“Beginning June 1, AU will operate as a fully open campus with no required masking,” read an email from President Pistole sent May 21. The message that students, faculty and staff have been waiting for was finally received after careful consideration by Pistole and the COVID-19 task force led by Dr. Sarah Neal. Neal has been responsible for providing the AU community with free COVID-19 testing as well as access to the Moderna vaccine. “We are so fortunate to have effective … [Read more...]
Andersonian 2021-03-22
Jacey Crawford and Jesse Hernández discuss campus restriction lifts, including reinstated events and student attendance for outdoor sports. … [Read more...]
Modified spring break schedule begins Wednesday, Feb. 17
Daytona Beach, Las Vegas, Cancun and the Bahamas are just a few of the most popular destinations for college students on Spring Break. This year, spring break will look a little different. Instead of the usual consecutive nine-day break, this year it will be broken up into two four-day weekends and one mid-week break. Modified spring break days will be Feb. 17, March 4, 5, 15 and 16.Dr. Sarah Neal, head of the AU task force, explained that a decision was made in early November to … [Read more...]
AU’s Counseling Services transitions to hybrid format
Along with many other aspects of campus life, AU’s Counseling Services have been operating in a virtual format. However, Christal Helvering, the director of Counseling Services, explained that the transition to a hybrid format has begun, allowing some students to attend counseling sessions face-to-face.“In compliance with the recent modifications to the on-campus COVID regulations, Counseling Services will begin to transition to more of a hybrid offering of services,” said Helvering.She … [Read more...]
SOMTD adapts to COVID-19 restrictions
Despite the obstacles COVID-19 has continued to present, the School of Music, Theatre and Dance (SOMTD) has been hard at work to ensure students still have opportunities to perform, connect with industry professionals and collaborate in a safe and healthy environment. This semester, the SOMTD will be producing two theatrical productions as usual, but in innovative ways—a PowerPoint opera and a musical podcast were not what anyone predicted for this spring’s productions, but the forced … [Read more...]
Annual MLK day celebrations persist
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is signified and celebrated on AU’s campus every year. All classes are suspended for the day, and you’ll find students, faculty and staff participating in the Peace and Justice March, attending forums on campus and joining in on city-wide events. Despite having to transition to a virtual format for this year’s celebration, various events still allowed the campus community and city to honor King’s life and legacy.The events on campus follow a theme every … [Read more...]
Chapel continues with virtual format
On Jan. 11, AU students received an email announcing that chapel attendance would be mandatory for the spring semester. However, three days later, another email was sent out by Dean of Students Chris Luekenga.The second email read, “Chapel will remain virtual for the foreseeable future, but attendance will not be required.”Luekenga explained that requiring attendance for a virtual chapel would add another stressor for students.“While it is a long-standing tradition to require chapel … [Read more...]
COVID-19: Looking forward
“It’s a big deal,” Professor of Nursing Dr. Sarah Neal said. “Where we’re at right now is a whole lot of bad. We are in the red zone in Madison County.”For the last 10 months, the world has been ambushed with a pandemic that has changed the normal way of life. Many students have had to adjust to online learning and businesses everywhere have been forced to close their doors. “We can mitigate a lot of spread if we change our behaviors,” Neal said. Neal, who has been at AU … [Read more...]
Soccer teams kick off unique season
Complications due to COVID-19 have been plentiful on campus since the pandemic first began last March. With many schools being told to shut down to slow the spread of the virus, it was only a matter of time before AU was told to do the same. Spring sports were already in full effect, and the only viable solution was simply to cancel the rest of the season and start afresh next year.Flash forward to last fall when COVID-19 cases were on the rise. Once again, the HCAC was tasked with … [Read more...]
Madison County maintains ‘red’ status as students return to campus
“It’s only been a few days and I have already seen students gathering in large, unmasked groups, as well as complaining about the COVID restrictions,” said senior spanish major Mckala Lindsey.On Jan. 13, AU students filed into their classrooms for the first day of spring semester; despite Madison County maintaining its COVID-19 “red” status, university leadership gave the green light for students to return to campus and resume in-person classes. According to IN.gov, each county in … [Read more...]