NGUstrong: the team behind the masks
Grace Myers, Managing Editor
As the new year begins, COVID-19 is still making an impact on the world a little more than two years after its initial appearance in the United States, and North Greenville is no exception. While students may have been hoping to return to school without masks, the arrival of students on campus produced a surge of positive cases, and NGU’s mask policy was once again reinstated a few hours into the first day of classes.
For some, this decision seemed sudden as faculty had just been told they could not force students to wear masks. However, the choice to require masks on campus was not taken lightly. All of NGU’s COVID-19 policies are heavily discussed by the COVID-19 Response Team (CRT) before they are presented to the school leadership for approval and implementation.
So, who are the people behind the masks and other COVID-19 policies on campus?
Initially formed in February 2020 as a precautionary measure, the CRT is comprised of approximately 40 people and divided into 11 sub-committees who represent different areas of the school, ranging from academics to campus enhancement who meet in discuss the COVID-19 situation.
“From the beginning, what we’ve held to is a commitment to contextualization,” says Jody Jennings, vice president for campus ministries and student engagement and member of the CRT. “So, we want to look at what’s happening specifically here at North Greenville.”
Jennings notes that the team does pay attention to what’s happening in the state, what DHEC numbers look like, what’s happening overall in the United States, and what is happening globally, stating, “We want to look at all of those, but then make sure we are really focusing on North Greenville.”
Another goal of the CRT is to be as transparent as possible regarding the decisions they make and the impact of COVID-19 on campus.
Students can stay informed on the recommendations of the CRT by reading the weekly campus advisory emails sent out by the team or visiting the NGUstrong page on the university website. Each advisory contains an updated statement regarding the COVID-19 policies and an overview of the current number of positive cases within the NGU community. Looking at the changes in case numbers from week to week is an excellent way to see where the campus is overall.
“We wanted to be the most transparent about what was happening,” Jennings notes. “We took great satisfaction as a group knowing that we’re not going to hide anything, we are not going to try and pretend that one thing or another is happening when in reality, this is what’s happening…[those emails] represent our commitment to being as transparent as possible.
Finally, Jennings mentions how thankful he is for everyone’s willingness to adjust to the COVID-19 policies. “Not everybody agrees, and we will never have 100 percent agreement, I’m sure.” he says. “But, by God’s grace and based on the fact that this is just an incredible place to be, the large number of people are coming alongside and complying and understanding…which makes the COVID-19 task force’s responsibility so much easier.”
For more information on North Greenville University’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit NGUstrong.
*Featured Image: Masks have made a return to NGU’s campus. Graphic by Grace Myers.
