GORDON STATE RECEIVES ADDITIONAL PPE SUPPLIES

After spending the summer semester online and the majority of the employees working remotely, Gordon State College resumed normal operating hours Monday as the institution prepares for the first day of fall semester, which begins on August 12. Gordon also received additional personal protective equipment (PPE) and other supplies the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) provided for The University System of Georgia (USG) to distribute to its 26 institutions ahead of this month’s return to on-campus instruction.

The GSC campus will be open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for regular business hours and strongly urges students and guests to make an appointment through the website (https://www.gordonstate.edu/departments). The Gordon campus will be closed on Wednesday, Aug. 5, to allow staff and faculty to participate in the fifth annual Student Success Summit. The in-service training will be held virtually this year. Regular hours will resume on Thursday, Aug. 6.

Gordon State will offer classes in three formats (in-person, hybrid or online). Employees and students received updated Return to Campus plans (https://www.gordonstate.edu/documents/covid/return-to-campus-guidev3-08032020.pdf) in an email Monday outlining protocols and procedures that will be followed to better prevent and mitigate the effects of COVD-19. The college has also provided a dedicated COVID-19 page (https://www.gordonstate.edu/corona-virus) on the website as well as a page for Frequently Asked Questions (https://www.gordonstate.edu/corona-virus/faq) as the health and well-being for Highlander Nation remains its top priority.

Gordon received the following additional PPE supplies from the USG and GEMA:

• Disposable 3-ply face masks: 8,000
• N-95 respirator masks: 500
• Gloves: 4,900
• Gowns: 500
• Face shields: 120
• No-Touch thermometers: 5
• Disinfectant solution: 150 gallons
• Disinfecting wipes: 15 cases

GEMA delivered a total of 947,500 disposable 3-ply face masks, 40,000 N-95 respirator masks, 250,000 gloves, 35,000 gowns, 20,000 face shields, 500 no-touch thermometers, 500 Tyvek Suits, 5,832 gallons of hand sanitizer, 4,608 gallons of Disinfectant solution 2,531 cases disinfecting wipes to the USG for distribution. An additional 10,000 gallons of hand sanitizer and 15,000 clear masks have also been ordered.

“GEMA continues to be a valuable partner, and we are grateful for its help as we stress the essential importance of health and safety for all our students, faculty and staff,” Chancellor Steve Wrigley said.

These supplies continue to help ensure all of Georgia’s 26 public universities and colleges are well stocked for the coming academic year. Last week, USG announced the system had already sent a total of 835,400 masks and 1,161 cases of disinfecting wipes to campuses across the state. Including the supplies being delivered this week, the total number of masks being provided to USG campuses currently totals more than 1.8 million.

Gordon State College Director of Facilities Reggie Hamm and his team will disperse the PPE to various departments on campus.

“Our Facilities team members have spent the summer implementing an enhanced cleaning schedule to disinfect the campus per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines,” Hamm said. “The safety and concern of our faculty, staff and students is our priority. Gordon State College is thankful to receive additional personal protective equipment.”

To help practice The Healthy Highlander Way, the college has installed hand-sanitizing stations and self-check thermometers in each building and placed safety and social distancing signage as reminders throughout campus.

The system continues to follow public health guidance from the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As that guidance evolves, the system’s guidance will as well.