Hotline 1.12.22

Campus COVID status

Email from President Alan LaFave to the campus community on Jan. 7, 2022

Welcome back for spring 2022 semester. We have many exciting things happening and I am so glad you are a part of our community.

I wanted to update you on our response to COVID and the changing landscape we are seeing in regards to the COVID-19 virus.

First, please consider getting vaccinated and boosted. It is clear having a full dose of the vaccine is your best protection against COVID. I urge you to protect yourself through vaccination if possible. Vaccines are easy to find and free. Visit Vaccines.gov to find a location and time that works for you.

Secondly, our campus will continue to operate as we have during the fall semester. If you are sick, stay home. You may be asked to wear a mask in certain areas or classes. We urge everyone to continue washing their hands frequently and sanitizing things like door handles and rails to reduce the spread of any illness. The omicron variant is highly-contagious and, combined with flu season, we all can do our part to stop the spread.

Finally, the CDC is changing their quarantine recommendations. Our emergency management team (EMT) is looking at those changes and  weighing the impacts of adopting new quarantine rules for individuals who test positive with COVID or who have been in close contact with someone who tested positive. We will keep you updated regarding any changes to quarantine requirements as soon as they become official. If you would like to read more about what the CDC is now recommending, please visit their website.

If you have any questions or concerns about this, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Our EMT is very active and takes many factors into careful consideration when discussing policies and actions for our campus as it relates to safety, COVID and other topics. As we continue to live through this challenging time, I’d ask everyone to continue to show the patience, awareness and graciousness that we saw this fall.

I wish you all a successful, healthy and productive spring 2022 semester.  Go Vikings!

Call for VCSU faculty and staff art entries

VCSU faculty and staff are invited to submit artwork for the upcoming art show on Feb. 14 – March 25. Submissions are due by Jan. 21 at 11:59 p.m. Sign up here and contact Angela Mircsov, director of the VCSU Gallery, with any questions.

Artwork drop off will take place Feb. 4 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. or Feb. 8 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Center for the Arts Gallery. Artwork should be ready to hang.

Chao attends linguistics conference

Shou-Ching Chao, Ph.D., professor for language and literature, attended the 2022 National Conference of Linguistic Society of America held on Jan. 6 – 7 in Washington D.C. During the conference, he chaired and moderated a two-hour hybrid session on Jan. 7 on Syntax and Semantics.

Linguistic Society of America is a learned society for the field of linguistics, working to promote the scientific study of language. Chao has been appointed as an external abstract reviewer responsible for reviewing and recommending papers to be presented at the annual conference.

Viking Sports Update

Women’s Basketball
Jan. 7: Dakota State 73, VCSU 40
Jan. 8: VCSU 76, Bellevue University 74
The VCSU women’s basketball team split a pair of conference games this past weekend, including a come-from-behind victory against Bellevue University. The Vikings are now 5-8 overall and 2-1 in conference play. 

Men’s Basketball
Friday: Dakota State 86, VCSU 78
Saturday: Bellevue University 73, VCSU 70
Valley City State’s men’s basketball team dropped its two conference games this weekend. The Vikings are now 10-6 overall and 1-2 in conference play. 

Upcoming Events
Jan. 14: WBB/MBB at Viterbo University, 5:30/7:30 p.m. (La Crosse, Wis.)
Jan. 15: Track & Field at University of Mary, 11 a.m. (Bismarck, N.D.)
Jan. 15: WBB/MBB at Waldorf University, 3/5 p.m. (Forest City, Iowa)

What's happening at VCSU and around Valley City...

Ongoing
MWF: 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. COVID Community Testing event, Rec Center (no testing Jan. 17 & Feb. 21 due to holidays)

Thursday, Jan. 13

• 12:30 – 2 p.m. Great Plains Food Bank Mobile Food Pantry, Epworth United Methodist Church
• 3:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m. Boy’s Barnes County Basketball Classic, W.E. Osmon Field House (more info at http://www.vcsuvikings.com/2022boysbct)

Friday, Jan. 14

• 3:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m. Boy’s Barnes County Basketball Classic, W.E. Osmon Field House (more info at http://www.vcsuvikings.com/2022boysbct)

Monday, Jan. 17

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day – VCSU offices closed
• 11 a.m. VCPR Cardboard Sled Races, Charlie Brown Hill (register from 10-10:50 a.m.)

Community Club meetings

• Kiwanis – Wednesdays at noon, Valley City Town & Country Club
• Optimist Club – Thursdays at 7 a.m., Vicky’s Viking Room
• Rotary Club – Tuesdays at noon, VCSU
• Sheyenne Valley Friends of Animals – 2nd Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., Our Saviors Lutheran Church
• Barnes County Wildlife Federation – 2nd Wednesday of the month
• Grief Journeys for Adults Support Group – meet virtually, call Hospice at 701-845-1781 to take part

Go to https://www.valleycitynd.org/calendar.php to see more events happening in and around Valley City.