Hotline 8.17.20
This week’s Hotline! includes the following articles:
• Welcome Week
• COVID-19 testing on campus Thursday
• Baughman attends APA virtual conference
• VanHorn presents in Iowa Communication Association speaker series
• Website updates
• Face coverings on campus
• Free Care19 Alert app available
• Coronavirus updates
• What’s happening at VCSU and around Valley City…
The VCSU Hotline! online newsletter is published weekly during the academic year. Deadline to submit articles (photos encouraged) is 3 p.m. Friday.
Welcome Week
Welcome back all! The Welcome Week schedule can be found here: Welcome Week 2020 schedule.
A few highlights:
• New employee onboarding begins today, Monday, Aug. 17. This is for all new employees hired since Sept. 1, 2019.
• On Tuesday morning, Aug. 18, all employees should plan to attend the Welcome Back convocation at 8:30 a.m. and the special keynote speaker at 10:30 a.m.
• On Tuesday, Aug. 18, an all-employee picnic will be held on the front lawn at noon. Appropriate physical distancing is expected. RSVP to the calendar invite you’ve received by 1 p.m. today (Monday, Aug. 17).
• Classrooms have technology upgrades; see the schedule for when your area’s demonstration is scheduled.
• A change this year: Freshman move-in day will take place this Thursday, Aug. 20.
COVID-19 testing on campus Thursday
A free COVID-19 testing event for VCSU students and employees will be held Thursday, Aug. 20, from 2-3:30 p.m. on campus at the West Fieldhouse Parking Lot. Walk-ups are welcome, but preregistration at testreg.nd.gov is strongly encouraged.
Another testing event for VCSU students and employees will be held in the same location on Tuesday, Aug. 25, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
In addition to these dates, City County Health District in Valley City offers free testing every Wednesday from 4:30-5:30 p.m. by appointment only. Call 845-8518 to schedule an appointment.
Baughman attends APA virtual conference
Kiersten Baughman, Ph.D., associate professor of social science, attended the American Psychological Association’s first-ever virtual conference Aug. 6-8.
Two standout sessions in Baughman’s estimation were a Q&A with the APA president about the state of the field and a main stage event on the science of racism. Both sessions identified simple, yet elegant, ways for instructors to teach psychology in an inclusive, safe environment sensitive to current national and global events.
Baughman will use the talks to inform all of her teaching but in particular when she teaches about culture, attitudes, prejudice and discrimination in social psychology.
VanHorn presents in Iowa Communication Association speaker series
Shannon VanHorn, Ph.D., professor of communication, presented “Hybrid, Hyflex, Online: Meeting the Challenges Head On” on Aug. 13 as part of the Iowa Communication Association Digital Speakers Series. Through Zoom, VanHorn discussed tips and resources available for online and hyflex courses, as well as led conversation on these topics.
This is the second of their series, open to all (members and non-members alike), through Zoom. Discussion was robust as attendees also shared ideas and resources.
VanHorn is National Communication Association executive committee member and serves as chair of the NCA Teaching and Learning Council.
Website updates
VCSU’s new websites were launched on July 13, 2020. The main www.vcsu.edu site is intended for prospective students and families, while the new my.vcsu.edu site is intended for internal audiences, namely current students and employees.
To request changes, updates, or additions to either of these sites, please use the Website Update OneStop form (requires login).
If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to Carolyn Holen, Tyler Tufte, or Greg Vanney.
Free Care19 Alert app available
A free smartphone app, Care19 Alert, is available to help stop the spread of COVID-19 by notifying users of possible COVID-19 exposure while protecting their privacy with technology developed by Apple and Google.
Care19 Alert uses Bluetooth proximity technology provided by both Apple and Google notification systems. The app provides proactive alerts and notifications to users based on anonymous keys exchanged between smartphones as users go about their daily activities.
Care19 Alert users will be notified if their device was in proximity of another device whose user tests positive for COVID-19. The app updates daily with positive COVID-19 results submitted by other users, which are then checked against the list of random keys that each device has encountered for more than 15 minutes in the last 14 days.
People who use Care19 Alert must explicitly choose to turn on exposure notifications, and they can turn off the app at any time. The Apple-Google Notification System utilized by the app does not collect, use or store any device location, including for users who report positive results.
Users have the option to decide whether to report a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, and identities are not known to Apple, Google or other app users. The system is only used for exposure notifications by official public health authorities and is not monetized.
North Dakota-based ProudCrowd LLC developed Care19 Alert in partnership with the North Dakota Department of Health using federal funding. The free app is available to download through the App Store and the Google Play Store.
Care19 Alert is the first exposure notification app to connect with the National Key Server provided by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL). Use of this server allows different states’ apps to communicate with each other, protecting North Dakotans when they are traveling across state borders or when others are visiting North Dakota and subsequently become COVID-19 positive.
For more information, visit ndresponse.gov/covid-19-resources/care19.
Face coverings on campus
A reminder that all students, staff, faculty, affiliates and campus visitors are required to wear face coverings when interacting with others on the VCSU campus. The VCSU Safe Operating Procedures regarding face coverings can be found at onestop.vcsu.edu/support/solutions/articles/10000052289-cornavirus-employee-information.
Coronavirus updates
Campus coronavirus updates can be found at www.vcsu.edu/coronavirus-information. Here you can find updates with news of positives cases within the campus community, along with information regarding impact to campus activities and facilities. This information will be updated regularly as needed.
There is also a host of resources with detailed information for employees and students on OneStop at onestop.vcsu.edu/support/solutions/folders/10000082374.
What’s happening at VCSU and around Valley City…
Monday, August 17
Faculty contracts begin
New employee onboarding
4-6 p.m. Farmers Market, Rosebud Visitor Center Parking Lot
Tuesday, August 18
8:30 a.m. Welcome Back Convocation
10:30 a.m. Welcome Back Keynote Speaker
noon All-Employee Picnic
Wednesday, August 19
7:15 p.m. Music in the Park: Kroshus & Krew
Thursday, August 20
Freshman Move-In Day
11 a.m.- 1 p.m. Welcome students and families with hot dog lunch
4-6 p.m. Farmers Market, Rosebud Visitor Center Parking Lot
6-9 p.m. Summer Nights on Central with music by Tripwire
Friday, August 21
4 p.m. North Dakota Winter Show Fun Night Horse Show and Market
5 p.m. Marketplace Picnic, McFarland Front Lawn
Saturday, August 22
Sunday, August 23
Monday, August 24
4-6 p.m. Farmers Market, Rosebud Visitor Center Parking Lot
Tuesday, August 25
Wednesday, August 26
Thursday, August 27
4-6 p.m. Farmers Market, Rosebud Visitor Center Parking Lot
6-9 p.m. Summer Nights on Central with music by Slamabama
Friday, August 28
Saturday, August 29
Sunday, August 30
Visit www.valleycitynd.org/calendar.php to see more events happening in and around Valley City.