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Hello Ole Miss parents and families,
Like our students, we’re excited about the announcement that we will offer the Fall 2021 semester as a full in-person, campus experience! Our students have really stepped up and responded admirably to the shift in class formats necessitated by the pandemic, but come the fall we will all embrace the full enthusiasm, liveliness and charm that defines life at Ole Miss and in Oxford.
While there have been many challenges, there are take-aways. We’re looking at some of the innovations and adaptations that could continue to propel us forward, like creative use of classroom space, telemental health and more robust online resources — all with the goal of how we continue to best serve our students. We know that our students have learned some real-life lessons this year about the importance of being resilient and the need to be adaptable.
We will continue to share COVID-19-related updates with you throughout the Spring semester. If you need any assistance, please feel free to reach out to Merrill at merrill@olemiss.edu.
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Update on COVID-19 guidance and protocols
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Below is a snapshot from the update shared this week about COVID-19 campus guidance and protocols in light of the new state and local orders issued this week. The university continues to take the necessary steps designed for how people interact on campus in order to protect students, faculty and staff with the goal of sustaining the lower case counts in our community through this semester.
- Requirements
- For the rest of the Spring 2021 semester, the university will require all people to wear a cloth face covering or mask in classroom settings and office settings.
- Masks continue to be required while traversing public spaces in libraries, residence halls, dining facilities, the Student Union, Campus Rec, retail spaces and other on-campus facilities.
- Recommendations
- We continue to promote good hand hygiene and distancing protocols for indoor spaces.
- In outdoor areas of campus, social distancing of at least six feet continues to be strongly recommended as well as wearing a mask when you cannot maintain distance unless the protocols for the outdoor venue differ.
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The Powder Blue’s special mental health edition
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We know the past year has been filled with constant challenges and unexpected developments for students and their families. Your student’s mental well-being is incredibly important to us, and we know it can sometimes be a tough topic to bring up. As we look forward to more widely-available vaccines and in-person activities, we are sharing a special, mental health-focused edition of The Powder Blue newsletter that students received yesterday. We hope this edition will help you learn more about mental health resources available on campus. Please let us know if you have questions or concerns, and we are happy to connect you with an expert on campus.
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Asymptomatic testing FAQs
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Student participation in asymptomatic testing will be especially important as events and activities increase so we’ve expanded asymptomatic testing to include Thursdays for the next few weeks. Please help us limit spread in the campus community by encouraging your student to sign up for an asymptomatic test periodically throughout the semester or any time they think they may have been exposed.
What are the hours? Monday-Tuesday from 1-5 p.m., Wednesday from 8:30 a.m.-12 noon and Thursday from 1-5 p.m.
Why should students do it? The more people who take asymptomatic tests, the more we can understand the positivity rate to update events policies and protect the community. Students will also receive an Ole Miss hat and be entered to win a $1,000 scholarship or AirPods.
What should students do before getting a test? Create a Sonic MyAccess account, make an appointment for walk-in asymptomatic testing by either texting “2020” to 833-991-3009 or by clicking here, fill out the intake form, and save the confirmation number.
What do students need during the test? Bring the confirmation number and an Ole Miss ID to walk-in asymptomatic testing at the University-Oxford Depot any day or time during testing hours that week.
What happens after the test? Check the Sonic MyAccess account to receive the results, which should come back within 24 hours. For questions about how to see results, visit this webpage or call 877-277-6642.
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Supporting your student academically
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Midterms are almost behind us, so you may want to check with your student to see how they feel about their progress. If they could use some extra help, encourage them to reach out to professors and tutors or tap campus resources for academic help.
Campus resources:
Parents may also create a Parent WebID, which gives you access to your student's academic information (midterm and final grades, class absences, etc.), financial notifications and other important student information. Your student must give you access through their myOleMiss account before you can create a Parent WebID. See more information here: olemiss.edu/helpdesk/parentwebid
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Vaccines are not yet available on campus, but you and your students will be made aware if students become eligible to receive a vaccine on campus during the Spring semester. If your student has a qualifying health condition, they might be eligible through the state for the vaccine now. In the meantime, please talk with your student about their plans for vaccination. We encourage you and your student to get the vaccine when you are eligible so that life can return to normal as quickly as possible!
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We now have more than 1,000 registered events scheduled for the spring semester! Not to mention Spring sports and events in downtown Oxford. And did you know that Oxford has drive-in movies each weekend? A calendar of student events on campus can be found in The Forum, including:
Ole Miss Athletics upcoming home games— Hotty Toddy!
Men’s basketball
Saturday, Mar. 6, 6 p.m. vs. Vanderbilt – senior night!
Softball
Friday, Mar. 5, 3:30 and 6 p.m. vs. Samford
Saturday, Mar. 6, 3:30 and 6 p.m. vs. North Dakota State
Sunday, Mar. 7, 12 and 2:30 p.m. vs. Indiana State
Wednesday, Mar. 10, 5 p.m. vs. South Alabama
Baseball
Friday, Mar. 5, 6:30 p.m. vs. Belmont
Saturday, Mar. 6, 1:30 p.m. vs. Belmont
Sunday, Mar. 7, 1:30 p.m. vs. Belmont
Tuesday, Mar. 9, 6:30 p.m. vs. Alcorn State
Men’s tennis
Friday, Mar. 5, 5 p.m. vs. LSU
Sunday, Mar. 7, 10:30 a.m. vs. Texas A&M
Feel free to share this letter with other family members and other parents as well. We want to make sure we are reaching all those who can benefit from being plugged into campus life. We love having you as a supportive and involved partner in fostering the success of our students — you know, you are a member of the Ole Miss family, too! For questions, comments or suggestions, please reach out to Merrill at merrill@olemiss.edu.
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Best,
Merrill Magruder
Coordinator of Family Programs
Ole Miss Family Association
Editor of the Ole Miss Family Association newsletter
Sydney DuPriest
Associate Director of Campus Communication and Engagement
Office of Marketing and Communications
Editor of the UM student newsletter, The Powder Blue
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Survey says? The Student Activities Association hosted a Family Feud game night in the Student Union.
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Be sure to check out more scenes from around campus in "This week in photos."
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