Tag: April20

Information as of December 2021

General Details

• Employees who are at a higher risk for COVID-19 based on risk factors identified by the CDC should discuss their concerns with their supervisor. If additional accommodation is needed, they should discuss these concerns and possible accommodations with the University’s ADA coordinator.
• Whenever possible, meetings should continue to be virtual. When meetings must be in-person, designate a space for such purpose.
• Continue physical distancing and use of protective equipment.
• Continue closure of areas where people congregate.
• Face coverings are not required in University facilities, but remain strongly encouraged in instructional areas (classrooms, instructional labs) and research labs.
• Anyone who wants to wear a face-covering regardless of their vaccination status is welcome to do so.
• No quarantine following known exposure for fully vaccinated individuals.
• Current recommendations for physical distancing in University facilities remain in place.
  Events and large gatherings must continue to go through University protocols for approval.

Extension Offices

• Notify county government partners that the facility has reopened to the public.
• Transfer main office lines back to office phones.
• Post public health notices on all publicly accessible entrances.
• Prepare sampling areas to mitigate personal contact with the public.
• Create physical separation between all publicly accessible areas of the office and those intended to be accessed by staff only.
• Make hand sanitizer available at all entrances.
• Make supplies including, but not limited to, disinfectant wipes, disposable towels, disinfectant solution, etc. available in all commonly used areas of the office facility.
• Update sampling information on county websites and social media outlets only after the office has been deemed safely accessible to the public.
• Consider maintaining a long-term soil drop-off-only process that limits in-office interactions with the public.
• Consider delineating physical separation with marks on the floor in open spaces accessible to the public.

Extension Volunteers

Clemson Extension volunteers may return to in-person service in Stage – Yellow provided ALL the following conditions are met:

• The program-leading Extension Agent and any applicable third party or property have approved the volunteer activity.
• The volunteer follows appropriate CDC guidelines.
• Adults that have routine interaction with youth must abide by Clemson University Youth Protection Policy and Operating Standards.
• General guidance for returning to in-person volunteer service includes:
• Remain at home if you or anyone in your household is not feeling well or has a fever.
• High-risk individuals and those with significant underlying medical conditions are strongly encouraged to stay at home and take measures to limit exposure.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Try to work independently, keeping 6 feet or more apart from others.
• Frequently clean high‐touch surfaces including your cellphone/tablet, door handles, restroom surfaces, handrails, tools, etc.
• Refrain from using shared office equipment when possible. If it is necessary to use other’s equipment, sanitize between each user.

Guidance for Outdoor Service

• People should be spaced apart 6 feet or more.
• Individuals may work independently, keeping 6 feet or more apart from others in the garden.
• When possible, use your own gardening tools and equipment; shared tools and equipment should be cleaned after each use.

Communication Regarding Attendance at Educational Events

• Advise participants in advance that if they have any symptoms or feel unwell, they should not attend.

Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer.

My name is Kristi Bussell and I’m a mental health educator for student health services. My office recently started an online program called Wellness Wednesdays (WW). The purpose of WW is to provide students, faculty, and staff information on how to take care of their wellbeing during COVID-19. Additionally, it provides an opportunity for folks to come together – vital during this season of social distancing.

What: Weekly Wellness series where we’ll discuss how to take care of our well-being during COVID-19
When: Wednesdays, 10am – 10:30am
Where: https://clemson.zoom.us/j/345660746
Password: email Kristi Bussell at kbussel@clemson.edu to get the password!

Also, follow @TigersTogether_ and @clemsonhealthycampus on IG for regular updates!
—
Kristi E. Bussell, MPH
Assistant Director for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Initiatives
Student Health Services
Clemson University
864-656-2038

EMERGENCY/IN CRISIS/AFTER-HOURS CARE
If you or someone you know is at immediate risk of harm to self or others, contact emergency services and get help – call 911 or the Clemson University Police Department at 864-656-2222.

To reach Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) during business hours, call 864-656-2451.

For after-hours psychological emergencies, a CAPS on-call counselor can be reached through CUPD at 864-656-2222.

For help that can be accessed anywhere, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Zoom Information

Zoom is now licensed for all Clemson employees.
To access a licensed account, login in through clemson.zoom.us

Learn more about Zoom meeting best practices and tips.
https://blogs.clemson.edu/online/2020/04/03/zoom-meeting-best-practices-and-tips/

List of IT Resources

Information about all of the tools for working remotely have been compiled for employees.
https://ccit.clemson.edu/working-remotely/

Scanning Tool

If you do not have access to a scanner, you can scan from home with the Adobe Scan app to share paper documents with others. The Adobe Scan app easily captures documents and converts them to PDF right in your phone. It is included with our Adobe license. Just download the app and sign in.

