joyce

Mercy Café Menu

Mandatory Learning

Screen Shot 2020 11 16 at 8 14 43 PM

This is a friendly reminder to all College employees to complete the ‘Required for You’ learning modules assigned by Bon Secours Mercy Health in Workday by December 1st. You can access Workday from home by using the HUB link, Employee Quick links/Workday. Select the Learning icon.


CEO-Gram

Send a message to Dr. Wajert using this link.

  • FormFaculty/Staff Weekly Email Article Submission Form


    Fill out the form to submit an article for the following week's Faculty/Staff Newsletter.

    View Form