The digital magazine for faculty, staff, students and friends of Pensacola State College
April 10, 2020
Amid all we are dealing with as a community, thank you for what you are doing to serve others during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At Pensacola State College , we launched a survey after we returned from Spring Break to gauge how our students were doing as we transitioned to a remote learning environment. The initial heart-wrenching results indicated that 50% had been laid off, lost their jobs, or were afraid they were about to lose their job. Past due bills for rent/mortgage and monthly necessities like utilities and food already total over $120,000 for these students.

As we navigate how best to assist our students, many supporters have asked how they might aid our struggling students directly. These inquiries have compelled us to put together a PSC Student Needs Fund to provide immediate aid. You can use this link to help students continue their education: https://foundation.pensacolastate.edu/covid-19-donation/ .

If you are unable to donate, you can help these students by sharing the message from PSC President Ed Meadows using this link: https://youtu.be/RZFm3gRoI-Q
PSC President Ed Meadows was in his office on the Pensacola campus, where he has been during much of the COVID-19 pandemic, steadying the Pirate ship amid a sea of worldwide turmoil.

The campus is closed – as are all PSC campuses and centers ─ to students and the public through the end of the spring term. However Meadows said much of the staff, faculty and administration have worked throughout the crisis to ensure the College’s stability, and, its success in the future when the nation emerges from COVID-19. 

“I think our leadership has responded very well,’’ Meadows said. “ Dr. (Erin) Spicer and the department heads worked through the College’s spring break to get us moving forward as quickly and effectively as possible.” 

Troy Moon sits down with Meadows and looks at the immediate future of PSC and the ways in with the College is working to attain a level of normalcy.

Bill Waters, the Pensacola State College eLearning Department director, came to the college in 1999, and has seen how the internet revolution has changed life, and learning. But he’s never seen anything like what’s happened in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic altering life across the globe in a matter of months. “This is definitely the highlight, no doubt about it,’’ Waters said. “It’s something unprecedented.” But not something insurmountable. “This is what we do,’’ he said. “Even teachers who were on campus were already using a lot of the tools that online teachers use. If this would have happened five, six, seven years ago, it would have been more of a challenge. We still had challenges. When you are forced to move a class online suddenly, there’s always going to be a challenge.”

Pensacola State College’s Robinson Honors Program students usually meet on Mondays. But with the COVID-19 pandemic closing campuses, the honors students had to adjust like everyone else. So, honor student Julie Riser showed her fellow students how to make turkey chili, using Zoom interactive technology to let her classmates follow her live. “I was excited because they were writing down the recipe and really interested,’’ she said. “It’s not a perfect system, but we’re doing what we can to stay connected and sane.” While PSC has been using online instruction for years, for some it’s been a new experience. But with assistance and guidance from the eLearning Department, and help from more seasoned online instructors, instructors have been able to make the transition to online – no matter how reluctant they were to use the new technologies in the past.

As soon as the coronavirus threatened to block Pensacola State College students and faculty from classrooms, administrators developed an emergency plan to move courses online. Fortunately they had a team of instructors already well-versed in the Live Online (synchronous online) realm, a team that could be deployed to teach other instructors and professors, a team that soon became known as the “Zoom Crew.” The team, named for the currently popular videoconferencing application, moved swiftly and efficiently, creating training courses, study materials and student tutorials, and acting as mentors to other instructors as the online expansion was rolled out.

Manna Food Pantries donated 33 banana cases filled with food staples to Pensacola State College on Tuesday, April 7, in response to a survey of students needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Manna is prepared to follow PSC’s initial distribution to students with additional deliveries. College employees from various departments hauled the cases from the Manna delivery van for temporary storage in the Student Government Association office.
The food is set aside for students most in need ─ as identified by a recent survey that revealed 50 percent of PSC students have lost jobs or are worried about losing a job.
The Pirates CARE Team, a group of faculty and staff members, meets weekly to discuss how to meet student needs. Since the COVID-19 crisis, they have been working daily to return calls to impacted students. They will soon distribute the food to the first 60 priority students who have exhibited the greatest need for assistance.

