Author: gjones

College to Require Masks Indoors

August 9, 2021 | Campus News

East Central College is implementing new COVID-19 protocols, including indoor masking, in light of high rates of transmission in Franklin and Phelps counties.

ECC President Dr. Jon Bauer said the college will follow the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines beginning Monday, Aug. 9, and into the Fall 2021 semester.

“These measures are being taken to ensure the safest environment for students, employees and guests, and with a goal of mitigating the spread of COVID-19 — including the Delta variant,” Dr. Bauer said.

Under the new protocols, masks will be required indoors for everyone, regardless of vaccination status. That includes in classrooms, labs, meeting spaces, halls and any other indoor setting.

Those who are unvaccinated will need to follow quarantine guidelines in the event of a close contact. Fully vaccinated individuals will not be required to quarantine following a close contact.

“We are constantly monitoring local conditions and suggested protocols,” Dr. Bauer said. “I am hopeful these restrictions can be eased once local conditions improve and vaccination rates increase.”

Masks are not required outdoors, but social distancing should be maintained during outdoor events.

The faculty and students in health care programs are required to follow vaccination requirements of the clinical sites.

The public will be allowed to attend events such as theatre productions, concerts, athletics and other offerings, with masks required and social distancing enforced.

Café Central will continue to operate, but on a carry-out basis only. There will be no seating in the cafeteria.

According to Dr. Bauer, face mask protocols will be reviewed monthly, regardless of changes in local conditions or CDC guidelines.

ECC policies also will be reviewed at any time if there are significant and sustained changes in local conditions, or upon subsequent changes to CDC guidelines that are applicable to colleges/universities or indoor settings.

Vaccinations

ECC is offering incentives to students and employees to get vaccinated, with the intent of slowing the spread and preventing serious illness from COVID-19.

“We continue to strongly encourage vaccination of employees and students as the most effective tool for combating COVID,” Dr. Bauer commented.

Incentive information and area vaccine availability is located at www.eastcentral.edu/covid/. ECC will host Franklin County Health Department staff who will be giving vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson) in The Learning Center on the following dates:

• August 18 – 1–4 p.m.
• August 31 – 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
• September 1 – Noon–4 p.m.
• September 29 – Noon–4 p.m.

Auditions to be Held for ‘Classic Mystery Game’

The East Central College Theatre Department has announced the 2021-22 season’s slate of performances, kicking off with “Classic Mystery Game,” a parody of the 1985 movie, “Clue.”

The next step for the department is to hold auditions for the interactive performance that will ask the audience “Whodunit?”

Theatre Department Director Grace Austin said auditions will be held Aug. 25 -26 at 6:30 p.m. in the John Edson Anglin Performing Arts Center and will consist of scripts readings.

She added that the readings will be available here beginning Tuesday, Aug. 10. Actors will be masked during auditions and rehearsals.

Not a Typical Show

Austin said the “Classic Mystery Game” is not a typical performance because the audience will have a say in the outcome and will be asked to vote on who they think is guilty.

The show will be directed by Bess Moynihan and performances will be held Oct. 7-10. Audience members will be masked and socially distanced.

“We’re hoping to make the experience as normal as possible and we are really encouraging people to come out and support the department,” Austin said.

“We are so grateful for all of the support we had last year for the outdoor theatre and we are really hoping that people want to come and spend time with us indoors this year in a safe manner.”

“Classic Mystery Game,” written by Keating, parodies the movie “Clue,” written by Jonathan Lynn which was based on the game, CLUEDO (known as Clue in North America.), created by Anthony E. Pratt.

The show will offer a look at life through the lens of the iconic film, and Clue, the family game night favorite with thrills, spills and, of course- kills.

Roles Available

The following roles are available to any actors age 16 and up:

Ms. Scarlet — Female, she’s beautiful, well dressed, opinionated and probably up to something.
• Col. Mustard-Male, he’s usually confused about… everything.
• Mrs. White — Female, A heightened sense of drama, she’s dressed for a funeral and suspicious as ever.
• Prof. Plum — Any gender, equal parts sweet and salty, what is it they teach again?
• Mrs. Peacock — Female, Over the top and overly chatty with a scream that could cut glass.
• Mr. Green — Any gender, An uptight square with a questionable career.
• Yvette — Female- A woman with an impossible French accent and impractical amounts of cleavage.
• Mr. Boddy — Any gender, the architect of all this madness, or are they?
• Clown No. 1 — Any Gender, plays The Cook and The Motorist.
• Clown No. 2 — Any Gender, plays The Cop, The Singing Telegram Girl, and The Evangelist.