Option 1: Scan documents using Adobe Scan on your phone (easiest option)

1. Download Adobe Scan from your device’s app store.
2. Launch the application and at the bottom of the screen, click “Sign In or Sign Up”.
3. Type in Clemson email address and it should take you to Single Sign On for Clemson.
4. Allow access to your phone’s camera.
5. The software will begin to detect the edges of the page, which you can adjust with your finger.
6. Take picture when ready and then tap the image it saves.
   • To eliminate shadows, make sure your light source is in front of you and your phone, not directly above or behind (think of how the sun creates shadows).
7. You can crop, rotate, or make other visual adjustments.
8. Give the file a relevant name by clicking the pencil icon and then click save.
   • Adobe Scan automatically recognizes the text in the image to make it text searchable.

If you need any assistance with IT needs, please contact your statewide District IT consultant or the helpdesk: ithelp@clemson.edu, 864.656.3494.

Are you thinking about submitting a publication to Land-Grant Press? The “How to Submit to Land-Grant Press” webinar will guide participants through the process of preparing and submitting a publication.

THURSDAY, APRIL 30 / 1 – 1:30 p.m.

ZOOM Link:
https://clemson.zoom.us/j/91859993288?pwd=bXkxOHFxamE5cnJvc1ZkdWFMUStwdz09

Registration Link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-submit-to-land-grant-press-webinar-tickets-103697624386
(Registration is not mandatory but is encouraged)

Topics will include

• Writing support for first-time authors
• Co-authoring opportunities
• Author resources
• Land-Grant Press materials and websites
• Peer-review process
• Reporting impact

Additional time will be provided for an open participant discussion period after the instruction time. The webinar will be recorded for those who are not able to participate in the live session.

Land-Grant Press publications can be written for all audience levels – not only for scientists and academics but for rural farmers, Extension agents (internal and external to Clemson), and readers who are at a ‘beginner level’ of your subject matter. The publishing process has been developed to provide the support that even first-time authors may need.

Instructor: Dawn Anticole White, Land-Grant Press Managing Editor
dawnw@clemson.edu, (843) 364-5015

Land-Grant Press publications are written by Clemson Extension personnel and university scientists for professional and academic audiences, as well as owners and managers of livestock, horses, and land. Visit lgpress.clemson.edu to find out what 50 of your colleagues have already published.

• See a list of authors by program team publications (some authors are on other teams)
• Sign up for the monthly e-letter to be notified about new publications

Team records are most often used to report a program or workshop, but they can also be used to report media activities. Beneficial functions of a team record include preventing agents from over-reporting data and the duplication of records.

When a program or workshop is conducted, the organizers or administrators should decide who will be responsible for reporting the activities performed during the program or workshop. The agent responsible for creating the record in CUMIS will add each of the organizers or administrators under the Team tab. Without adding each of the participants the records will not show up in a user’s CUMIS records.

When there are multiple contributors to an article or multiple administrators on a Facebook page, a team record is best used to capture the data. The process is mostly the same, but it is important to capture the reach of your Facebook content. The attached flyer provides in-depth information on how to measure the reach of your Facebook content.

If you have any CUMIS questions, please contact the CUMIS Administrator, Becca Thompson at rthomp7@clemson.edu. Becca offers one-on-one zoom sessions and group training sessions.

Contributing Author: Becca Thompson, Clemson Extension, CUMIS Administrator

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, all in-person, 4-H club meetings have been canceled until further notice. To meet the needs of the community and continue the 4-H programs already established, 4-H started offering virtual 4-H Clubs.

Seven clubs with over 150 children in Saluda County 4-H would be missing new opportunities that would allow them to interact with others and grow as individuals. With a desire to reach out to her 4-H’ers, Mrs. Lauren Black-Venegas, Saluda County 4-H Agent, compiled information using her March club materials and lessons to continue the monthly meetings. She emailed each club contact and created Facebook groups to continue the communication of activities and materials. Packets were created for each 4-H’er containing the materials needed for the project topic of the upcoming club meeting. Parents were invited to pick up their child’s packet from a storage container outside of the Extension office and fill out a sign-out sheet to record the participants, and packets were also delivered to homes if they could not be picked up.