Student services still are available at Pensacola State College
Pensacola State College summer registration is right around the corner and the Student Services department is here to meet students’ needs – virtually.

Summer registration begins April 15 with fall registration set to start June 1. 

Current and potential students can still access the Admissions, Advising, Financial Aid and Records departments – though not face-to-face. 

Kathy Dutremble, Dean of Student Affairs, said the College is trying to maintain operations as normal as possible and make it easy for students to register for the upcoming terms.

“I am so proud of the Student Affairs staff! They worked together to get all areas up and operating in a totally virtual environment in only a few days,” Dutremble said.

“In order to actively engage with our various student populations, as well as prospective high school students, we have been working with different virtual platforms for several years, so to go totally virtual was not too big a stretch. We continue to focus on serving our students and community as efficiently and effectively as possible and are encouraged by the positive responses,” she said.

• Admissions: Potential students who have not completed a PSC application and have general questions can an email Askus@pensacolastate.edu. For more information, visit www.pensacolastate.edu/admissions, click the live chat button in the lower right-hand corner to reach a member of the College admissions team for assistance. Staff members can also answer calls at 850-484-2000. 
 
• Advising: Virtual advisors are available 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Current students can call 850-484-1630 or email advising@pensacolastate.edu to reach an advisor. For an appointment via QLess, visit www.pensacolastate.edu/pirateq/advising/.

• Financial Aid: The Financial Aid call center is available to assist with questions. The center’s FAVA inbox is being monitored closely to ensure timely responses. Students also can call the center at 850-484-1680 (leave a message if there is no answer), or via email at fava@pensacolastate.edu. Students should monitor their PirateMail for additional requirements.

The Cashier’s Office and Testing Center are closed until further notice. However, students can leave voice messages for someone to respond.

• Cashier’s Office: Staff members in the Cashier’s Office are monitoring phone calls and can be reached at 850-484-1782. If there no answer, please leave a voice message. 

• Testing Center: The Testing Center is not taking any appointments at this time. For questions, call 850-484-1656 and leave a voice message. Staffers in the Testing Center will return voicemail messages.

“The Testing Center staff continues to explore ways to operate virtually and recently attended a statewide webinar to learn more about the possibility of holding PERT testing remotely,” Dutremble added.

For more information, visit the College’s COVID-19 response site at pensacolastate.edu/COVID19.
Calling all laptops (Well, new laptops. With Windows 10. And a webcam. And a microphone.)
Based on a recent survey of Pensacola State College students and their technology requirements during the COVID-19 crisis, the College is putting out a call for donations of new laptop computers that can be loaned to students in need.

“Through the survey we have discovered that, to date, 27 percent of students responding to the survey have lost their jobs” said Andrea Krieger, Executive Director of Institutional Development. “While technology is one of the greatest needs, they have additional needs related to rent, food, utilities. We are working to help meet those additional needs, but in the meantime we are putting out a call to the public for help with the technology.”

The College is asking for donations of new laptop computers with these minimum requirements: an Intel i3 processor; 8GB RAM; 128GB solid state drive; Windows 10; built-in webcam and microphone.

For more information, or to make arrangements for the donation, contact Krieger at akrieger@pensacolastate.edu or 850-484-1477.
Internet service available to Pensacola State students
Pensacola State students without internet access may find themselves in a difficult situation – especially since all classes are now online. However, the College is coming to the rescue. 

Along with internet access available at computer labs on several campuses, students can connect to the College’s Wi-Fi network in some parking lots.

“Since Monday, March 30, computer labs have been open on a limited basis to currently enrolled students only,” said Tom Gilliam, vice president of administrative services. “Students must present a valid PSC student ID card and we’re limited to only 10 persons (students or faculty) per lab.”
The following computer labs are now open: 
Pensacola Campus 
Bldg. 21, Rm. 2163 
Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.-9 p.m. 
Friday -Saturday 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
  
Warrington Campus 
Bldg. 3100, Rm. 3142 
Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday -Saturday 8 a.m.-4 p.m. 
  
