UPDATE to COVID-19
CARES Act Reports
July 13, 2020: 45-Day CARES Act Report
COMPASSION in the COVID CRISIS
Dr. Brewer’s SUMMARY of COVID-19 actions.
LINK to PPE REQUEST FORM for your hospital or clinic
Louisiana Christian University Announces Fall Semester Plans
Louisiana Christian University updates COVID-19 response
Posted March 17, 2020
PINEVILLE, La. (LCUNews)—Based on advisories from local, state, and federal health officials, Louisiana Christian University administrators have updated responses to the coronavirus COVID-19.
All public events previously scheduled for the current semester have been postponed.
The May 9 Commencement services are rescheduled for August 8 and will be held in Guinn Auditorium: one at 10 a.m. for undergraduate students and the other at 2 p.m. for graduate students. Both services will be live-streamed.
On March 30 and for the remainder of the semester, face-to-face classes will transition to online classes for remote learning. “For students without Wi-fi access, we are asking local churches to give students access to their Wi-fi,” said Louisiana Christian University President Dr. Rick Brewer.
For students who opt to remain on campus for the rest of this semester, Louisiana Christian University’s food service will remain uninterrupted. However, all cafeteria meals will be take-out. No meals will be served in the cafeteria. For the foreseeable future, LCU is discontinuing all campus food service to the local community. During the March 23-27 Spring Break, the Den and Starbucks will be closed. Subway will remain open.
The Student Success Center will be available to assist all students with online tutoring. Although public libraries are closed, Louisiana Christian University’s library remains open only for resident students and faculty Monday through Friday. LCU’s Online Writing Center remains available.
Preview Day has transitioned to a Virtual Preview Day on Friday, April 17. Students and parents will be notified how to access this online event.
All LCU employees will vacate the campus during Spring Break.
For employees whose supervisors determine are able to work remotely, telecommuting will begin March 30.
Louisiana Athletic Club is closed for two weeks and will reassess after two weeks transpire.
“All of our existing plans remain tentative given the fluidity of our national health situation and the decisions made at the local, state, and federal levels,” Brewer said. “We remain vigilant in our efforts to protect the Louisiana Christian University family as we continue to seek the best course of action through flexibility, compassion, and prayer.”
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Louisiana Christian University suspends classes;
reschedules Spring break
(posted March 13, 2020)
PINEVILLE, La. (LCUNews)—Louisiana Christian University administration will suspend in-person classes March 16 – March 20 and will observe Spring break the week of March 23 – March 27 in response to concerns regarding the Coronavirus COVID-19.
“These precautionary steps come from an abundance of caution and our concern regarding the health, well-being, and safety of our Louisiana Christian University family,” said Louisiana Christian University President Dr. Rick Brewer. “A two-week break gives our President’s Leadership Team ample time to consider inter-related campus logistics. This also enables faculty to ramp-up as we migrate to online instruction and other remote learning methods beginning March 30.”
Current online classes will continue.
Residential students may opt to remain on campus, and college food services will be available for the week of March 23, but not for Spring break, as is usual.
“Our hope is to return to face-to-face classes on April 20, but that is not a fixed decision,” Brewer said.
The College’s highly promoted Preview Day that was set for March 21 has been postponed to April 18.
“Because COVID-19 has created extremely fluid circumstances, our Team remains vigilant and flexible as this situation changes locally and nationally,” Brewer added. “We have consistently consulted resources and advisories from the Center for Disease Control and the Louisiana office of Public Health. We will continue to follow those as well as upcoming governmental directives.”
Brewer said the college is not closing but will remain in operation, thus requiring staff to report to work as usual with the exception of Spring break.
Louisiana Christian University Athletics is suspended until further notice.
“At such a time as this, our entire Louisiana Christian University family must recognize the flexibility and sacrifice required as we all help each other in these days,” Brewer said.
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Louisiana Christian University prepared for possible illness
(Posted March 5, 2020)
by Norm Miller
PINEVILLE, La. (LCUNews)—Louisiana Christian University administrators implemented proactive and reactive measures March 3 in anticipation of a possible outbreak of the Corona Virus on campus.
