Lee prepares to move online, more local updates
Photo by Taylor Baker.
Lee announces livestreams to keep students informed
In a Monday morning email, Dr. Jayson VanHook, Vice President for Information and Marketing, announced several upcoming livestream opportunities for students to receive updated information, ask questions and gather virtually.
“As you know, we have been busy over the last week preparing to hold classes virtually using Zoom and Moodle,” VanHook said. “ … we want to stay connected to you through a full slate of virtual events and activities. You can join us on Lee’s Facebook and Instagram pages, or through Livestream for most of these.”
The livestream schedule is as follows:
Conversation with President Conn – Tuesday, March 17 at 10:40 a.m.
What to Expect in Zoom – Wednesday, March 18 at 2 p.m.
Chapel – Thursday, March 19 at 10:40 a.m.
Small Group – Thursday, March 19 at 10 p.m.
Lee Live! – Friday, March 20 at 2:00 p.m.
On Friday, March 13, Dr. Conn sent out an email containing a video message for students, noting the work faculty and staff are doing to ensure online classes go smoothly. Within the video, Dr. Conn addresses the coronavirus pandemic, saying, “this too shall pass.”
“There’s a whole big bunch of people here, faculty and administrators like me, that are working really hard to help overcome these problems,” Conn said. “It’s a pretty scary episode in our national and global history, but we know God has his hand on us and we know this too shall pass.”
Advanced class selection continues as scheduled
Lee’s Advanced Class Selection (ACS) will continue as scheduled during the extended break. Registrar Erin Looney spoke to faculty in a meeting Monday, giving them pointers on how to complete advising with students in preparing for ACS.
The ACS schedule is as follows:
Seniors (90+ hours) March 17-18
Juniors (60-89 hours) March 19-20
Sophomores (30-59 hours) March 23-25
Freshmen (0-29 hours) March 26-31
Governor Lee urges statewide school closure
On Monday, March 16 Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee issued a statement, urging the state’s public schools to close “as soon as practically possible.”
Although Lee’s office does not hold the power to force school closures, many local authorities have announced the consideration of extended closures.
"Superintendents and local leadership have the full support of my administration to determine effective dates for closure this week as they evaluate what is best for families within their respective districts," Gov. Lee said.
Director of Cleveland City Schools Dr. Russell Dyer provides important updates to the community on the coronavirus.
Bradley County and Cleveland City Schools recently announced they will remain closed until March 31 at the request of Gov. Lee.
“As the response to COVID-19 evolves, I urge every school district in Tennessee to close as soon as practically possible, with all schools expected to close by Friday, March 20, 2020 at the latest,” Gov. Lee said. “Schools should remain closed through March 31, 2020 to further mitigate the spread of this infectious disease and we will issue further guidance prior to March 31.”
Tennessee brothers donate stockpiled sanitizer
Matthew and Noah Colvin of Hixon, Tennessee have donated sanitizing supplies after an article in the New York Times revealed they stockpiled more than 17,000 bottles of hand sanitizer in addition to sanitizing wipes and medical masks. The brothers make a living reselling items on Amazon but were left with a surplus after Amazon pulled their items from listings to cut down on price gouging.
The Attorney General’s Office ordered them to stop stockpiling and selling medical goods while an investigation into alleged price gouging is underway.
“We will not tolerate price gouging in this time of exceptional need, and we will take aggressive action to stop it,” Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III said in a statement released Saturday.
For immediate questions, email pconn@leeuniversity.edu or Dr. Murray at debmurray@leeuniversity.edu. For ongoing updates, follow @LeeClarion on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