Milton Campus 
Bldg. 4400, Rm. 4413 
Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday -Saturday 8 a.m.-4 p.m. 

“The computer labs are available on a first-come, first-served basis,” Gilliam said, adding if there is a high demand, a time limit will be set for users. He said the labs are available for students who have absolutely no other means of accessing courses or completing coursework. 

“If they have other alternatives such as use of a cellphone or a relative’s computer, students should take advantage of those options first,” he noted.  

In the computer labs, users are required to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from each other at all times. Also, use of the computer labs by vulnerable populations is discouraged because the Florida Surgeon General issued a Public Health Advisory on March 25 advising vulnerable residents to remain in their homes. Vulnerable populations include anyone over age 65 as well as those with serious health conditions such as lung, renal or heart disease or a compromised immunity.

Other internet service providers

Several internet service providers also have special COVID-19 promotions:

● AT&T: Access from AT&T is available to eligible limited-income households for $5 and $10 per month depending on the plan. Click here for details or call 844-886-4258.

● Comcast: New customers in low- income families receive 60 days of free internet service, and internet speeds have increased for all customers. Details here.

● Cox Communications: Connect2Compete internet is available to eligible households with K-12 students enrolled in the Escambia County School District. The first two months of service is free and $9.95 a month thereafter. Also, Cox hot spots are free in some Escambia County locations. Find hot spots here. Details here or visit stores at 4771 Bayou Blvd. or 9409 W. Highway 98, Suite 20. 

● Mediacom: Mediacom is providing free access to Mediacom Xtream Wi-Fi hot spots where available. Details here or 888-275-1002 or 844-579-3743.  

● Spectrum: Spectrum offers free access to internet and Wi-Fi for 60 days for new Pre-K to 12, college student and teacher households who don't currently have service. Details here or 855-243-8892. 

● Sprint: Customers have access to unlimited data and handsets will have hot spots capabilities for 60 days. Details here.

● T-Mobile: Unlimited, high speed data is offered to all customers. Students using EmpowerED programs will receive an extra 20GB per month until May 13. Details here.

● Verizon: Internet plans start at $39.99 a month. Details here or here.
What if I don't have access to wi-fi?
College Wi-Fi is available on each campus and a student may park in College parking lots to access Wi-Fi. Students are expected to remain in their parked car. The parking lots available for use are listed below (Or see the orange areas in the maps above and below):   

Pensacola Campus: Lots 10, 14, and 16 all have good coverage. These are the lots west of Building 21 (between 21 and 15), west of 13, and east of 13, respectively. 

Milton Campus: There is useable signal in the main parking lot.  

Santa Rosa Center: There is a useable signal in Lot C (north of the building).  

Warrington Campus: Lots 34 and 35 have good coverage. Lot 34 is in the center of campus near the breezeway, and Lot 35 is parallel to highway 98 north of the library.  

In accordance with the Federal Communications Commission’s Keep Americans Connected Pledge, local service providers have issued statements regarding the COVID-19 virus and how they can assist with internet connectivity. 

P irate parents, here are some resources to keep your families occupied
Hey, Pirates, the Student Activities Staff has gathered some resources for you and your families to help keep you occupied during this social distancing time. These resources include virtual tours of famous museums, national parks, and landmarks. They include live animal cams, websites for children's activities, and some wellness videos. They’ve also included ideas to help keep any little ones you may have occupied while you study or work. Please note that Pensacola State College does not endorse any of the companies or organizations listed in the pack. Also, the PSC Marketing Department has created a couple of coloring pages for Pirate-style activities. If you or your family colors the pages, send us the end results and we’ll post it to our social media.

The links to the Pirate Pack and the coloring pages are below.

Don’t forget to follow Student Activities on Instagram (@pscpirateslife) and Facebook (PSC Student Engagement & Leadership) to participate in some virtual events they’ve created for you.