More information about auditions can be found here.

ECC Offering Health Care Pre-Apprenticeship Program

August 5, 2021 | Campus News

A new pre-apprenticeship program at East Central College is designed to provide needed job skills to those interested in a career in health care.

The four-month program is provided at no cost and will prepare people to care for clients in long-term care facilities, hospitals and home health agencies. Participants must be 18 years or older at the start of the program.

Classes will be held in the ECC Training Center (ECTC) Sept. 8 through Dec. 20.

For more information or to sign up, contact Gretchen Pettet at Gretchen.Pettet@eastcentral.edu or 636-266-2181. This program is limited to 15 registrations.

Students also will gain skills that area health facilities need for their employees, such as a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) certification, customer Service, behavioral health review and CPR.

“The curriculum is specifically designed with our area health care facilities in mind.” said Terri Warmack, health care coordinator for ECC’s Center for Workforce Development (CWD).

“At a time when facilities are in desperate need of workers, our program provides the entry level skills and certifications for the pre-apprentice to be successful, as well as helping the area’s facilities start workers at a higher level of competency,” she added.

A key to the program’s success is the engagement and involvement of local employers, such as Sunset Health Care Center, in Union. Once the pre-apprentices finish the program, they will have the opportunity to continue their education into a registered Certified Medication Technician (CMT) apprenticeship program at ECC.

The program is funded as part of a $75,000 grant from the Missouri Office of Workforce Development.

WEG Looks to Hire, Sponsor Employees Through ECC Program

August 2, 2021 | Campus News

WEG Transformers USA (WEG), is seeking to hire multiple new employees, and then sponsor them through East Central College’s Registered Apprenticeship Program.

ECC’s Apprenticeship Program, though the Center for Workforce Development, provides training to employees of area manufacturers, which is tailored to the needs of each company. The apprenticeships in ECC’s career and tech programs provides a chance for employees to earn wages while they are taking part in the apprenticeship.

Team members in these programs will be represented by IUE-CWA, Local 86114.

According to WEG, ECC’s registered apprenticeship programs provide in-depth skill training in areas such as industrial maintenance, welding and machining, to meet the needs of local companies.

“We are highly impressed with the innovative Apprenticeship Program at ECC and we look forward to training new employees,” said Lacey Oswald, human resource generalist with WEG.

“We are very fortunate to have a resource in our community such as ECC that provides state-of-the-art training for companies in our area. We are very excited to have another opportunity to invest in our employees in the manner.”

ECC and WEG have partnered previously to provide training to employees.

ECC apprentices learn on the job while also taking classes at the college that can lead to a certificate and/or a degree in high-demand manufacturing fields.

An apprenticeship shows current and potential employees that a company is willing to invest in them. The investment strengthens a company’s workforce retention efforts.

WEG specializes in the manufacturing, assembly, supervision, and commissioning services of Power and Distribution Transformers – refer to www.weg.us for additional details about WEG’s product and other relevant matters.

Currently, WEG’s product demand has been growing substantially and the company is looking for determined, committed and enthusiastic people to help increase operations for one of three manufacturing facilities in Heidmann Industrial Park in Washington.

To become eligible to participate in an ECC apprenticeship, job seekers must apply for a position at WEG. If the applicant is hired, then ECC partners with WEG to provide the required skill-set training.

To apply for a position at WEG, visit https://weg.us/contact/ and click the “Apply Today” button, or call the company’s Washington location at 636-239-9300 to speak with Chris Vansickle, HR Manager.

Parker Hannifin Offers Tuition Assistance for New Hires

July 30, 2021 | Campus News

The Sporlan Division of Parker Hannifin is offering to help pay the tuition of East Central College students who come to work at its Washington location.

According to the Parker Sporlan Human Resource team, the students must work a minimum of 24 hours per week to be eligible for the tuition incentive. The students can be enrolled in ECC classes either part time or full time.

“This area is home to many manufacturing industries, and we see the value in an education from East Central College,” a member of the HR Team said. “That is why we are offering to invest in the education of students, if they join our team.”

Parker Hannifin currently has openings for its Assembler/Test/Pack positions.

For more information, interested students may call the Sporlan Division of Parker Hannifin at 636-392-3431.

Parker Hannifin is a Fortune 250 global leader in motion and control technologies. For more than a century, the company has been enabling engineering breakthroughs that lead to a better tomorrow. Learn more at www.parker.com.

