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WCU, community colleges adjust plans ahead of virus
March 18-24, 2020 Smoky Mountain News news 13 WCU, community colleges adjust plans ahead of COVID-19 BY HOLLY KAYS S TAFF WRITER S tudents at Western North Carolina’s institutions of higher learning will see impacts to their spring semester experiences as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic. WESTERN CAROLINA U NIVERSITY
Western Carolina University students will be learning remotely until further notice, and all gatherings have been canceled following a decision the University of North Carolina System announced March 11.
Spring break began last week, and that break was extended one week to last through Monday, March 23. The extension aims to give faculty time to transition from in-person teaching to distance learning so that students won’t have to gather for face-to-face classes. This new regimen will begin on March 23 and continue indefinitely.
From March 18 to April 30, gatherings of 50 or more people will banned, and gatherings of more than 10 people will require supervisor approval. A decision regarding commencement ceremonies will be forthcoming. Interim UNC System President Bill Roper has directed that all UNC System institutions recall students who are studying abroad and suspend any study abroad programs scheduled to start between now and July 1. All visits to health services, counseling or psychological services at the Bird Building will be by scheduled appointment only, and providers in the Bird Building may ask screening questions before an appointment is confirmed.
Effective Wednesday, March 18, students who live on campus will be required to vacate unless the university grants an exception. Details on exceptions were still forthcoming as of press time.
Regarding cleaning and sanitation, residence hall staff have been reviewing housekeeping practices, staff are participating in additional training and normal cleaning routines will be reviewed and updated.
Regarding dining, frequency of surface and utensil cleaning has increased, and a deep cleaning of all facilities will be conducted during the extended spring break. Additional cleaning supplies have been ordered. Only takeout service will be offered. WCU’s Cat Tran service continues to run, but the shuttles will be wiped down regularly with cleaning supplies in compliance with Centers for Disease Control recommendations. Roper, a physician who once served as director of the Centers for Disease Control, said in a video released March 12 that he has been working closely with a small group of university administrators and public health experts to help craft an informed approach to the pandemic.
“I recognize that these are challenging times,” Brown wrote in a March 15 update. “It is our civic duty to do everything that we can to help limit and mitigate the transmission of and exposure to the coronavirus illness. Thank you for your role in helping safeguard the health of our campus community and for your patience as we deal with this global health crisis.”
WCU will post updates at www.wcu.edu/coronavirus/index.aspx. SOUTHWESTERN C OMMUNITY COLLEGE Southwestern Community College announced at 5 p.m. Thursday that it would extend spring break for one week, with instruction resuming March 23 for seatbased classes.
The delay will allow faculty to transition to remote instruction, with makeup dates for most labs to be scheduled later in the semester. Online classes, clinicals and work-based learning assignments continued as scheduled on Monday, March 16.
All SCC campuses and locations will remain open and operational during this time, though events with 10 or more people are cancelled immediately until further notice. Café 64 is closed until further notice, and all Student Life and Career Services events have been cancelled through April 3. Decisions regarding commencement, awards, pinning ceremonies and other events will be announced after April 3.
Employees will be allowed only essential travel for clinicals or instructional purposes. Housekeeping and facilities services employees have been expanding their efforts, taking advantage of the quiet days of spring break to thoroughly disinfect hightouch services, said Public Relations Director Tyler Goode.
SCC will post updates at www.southwesterncc.edu/news/college-update-regardingcoronavirus. HAYWOOD C OMMUNITY COLLEGE HCC moved its spring break forward to take place March 16-20 rather than in April as planned. Instruction will resume Monday, March 23, with all seated curriculum classes taught online. However, the campus will remain open at this time.
The college has established a Response Team to meet on a regular basis and provide direction and support as the pandemic unfolds. The eight-member team includes President Shelley White, Vice President of Business and Finance Karen Denney, Director of Communications Michelle Harris, Vice President of Instruction Wendy Hines, Vice President of Student Services Michael Coleman, Director of Campus Development Brek Lanning, Director of Human Resources Marsha Stines and Director of Information Technology George Rolland.
Out-of-state, college-related travel is cancelled for both students and employees. Instate travel requests will be reviewed and approved by White on a case-by-case basis, and teleconferencing is encouraged as an alternative to travel. All events with 100 or more people are canceled or postponed for the next 30 days, including Open House, Celebration of Giving/Scholarship Luncheon and Grad Day. All community group use of HCC buildings is cancelled through March.
HCC is working with its custodial provider to take increased cleanliness measures on campus.
Updates will be posted at www.haywood.edu/security-andsafety/coronavirus. Harrah’s announces two-week closure BY HOLLY KAYS S TAFF WRITER For the first time in its 23-year history, Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos is closed.
The announcement came on Monday, March 16, three days after President Donald Trump’s March 13 declaration of a national emergency and five days after the World Health Organization’s March 11 declaration of a global pandemic in response to the worldwide proliferation of COVID-19.
“This has been an evolving situation that we monitored closely,” said Brian Saunooke, regional vice president for marketing at Harrah’s. “The decision to close was a precautionary measure, to ensure the safety of our employees, guests and local communities.”
The casinos in Cherokee and Murphy closed at 6 a.m. Wednesday, March 18, following announcement of its intentions at 2 p.m. Monday. When asked about the reasoning behind the lapse between the announcement and the actual closure, Saunooke reiterated that the closure overall is a precautionary measure, as no cases have been reported in the casinos at this time, or in any of the counties surrounding them. The casino is not aware of any guests or employees who have been tested for the virus, he said.
“This was a precautionary response. We have already begun the process of closing parts of the operation,” he said in a statement Monday night.
The closure will last for two weeks. Employees will continue to receive pay and benefits during that time.
Caesars Entertainment, of which Harrah’s is a part, has appointed a senior management team to meet daily and make decisions about how best to manage the situation. The company has implemented enhanced cleaning and sanitizing protocols throughout its facilities based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control.
The casino’s closure came on the heels of a series of cancellations and changes in response to the unfolding pandemic. It began with cancellation of the Sebastian Maniscalco show slated for March 13 and escalated with the March 15 closure of the Chefs Stage Buffet. The April World Series of Poker Circus events have been cancelled.
Harrah’s is not alone. Casinos currently operate in 41 of the 50 states. In 28 of those 41, all or some of the casinos are currently closed, according to the latest update from CDC Gaming Reports as of press time. That organization is unrelated to the Centers for Disease Control. The closure is extremely significant, as casino revenues account for the bulk of the tribal budget, as well as for per capita payments issued to tribal members twice per year. The casino does not publicly disclose its profits or revenues, but it’s safe to say that it’s responsible for providing tribal members and tribal government with hundreds of millions of dollars each year. In 2018, the tribe paid out nearly $200 million in per capita checks to tribal members.
The casino has never closed before, though on its opening night in 1997 operations did pause for two hours. Guests were still allowed on the property at that time, however.