Tag: June22

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.

We are now entering day 90 of the COVID-19 Modified Operating Procedure for Extension, and we are three weeks into our Extension Return to Work Framework Plan. I would have thought that we would have been further along in our reentry procedure. However, it seems that COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise, and rapidly so, in our state. As indicated by our color-coded map of county reentry statuses, we have not had many offices enter into Phase 1 and, fewer have entered into Phase 2. We will not initiate Phase III until after July 4. Our plan is designed to be flexible in order to adapt to the fluidity of the ongoing situation. Dr. Burns meets with Clemson University’s EOC on a daily basis to obtain updates that will determine the ongoing process for reopening offices. I realize this situation is very frustrating, but I will reiterate that ‘Slow is Fast.’ I do not want to open offices just to have to close them down again shortly after. We will stay the course.

We have begun our employee evaluation process. I hope that everyone will take this time to reflect upon their work and accomplishments, as well as give consideration to how you might be able to “Make the Best Better.” I can promise you the District Directors and the Program Team Directors are working together to ensure that this year’s evaluation process is even more thorough than in past years. We are already working with Human Resources on the new EPMS procedure for 2020-21, and Mr. Dickert was our representative on their EPMS committee. For the upcoming planning stage, we hope to introduce a new system that is more user-friendly and applicable to Extension’s needs. Human Resources will host a calibration program for our District Directors and Program Team Directors in late summer to ensure that we implement the new system equitably across Extension.

Dr. Julie Northcutt and her team have been working overtime on the Extension Associate and Extension Specialist rankings and promotion ladder. We plan to have this process complete by July 1. Dr. Northcutt has spent countless hours going through CVs and resumes and meeting with HR and committee members to ensure this process is done fairly. I want to give Dr. Northcutt a shout-out for her dedication and attention to detail during this process. She has completed a task that has been in play for thirty years.

In the upcoming weeks, you will hear more about Extension’s involvement in COVID-19 testing. Dr. Michelle Parisi is working with the College of Behavioral, Health and Social Sciences and MUSC to develop a statewide COVID-19 testing program. This will be a very complex and comprehensive program. Dr. Parisi will be working directly with our District Directors to engage the community in this process. I want to ask each and every one of you to support this program.
Until proven treatments and a vaccine are identified, it is imperative to understand the spread of this virus through increased testing. I will be sending out more information on this program soon. As always, please continue to take good care of yourselves and your families, and thank you for what you do for Clemson Extension.

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law in 2011. FSMA is a food safety system that focuses on the prevention of food safety-related hazards occurring during the manufacturing of food rather than reacting to them when they occur. Overall, FSMA gives the FDA a new role in enforcement to improve compliance, prevention, and response time when a problem occurs; gives the FDA the ability to inspect imported foods; and builds partnerships between the FDA and state and local food regulatory authorities.

Within FSMA, three specific regulations that have been put into place are: 1) the preventive control plan for human food facilities 2) the preventive control plan for animal food facilities, and 3) the produce safety rule. The preventive control plans for human and animal food facilities focus on the development of a food safety plan for the facility in order to identify any reasonable or foreseeable hazards (biological, chemical, or physical) that could occur and affect the safety of the food. Similarly, the produce safety rule focuses on the minimum standards for growing, harvesting, packing, and holding produce to prevent or reduce food safety hazards. Human, animal, and produce-growing operations are required to meet these regulations if they meet the specified income threshold and attend an FDA recognized training to learn the requirements of the regulations, and how to develop a food safety plan for their facility. Because of this requirement, members of the Food Systems and Safety Team provide these trainings as well as individual guidance to food producers in the state (as well as across the country). Members of the team include: Dr. Kimberly Baker, Dr. Julie Northcutt, Chad Carter, Adair Hoover, and Rebecca Baxley. These three trainings are held regularly throughout the year, usually as in-person trainings. However, with the in-person restrictions related to COVID-19 these trainings have been temporarily held via Zoom because food producers and produce growers continue to need these trainings to ensure the safety of the food they produce and adherence to the regulations. To date the following courses have been taught by the team virtually with more scheduled in the next few months:

• April 14-15, 2020 – Preventive Control for Human Food course, 9 participants
• May 19-20, 2020 – Produce Grower Training, 23 participants
• May 27-28, 2020 – Produce Grower Training, 17 participants
• June 10-12, 2020 – Preventive Control for Animal Food course, 12 participants

Submitted by: Dr. Kimberly Baker, Food Systems and Safety Program Team Director