Tag: April27

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.

Program evaluation is essential and is expected in Extension. There are many reasons that an evaluation may be conducted for a program, but three reasons are;1) to improve a program, 2) to assess if a program produced the intended benefits or results, which can also be viewed as accountability, and 3) to gain knowledge about a specific condition or population. While there are many facets of evaluation, I want to explain a few of the primary focuses of an evaluation, that are the most common.

First, a formative evaluation is intended to provide information that helps to guide program improvement. Formative evaluations are usually conducted while a program is still on-going so that adjustments can be made immediately to the program. A formative evaluation must be conducted in a timely manner with definitive and specific measures for program improvement. The results of the evaluation must also be of use immediately.

A summative evaluation, on the other hand, is designed to assess if a program produced the intended results. Summative evaluations are conducted at the conclusion of a program and may yield information on short-term outcomes but can also be conducted well after a program has ended to measure medium- or long-term outcomes or impact. A summative evaluation is primarily aimed at demonstrating accountability in a program. Most evaluations conducted in the field by Extension County Agents and Associates are a form of summative evaluation.

An evaluation can also be conducted to gain knowledge about a population, a problem, or a community-level issue. These evaluations are usually aimed at gaps in knowledge in science and therefore, are primarily reported in academic journals or through professional organizations. Furthermore, these types of evaluations may be used to create robust, large-scale programs. While these types of evaluations are utilized in Extension at an aggregated level, they are not one of the primary tools for evaluation of Extension programs conducted by County Agents. However, because they may have some application in Extension, I wanted to mention them here.

Dependent upon the purpose of the evaluation, there are five evaluation designs. Each of these five evaluation designs have various underlying strengths, weaknesses, and design issues that must all be considered. The five evaluation designs include:

1. Needs Assessment
2. Program Theory Assessment
3. Process Evaluation
4. Outcome or Impact Evaluation
5. Efficiency Evaluation

Most of the evaluations distributed by County Agents at the end of a workshop are usually a combination of process evaluation and outcome evaluation. A process evaluation is simply determining if the workshop was implemented and delivered in the way the County Agent intended it to be conducted. However, there are also usually questions on the evaluation that indicate short-term outcome evaluation. Recall that an outcome is a change in knowledge, attitude, behavior, or behavioral intent. Therefore, when a workshop participant is asked a question such as, “Did you learn something new during the workshop today?”, this is evaluating a short-term outcome, which is a change in knowledge.

The Division of Assessment and Scholarship is available to assist any County Agent, Associate, or Specialist with designing and implementing evaluations. We can also assist with evaluation plans that are required as a part of a grant proposal. A team effort is necessary to develop a good evaluation, which means that the Extension personnel that requested the evaluation must be involved in the design process. However, the Division will guide the evaluation development and implementation as well as assist with interpretation of the results. If you would like to consider designing an evaluation for a program, please do not hesitate to contact me, Susan Guynn, at 864-656-0606 or email at sguynn@clemson.edu.

By: Susan T. Guynn, PhD
Director of Assessment and Scholarship

Spring is one of the busiest times on a farm, and COVID-19 hasn’t changed many things for the Agronomy Team. They’ve continued to work directly with producers while maintaining social distancing protocols and while implementing additional safety precautions. They altered group meetings to one-on-one meetings and trainings or met with multiple producers at one time if they were members of the same family. On-farm trials and demonstrations are continuing as normal.

Here are a few highlights since March:

• 447 direct producer calls/farm visits
• 15 initial private applicator trainings conducted
• 52 EPA mandated dicamba trainings conducted
• 43 EPA mandated paraquat trainings conducted
• On-farm corn nematode project looking at the effects of stubby root nematode and potential of black oat cover crops as a management tool
• Examination of kudzu leaves for Asian Soybean Rust as part of a South Carolina Soybean Board (SCSB) grant project
• A Four-county project looking at root-knot nematode effects on growth and yield x variety which is also part of a SCSB grant project
• A project looking at the viability of shade and broadleaf tobacco use for cigar wrapping
• Soybean variety demonstration evaluating yield and growth performance in common soil types within a county
• On-farm corn (silage and grain) and soybean (official variety trials) OVT locations in cooperation with the
  Clemson Variety Test Program

Submitted by: Jay Crouch, Clemson Extension, Agronomic Crops Program Team Director

It’s that time of year. Spring is among us, flowers are blooming, grass is growing, and pollen is booming. Along with the pollen, HGIC is booming. Their website visits are up almost 50% from this time last year. They’re fielding more calls than ever and answering more questions with each passing day. When the COVID-19 Pandemic shut the office down, they didn’t stop. Like other offices, they have forwarded office phones to laptops, transitioned from desktops to laptops, and never missed a beat.