“The first consideration is to maintain the proper perspective with an understanding of the risks involved,” said President of Louisiana Christian University Dr. Rick Brewer. “While we advise the maintenance of a calm approach, the measures we have implemented and are prepared to implement are based on information from the Center for Disease Control and the Louisiana office of Public Health.”
Additional hand sanitizers will be installed in classrooms on Monday, March 16. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to always carry a bottle of hand sanitizer.
The President’s Leadership Team and Louisiana Christian University’s Academic Council are monitoring the situation closely and are prepared to launch the College’s Continuity of Operations Plan that facilitates the bulk of academic work to be completed online should the need arise to discontinue face-to-face classroom instruction.
Please see www.lcuniversity.edu for pertinent updates.
An email to the entire faculty, staff, and student body sent March 3 relayed public health information and details in this news release. Also, detailed informational flyers and/or posters regarding preventative and responsive measures have been distributed to every student’s room in residence halls and are displayed in classrooms. Professors will emphasize this information several times in class.
David HoLCUombe, MD, MSA, is the Regional Administrator and Medical Director for the office of Public Health for our state. He will address the entire Louisiana Christian University family on campus at his earliest convenience.
All campus residents have been advised to wash their hands often, and Louisiana Christian University will soon have bottles of hand sanitizer in every classroom to augment the hand sanitizing stations strategically located on campus.
Louisiana Christian University’s Health Center notes that only a few cases of the common cold have been reported, and persons with such symptoms are immediately advised to visit an urgent care clinic or their personal doctor.
In a statement released by Louisiana Christian University’s food service vendor, Sodexo stated:
In light of the recent escalation in the Covid-19 situation in a number of countries, Sodexo is coordinating globally to manage its business continuity and pandemic plans to support and protect its employees and consumers across all of its geographies.
The health and safety of Sodexo employees and consumers is our utmost priority.
Sodexo reinforced our existing rules for food safety, personal hygiene and infection control which will minimise the risk of this, or any other virus, spreading. Sodexo is also restricting all non-essential international business travel until further notice. This action is being taken as a precaution.
Local teams have been proactively managing the response with our clients since the outbreak was first announced, ensuring business continuity and the safety of the teams and consumers in the various geographies where we operate.
As the situation is an evolving one, Sodexo teams are adhering to guidelines of health advisories and local authorities and will continue to closely monitor the situation.
Locally, Sodexo has assured Louisiana Christian University administration that a two-week supply of food will be maintained in the unlikely event of a quarantine situation. Relative to this, Louisiana Christian University has a Continuing Operations Plan that utilizes technology to continue all classes online if necessary.
Storer Services provides maintenance and janitorial services to Louisiana Christian University. Storer has advised Louisiana Christian University administration of the steps underway regarding COVID-19:
[Storer’s] multi-surface cleaning chemical and disinfectant is Virex by Diversey. It is the chemical of choice for all cleaning purposes, from schools to hospitals. The unique chemical design protects against a broad spectrum of germs, bacteria, and viruses. We disinfect all frequently touched surfaces daily, however with your request, we will pay particular attention to the following areas:
– Doors, door knobs, and handles
– Light switches
– All bathroom surfaces
– Desks and table surfaces
– Chair frames
– Counters and ledges
– Drinking fountains
Our staff has been trained on the proper usage and application of this product and will address these areas daily.
“We have taken all reasonable steps to ensure that our entire Louisiana Christian University family has been advised and is prepared regarding COVID-19,” Brewer said. “We will maintain such vigilance until informed otherwise by the public health officials. And to help avoid the possible spread of germs, I have asked everyone on campus to greet each other with fist bumps only.”
While some media are over-emphasizing this illness, Brewer said, “If an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, then Louisiana Christian University will always err on the side of caution when the safety, health, and well-being of campus inhabitants are concerned.”
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Posted March 5, 2020