ECC Library Director Serving on Multi-State Library Board

July 20, 2021 | Campus News

East Central College Library Director Lisa Farrell recently was elected to serve on the MOBIUS board of directors.

Farrell will complete the final year of a three-year unexpired term as the academic library representative. She previously served as an at-large member from 2015-18.

“Serving on the board gives us an insight into state library funding and the budget and assessment policies,” Farrell said.

“It also keeps us apprised of what is on the legislative floor and how that impacts libraries,” she added.

MOBIUS is a consortium of libraries in Missouri and nearby states. It is based in Columbia, Mo. There are 66 academic libraries, seven public libraries, three special libraries, and the Missouri State Library, serving a total of 213 physical branches, in the consortium.

“I think it is very important to have a community college representative as a voice on the board,” Farrell said.

MOBIUS lends books, DVDs, dissertations, music scores, CDs, and more items through a courier system throughout its member libraries within four days.

The MOBIUS catalog includes over 29 million items. Member libraries are in Missouri, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, and Texas.

Farrell noted that there is great value and cost savings through the borrowing of materials versus buying.

In addition, Farrell is in her second year as a MOBIUS OER (Open Education Resources) Systems Leader — a two-year cohort started last Spring in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

OERs are teaching, learning and research materials that are either copyright-free or have a license that allows for reuse, potentially saving students hundreds of dollars in textbook costs during a semester.

“Our MOBIUS Team has presented at conferences, surveyed our MOBIUS library membership, attended OER-focused conferences and training, and we look forward to the growth in OER for MOBIUS libraries in the coming year,” she said.

About MOBIUS

MOBIUS was established in 1998 by 50 libraries representing Missouri colleges and universities.

The name was originally an acronym for Missouri Bibliographic Information User System, although the organization no longer uses that name.

In 2010 MOBIUS became a not-for-profit corporation and the Tulsa City-County Library system, In Oklahoma, became the first out-of-state member in 2014.

The Love of Teaching Takes No Summer Break

July 19, 2021 | Campus News

The summer months for many students and educators is an opportunity to vacation, decompress or regroup.

But, for some East Central College instructors, it can be an opportunity to continue to do what they love — teach.

That includes Keith Pulles, biology instructor, who teaches the eight-week summer session classes every year.

“I have taught summer courses for seven consecutive years and it’s such a great option,” he said. “I’m glad we offer these classes for our students.”

These classes are slightly different than fall or spring courses. Whether online or in-person, summer courses are accelerated versions of their school-year counterparts.

“We do the same lab in about the same order, the same lectures and same types of activities. I don’t teach the class any differently other than faster,” explained Dr. Beth Winters-Rozema, who also is a biology instructor.

ECC Teachers have noticed their students have no trouble keeping up with the accelerated pace.

“I have just as many if not more successful students in the summer than in other semesters. Even though it’s compacted into eight weeks, they still do well,” biology professor Tracy Mowery clarified.

Pulles noted that test scores in his summer classes are comparable to scores during the rest of the year.

Dr. Winters-Rozema also stated having students who are successful regardless of the shortened time period.

“There are somethings students do better because of the increased pace. They can tie concepts together easier because what they learned wasn’t as long ago,” explained Dr. Winters-Rozema.

Students understand that taking a summer class means midterms and finals come up faster and they don’t have quite as much time to study in between tests, but it doesn’t seem to faze them.

“I don’t find it more difficult to focus on classwork in the summer-time. I can still have fun on the weekends and concentrate on school during the week,” said ECC student Dustin Lindsay. “You can’t procrastinate in the summer, so you have to be better about managing your time. Overall, though, it’s not hard.”

Many instructors at ECC enjoy teaching so much that they don’t mind working during the summers they would otherwise have off. Their love for teaching leads them to continuing in the summer.

“I like having the option to take a summer off, but I never want to. I have only taken off one summer in the last 13 years so I must enjoy it!” said Mowery. “Teaching is always different. While the content might not change much in science, your students are always changing which makes class different every semester which I like.”

Pulles enjoys the connections he makes with students and wouldn’t want to go three months without.

“It’s nice interacting with students and I would miss those interactions if I didn’t teach in the summer,” he explained.

ECC Theatre to Present ‘GRITS: The Musical’

July 15, 2021 | Campus News Performing Arts Theatre

The East Central College Theatre Department will present “GRITS: The Musical” for its summer performance.

“Grits: The Musical” is based on the popular book “GRITS (Girls Raised in the South) Friends Are Forevah,” and it follows four Southern women from four different generations as they reminisce about their pasts and speak to their futures.

