Bethel College anticipates the vaccine

ARTHUR MAHRER Staff Writer

The initial distribution of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. and internationally leads students to wonder when the COVID-19 vaccine could reach Bethel College. The vaccine would gradually put an end to the limitations and mental pressures of Zoom classes, as well as the color-coded status that governs the health of Bethel’s campus and constant monitoring from the Campus Clear App.

On a national and international stage, the vaccine has introduced a discussion about the reliability and safety of its injections. A potential rollout date for the vaccine on Bethel Campus would impact future planning and class scheduling, as well as set a gradual return to a long lost normal without masks. In light of this, there are still numerous considerations that would make the long-awaited return of a normal not as easy as expected.

“I have no idea when Bethel will get the vaccine, even so college students do not fall under the initial wave of the vaccination process,” Sam Haynes, vice president for student life and dean of students, said. Even though there are currently few positive COVID-19 cases on Bethel’s campus and it is currently in green status, members of the Infectious Disease Management Team (IDMT) remain unsure of a potential roll-out period for either vaccine on campus.

“The distribution of a vaccine on Bethel’s campus is directly related to Kansas State Department of Health policies on how the vaccine should be distributed statewide, therefore, there is no clear picture of when the vaccine will be available for distribution at Bethel,” Geri Tyrell, director of the department of nursing, said

Any expectations for a COVID-19 vaccine to reach Bethel’s campus are unclear, much like any estimation regarding the grand exit of the COVID-19 from the face of the Earth. In addition to this, for Bethel to even truly consider a roll-out date for the vaccine, signs of herd immunity and of recovery should be shown on a national and international level. With that information, Bethel could effectively start planning for a mass vaccination of the campus population.

Thus, before the longawaited cure arrives for Bethel students, there will need to be adjustment on a global scale combined with a reversal of the death toll in the U.S. and abroad. In the meantime, one can assume that masks, six feet spacing among individuals, the newly implemented randomized testing of students and the social distancing guidelines will remain status quo for Bethel’s population. With the adherence and resilience of the Bethel community to these restrictions, the responsive community be heralded as a sign of good news on the horizons.

PHASE ONE

• Healthcare personnel • Long-term care residents and sta

PHASE TWO PHASE THREE

• Frontline essential • People aged 65-74 workers - re ghters, years police o cers, USPS workers, grocery store workers, education • People aged 16-64 years with underlying workers, etc. medical conditions • People age 75+ • Other essential workers - food service, housing, law, media, public safety, etc. *Phases may overlap. Information sourced from cdc.gov

Career technology introduced on campus preps students

BETHANY POWLS Editor-in-Chief

For the Spring semester, it is likely that students have had to deal with the introduction of a few new technological additions. In order to make a few operations occur more smoothly in a virtual format, the system for which students turn in on-campus work hours and the new resource for career searching have become hot-topics on Bethel’s campus.

ADP or Automatic Data Processing, Inc., is now the format through which on-campus employees submit hours. Each student has an account for their on-campus job and logs in whenever they work. In order to record hours, they simply click a ‘clock-in’ button when they begin, and a ‘clock-out’ button when they finish.

“The reason we made the switch to ADP from our current payroll system is that this system is web based and more automated for all users. Students have been asking for years for a system where they could clock in and out on their phones. Even though it may be a little complicated if a student has more than one job, ADP does allow for that and eliminates the need for paper time sheets. It also requires employees to clock in and out when they are working, therefore not allowing an employee to complete their entire time sheet at the end of the month which was happening in many cases,” Gregg Dick, controller and head Men’s Golf coach, said.

ADP may prove more convenient in the long run for campus users who prefer to forgo time sheets.

“One additional important advantage with this system is that supervisors are now required to log into the system and electronically approve the hours of their employees. They can look at the time sheets daily which allows them more oversight of the hours worked by their employees. It also makes the approval process at the end of the pay period much more efficient,” Dick said.

However, students and staff alike have reported setbacks to the new system.

“The biggest [challenge] is the creativity and manipulation of the system that was needed to make it work for students working multiple jobs in different departments. Also when you convert data from one system to another there always seem to be a few things that don’t convert quite right. We know there are still questions on how various things work, but appreciate the patience everyone has shown as we have made the transition and welcome questions,” Dick said.

In addition to a new system for payroll, Megan Kershner, director of Career and Leadership Development, recently introduced Handshake, a virtual, nationwide job and internship board.

“Initially, I was interested in bringing Handshake to campus because of the platform’s ability to host virtual events. I knew I wanted to continue with our annual career fair and also ensure that it would be safe for students and organizations who wanted to participate. After meeting with the Handshake sales representative, I was able to see all the valuable tools Handshake could offer our students. It is now a nice, one-stop-shop for anything career-related,” Kershner said.

The goal is to provide more career-related opportunities and resources for students and to make those resources accessible.

“Students can check out opportunities all over the United States, as opposed to just the local job opportunities I would get through emails. It also serves as our internal studentemployment job board… students can see and apply for campus jobs much easier. Students can now have easy access to careerrelated resources that come out of my office and they can easily set up an appointment with me. Students can download the Handshake app on their Apple or Android device and have all these tools and resources wherever they go. Additionally, this platform is really geared towards early employment, so young alumni are encouraged to use this platform as well,” Kershner said.

Students are encouraged to set up their profile on Handshake at their earliest convenience in order to make future job-search ventures easier.

“I can see that 27.5% of our campus has activated their accounts. Of those students, 33% have completed their profile. While I would like to see these numbers much higher, I am not disappointed. Enthusiasm with this tool will only grow as students experience all it has to offer,” Kershner said.