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Virtual Town Hall sessions prepare students and faculty for reopening of campuses

By Diana Fedinec and Suzanne Gibson

Town HallIn preparation for the reopening of its Macon Cove and Union Avenue campuses July 8, 2020, Southwest Tennessee Community College held two virtual, back-to-back Town Hall forums for faculty and students July 7 via Microsoft Teams.

The forums were moderated by Cynthia Graham, vice president of External Relations, and questions were answered by Dr. Kendricks Hooker, vice president of Academic Affairs and Jacqueline Faulkner, vice president of Student Affairs.  Several hundred students and faculty members tuned in to learn the most up-to-date information about plans for the summer and fall semesters.  

Faulkner and Hooker shared highlights of the College’s Back to Campus Plan -  Phase I and how their divisions are supporting students throughout the pandemic and beyond.  Faulkner said her seventeen departments serve students from connection through completion.  “We are considered a co-curricula support to the academic affairs unit,” Faulkner said. “We offer the supports, resources and services that help students be successful in their classes and accomplish their academic goals.” During the forums, she emphasized the critically important and mandatory role advising plays in keeping students on track to finish their courses. 

Hooker outlined several modalities of learning during the forums, and said his office considered every possible realistic scenario to determine the safest delivery of courses for students and faculty. “As we transition back to campus, the health and safety of students and faculty has been at the forefront of every decision made,” Hooker said. “With this in mind, every person must first fill out and pass an online Campus Access Health Assessment before entering campus, pass a temperature check upon arrival that cannot register higher than 100.6 degrees and agree to wear a facemask and gloves while on campus.”

They both covered a wide range of topics including the following:

Before concluding each forum, Graham shared additional resources with the participants including the College’s Back to Campus Plan website,  two new videos illustrating how to access the Macon Cove and Union Avenue campuses and a Campus Access Tips sheet.