Lauren created two videos for the club lesson in case some 4-H’ers did not have the capability to join in on the Zoom meeting. In one video she demonstrated the lesson activity, and in the other, she read a book about the lesson. Images of instructions, activities, and supplies, along with the two videos and the Zoom invitation link were shared the night before each club meeting. The format of the virtual 4-H club meeting was consistent with an in-person meeting. The meeting was called to order with roll call and the pledges, and there was a hands-on learning activity followed by discussion and reflection.

To date, Lauren has coordinated four virtual 4-H club meetings that have engaged 95 children, and 75% obtained the packets for their club meeting and over 45% participated in the virtual 4-H club meeting hosted via Zoom. It was important to Lauren that the 4-H’ers in Saluda County maintain an opportunity to grow and learn during this difficult time. Upon the conclusion of the March 2020 virtual 4-H club meetings, Lauren sought feedback from parents to assess potential improvements for April, including a time change that would be more conducive to participation. Saluda County 4-H and other Extension personnel across the state are working hard to “make the best better”, even in the midst of this unprecedented situation.

Contact lblack4@clemson.edu if you have any questions or would like additional information about the 4-H Virtual Club program.

Submitted by: Lauren Black-Venegas
Saluda County 4-H Agent

Our Rural Health and Nutrition (RHN) Extension Agents in Lee, Hampton, and Marion Counties are working on Policy, System, and Environment initiatives to fight obesity. Prior to and during this COVID-19 crisis, getting healthy foods into local food pantries has been a way to provide healthy eating options for food-insecure individuals.

The RHN agents in Lee county who are working on the CDC grant project are coordinating partnerships through Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church and SC Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare to bring “Foodshare” (local fresh fruit and vegetable produce boxes) to Lee County. Agents assisted Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church with the application to become a SNAP vendor and coordinated distribution of Foodshare boxes to the food pantry. Food pantry clients can now purchase Foodshare produce boxes using SNAP benefits. Through these efforts, our RHN agents have created a new healthy food access point for food-insecure community members in Lee County.

Just one week ago, multiple tornados devastated many parts of the state and caused nine deaths. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are mourning the loss of loved ones. We realize that there are a number of you who have been affected in one way or another, and we want to ensure that you are able to get help. The University is providing support to tornado-affected faculty and staff and has provided an emergency resources page, and please be sure to reach out to your DEDs if there is something we can do to support you during this time.

As was stated last week, no in-person events may be held before June 1. As we move into day 33 of COVID-19 Modified Operating Procedure for Extension, we must reflect on what we have done well and empower ourselves and our team members to use that knowledge to create even greater impact. I am continuously impressed with how innovative you all have been in delivering programs through web-based teaching, YouTube, video conferencing, and some of you are still able to provide our stakeholders with in-person visits if needed. We have been forced into a ‘New Normal of Extension Programs” and you have accepted and, in most cases, exceeded the challenge. We cannot stop now. We must keep the creative ideas flowing and constantly improve our strategies for delivering information.

I have tasked your leadership team with developing procedures for safely reopening the Extension offices. They have been working hard to develop policies. While reopening offices is several weeks away, we must ensure our staff and stakeholders have a safe re-entry process. We hope to have these plans finalized by next week so we can share it with all of you. Our Governor has announced that he would like to begin opening our state back up by May 1. He has outlined a phase-in process, and we will also follow this process to re-open Extension.

The unknown is always scary, and the void of unbiased, researched-based information on COVID-19 makes this pandemic even scarier. However, this pandemic reinforces the reason why land-grant universities were established. We are the providers of unbiased, researched-based information. We are the ones who the public turns to for accurate information. Over the next few months, our Rural Health Agents will be asked to collect vital information for SCDHEC. We will gladly help with this project, and the information gained will help us determine how we will deliver programs in the future.

I can’t say thank you enough for what you all do every day to help continue to move our great state forward. You all are the best, and Clemson University is lucky to have each of you working to fulfill Thomas Green Clemson’s mission.

Within the first week of the Clemson Extension office closures, Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Program Team agents T.J. Savereno (Pee Dee Region), Sean Bowers (Coastal Region), and Parker Johnson (Coastal Region) immediately started working on written guidance for homeowners and other Extension stakeholders on how to take photos that are useful to their county agents in order to identify and diagnose various problems or answer general questions. Poor quality photos and those that lack necessary content have always been issues that agents have had to deal with, but with current social distancing requirements and curtailed on-site visits, it became even more important that we improve this type of visual communication. Guidance on how to take good photos for county Extension Agent is now available on the Extension website (https://www.clemson.edu/extension/covid19/take-good-pictures.html).