One of their most-frequented fact sheets happens to be “Planning a Garden”. Views on this fact sheet alone are up 70%. Since March, HGIC averages 57 phone calls and 47 emails every day.

Submitted by: Millie Davenport, Director of Home and Garden Information Center
Cory Tanner, Horticulture Program Team Leader

After last week’s storms ravaged our state, our local 4-H members in Florence saw a need and jumped in to help. They created the “Hands of Larger Service for Nixville” project. Our club members decided it was best for us to focus our attention on assisting the rural farm community of Nixville in Hampton County, which had been devasted from storm damage. Using social distancing rules, Florence County 4-H sponsored a drive to collect items the Nixville Community was in desperate need of, such as tarps, plastic totes, contractor-grade trash bags, cleaning supplies, bug spray, sunscreen, paper products, food, gift cards, etc. Items could be dropped off in bins outside of the Florence County Extension Office or at a local shed of one of our generous farmers.

Donations came in from Florence, Marion, and Darlington Counties. We were able to collect an entire truckload of donations over 48 hours and delivered them to Nixville on Thursday of last week. Upon delivery, the team was able to continue practicing social distancing rules while helping to unload and categorize donations. The best estimate of the total dollar amount of donations is well over $500 worth of supplies and gift cards, all collected in 48 hours.

April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month for 4-H. Our 4-H clubs had many different service opportunities planned but had to cancel them due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m so proud of our 4-H club members who came together for the greater good during a tragic time.

Submitted by: Faith Truesdale, Florence County 4-H Youth Development Agent

We are now on day 40 of the COVID-19 Modified Operating Procedure for Extension. I never thought we would be on a modified schedule for this long. As Governor McMaster works on a plan to open our state back up, your Extension Leadership Team has also been working on a reopening plan for offices. This has been a very thoughtful and deliberate process that is being developed through the Extension Administration Office with the leadership of the Extension District Directors and Program Team Directors. We have been working on this plan for two weeks with guidance from SCDHEC and Clemson University’s Emergency Operations Committee. Our plan is very detailed and comprehensive, but the current key takeaways include;

• No date has been set for reopening Extension offices to the public. This is a fluid situation.

• We will not reopen offices until we have a smart and deliberate opening process in place, as the safety of our employees is our top priority.

• We will not reopen offices until it is allowed by government officials and approved by Clemson University.

• The office reopening plan is not going to be a ‘one-size fits all’ approach. The stages of reopening procedures will take into consideration issues such as the status of geographic areas with regard to COVID-19, particular personnel needs, and county office configurations and infrastructure issues.

• As Extension employees, all of us must be mindful of our activities during regular business hours and how they may be perceived by the general public even though we are working remotely and most likely on flex schedules.

We have many channels for receiving and sharing information. Michael Wright, Director of Governmental Affairs for Clemson University, is keeping our leadership team updated on Governor McMaster’s announcements relating to the reopening of the state. The Extension District Directors are working with the County Coordinators to keep their local County Administrator in the loop. Again, because this situation is so fluid, information that may affect our reopening plan can change hourly, and we need to have clear lines of communication.

Through all of this, you have kept Extension alive and growing. I continue to be amazed by everyone’s creativity and motivation during this pandemic. Every week there are new highlights. We have been able to enhance important internal resources such as Extension’s For Employees website, which has been redesigned and updated. We are increasing recognition for Extension’s ongoing efforts through a new Facebook campaign featuring videos of our agents explaining how Extension is still serving South Carolina during the quarantine period. We are expanding the online dissemination of research-based information as more program team members have been writing publications for Land-Grant Press, some of which are related to COVID-19 issues. A new webinar, How to Submit to Land-Grant Press, will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, and will provide guidance on the publishing process for authors of all writing levels.

As you know, the economies of the state and nation are getting hammered. We will have to tighten our belts and find innovative ways to increase revenue. Our primary concern is that we keep everyone fully employed. Thank you again for all you are doing, and please take good care of yourselves and your families.