The performances will be July 22- 24 at 8 p.m. and July 25 at 2 p.m. in the John Anglin Performing Arts Center in Hansen Hall.

The show is being directed by John Anglin, and it stars four female leads: Charlotte, Rebecca Brinker; Georgia, Bethany Herron; Virginia, Patty Kellmann and Florence “Flo,” Shanee Haynes.

Herron also is choreographing the show.

“This is a family-oriented show,” Anglin said. “It is fun to see these four women reminiscing through modern monologue about growing up in the South.”

The performance was slated for last year, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anglin noted that he had to recast part of the cast that originally had been slated to perform in 2020, but the cast and crew is ready for the performance.

He added that the ECC production has a few differences compared to the original musical.

“The set is quite different than the original production, which was just four stools,” Anglin said. “Our set includes a façade of a house and a porch — and we use a lot of slides from the 50s in the South.”

The music director for the performance is Paula Nolley and the stage manager is Madison Skiljan. The scenic designer is Sylvia Sellers, lighting designer is Baylee Speer, sound is by Jarred Smider and scenic painting is by Vince Neihaus.

Set Construction was done by Anglin and Scott Mirly, costumes were done by Kellmann, Vickie Danley and Carol Buescher; and Herron is the social media coordinator for the performance.

The band for “GRITS” is Paula Nolley, piano; Colton Lutz, guitar, Cole Parsons, bass; and Colton Johnson, percussion.

New Skipper to Lead the ECC Baseball Squad

July 13, 2021 | Athletics Campus News

The East Central College Baseball Falcons will have a new leader in the dugout for the first baseball squad at ECC in 20 years.

Coach Johnathan Mills was hired last week to replace Brandon Rains who took a coaching and faculty position at Amarillo College in Texas.

ECC Athletic Director Dr. Jay Mehrhoff said Mills is a life-long baseball player and coach.

“It has always been his goal to guide a program at the intercollegiate level after years of being in the game,” Mehrhoff said. “Now he will be at the helm of the ECC Falcons newly reinstated baseball program this fall.”

Mills is familiar with many of the recruits since he was named as a volunteer assistant in the fall of 2020.

Mills is a native of Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., but played his high school baseball at Tuscaloosa High School and began his collegiate playing career at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

While finishing up his last two years of his undergraduate degree at the University of Alabama he served as a student assistant on Jim Wells baseball staff for the Crimson Tide. The team had success and participated in the New Orleans Regional and Tuscaloosa Super-Regional in 2005-07.

Following graduation, Mills spent the last 13 years in travel and legion baseball, high school and NCAA Division II baseball in the southeastern part of the United States.

Coach Mills earned a bachelor’s degree in consumer science and health studies from the University of Alabama. He completed a master’s degree in management from Troy University in Troy, Ala.

Baseball Reinstated

In 2019 the ECC Board of Trustees reinstated baseball at ECC beginning the 2021-22 academic year. The team will have a roster of 35 players.

The baseball program was cut in 2001 due to budget cuts after starting in 1974. Notable baseball alumni from that era include former Toronto Blue Jay and St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Tom Henke and former major leaguer Omir Santos who played with the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians.

In June, trustees approved a bid for a turf infield on the baseball field at ECC’s main campus in Union. The project will be funded by the ECC Foundation’s baseball campaign funds and matched by the Foundation to cover any amount over budget.

Hundreds of ECC Students Receive Emergency Financial Aid

July 12, 2021 | Campus News

Spring semester East Central College students received a total of $825,515 in emergency federal financial aid funds to ease the impact COVID-19 had on them.

There were 652 students who each received between $830 to $1685, depending on their financial aid status., through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act.

The CRRSA Act provided the funding for students to help ease any financial burden because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students can use the funding for many reasons, including emergency costs that arise due to the coronavirus, as well as food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or childcare.

“It’s important for us to distribute this money to our students, while many of them are taking classes, they are also working part-time or full-time,” said Dr. Jon Bauer, ECC president. “COVID-19 has affected each of them in different ways, and the funding will help alleviate some financial stress.”

The college also has $3,115,247 in emergency student financial aid funding provided through the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP). The ARP funding will be distributed to students during the upcoming academic year.

“We are waiting for some guidance to determine what time during the upcoming year that students would be eligible to receive the financial aid funds,” says Dr. Bauer.

Last October $825,587 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act dollars were disbursed to a group of eligible 2020 fall semester students. Overall, East Central College received a total of $4,766,569 in emergency student financial aid awards.