The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 9

October 6, 2020 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 3 News News Briefs Get the scoop on events happening on campus Beach Clean Up On Oct. 10 at 9 a.m., NSU’s Freedom Sharks and Green Sharks will host a beach clean up at Hollywood Beach. Individuals interested in attending the event are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles and gloves. Follow@nsu.green.sharks on Instagram for more information. Digressions accepting submissions Digressions Literary and Arts Journal is accepting submissions for Volume 18. Students interested can submit original works of poetry, short fiction, creative essays, dramatic scenes, artwork and photography for consideration. Interested students can learn more information or upload their submissions here. As well as submissions, Digressions is also looking for reviewers that want to be a part of the editorial team. Students interested in reviewing or who have additional questions may reach out to Mario D’Agostino at mdagost0@nova.edu or the Director of Digressions, Athena Edwards at ae665@mynsu.nova.edu. Alvin Sherman Library is a voting site for upcoming election The Alvin Sherman Library has been selected as an Official Polling Site for the upcoming general election and as an early voting site. The site will be available Oct. 19 - Nov. 1 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for early voting opportunities and 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. Voters may also deliver vote- by-mail ballots at any early voting location, including the Alvin Sherman Library. Mask Competition open for voting As part of the Return of the Sharks Initiative, NSU has asked students and “Doing the right thing:” COVID-19 Update Between the new BlendFlex model, classroom capacities, limited gathering sizes and masks covering the faces of every Shark, it’s hard to miss the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on NSU . As of Oct. 3, NSU did not currently have any confirmed COVID-19 cases or quarantines within the residential halls or among any undergraduate professors. Beth Welmaker, the executive director of environmental health and safety for NSU, stated that, while the low number of total cases are considered positive news for NSU’s campus, she wants the community to know that the university is here to support anyone coming forward with a positive or potential case of COVID-19. “I’m very encouraged and happy that we don’t have cases right now on campus, but I do hope, earnestly, that it’s not for a lack of willingness to report a positive status. I think that NSU has done a phenomenal job of supporting students during the time of isolation and there hasn’t been any punitive action. I would hope that our students would be willing to reach out for that care and support rather than trying to go about it on their own,” said Welmaker. An NSU student, who asked to remain anonymous, reported that they felt the university was taking the right precautions when it came to handling their “case.” The student was ill and had symptoms of COVID-19, but did not test positive for the virus, and out of an abundance of caution, they decided to isolate and treat their illness as if it was a case of COVID-19. The student has completed their standard 10-day isolation period and in-person appointment, and are gradually transitioning back to partaking in in-person activities. “In terms of food delivery and making sure that I got a Telehealth appointment set up, [Welmaker] was really helpful that whole time… and the fact that we were required to take the Return of the Sharks course was really helpful because I knew what to do. In terms of [how my case was handled], I was very pleased with the resources,” the student said. Welmaker encourages students who have symptoms or any suspicion of COVID-19 to employees to send in photos of their face coverings for the “NSU Fabulous Face Cover Competition.” This competition is now inviting the NSU community to vote for the finalists here . The deadline for voting in this competition is Oct. 16 and prizes will be available for the winners. Second term scuba classes Offered at the RecWell, NSU students can participate in courses this semester to learn about and participate in Scuba diving. Term 2, starting the second week of October, marks the start of the Beginner Open Water Diver, Rescue Diver, Enriched Air Nitrox and the Dan Diving First Aid for professional divers courses. Students interested in participating or learning more about these courses can visit nsuaquatics. com for more information. reach out to NSU’s Telehealth line at (954) 262-4100 and COVIDcase@nova.edu for guidance and support. If it is determined that a test is necessary, students can get tested at the campus site, which has been delivering results in 24 hours. Additionally, staying diligent in preventing the spread of other illnesses, such as the flu or strep throat, is particularly important this year. “The flu is very serious for a lot of individuals as well, and it can be very confusing to determine if your symptoms are flu symptoms or COVID-19 symptoms, and they’re both respiratory viruses, which are both very debilitating,” said Welmaker. The student echoed Welmaker’s suggestions, encouraging other students to take COVID-19 seriously and do their part to protect the health and safety of the community. “Just continue to follow the guidelines that NSU is giving out. They have been very helpful so far with all of the resources they gave us, even before we got to school. Make sure you’re keeping your own circle and everyone around you as safe as possible [by] doing the right thing, not hanging around a bunch of people and only going out when you need to,” the student said. If a student is having any symptoms, they are advised to reach out to NSU’s Telehealth line at (954) 262-4100, where they will be connected to a physician who will review their symptoms and, if needed, schedule a COVID-19 test on campus. Additionally, students can email COVIDcase@nova.edu to provide updates on their symptoms and test results, even if the results are still pending, and to get assigned a COVID-19 case manager to oversee the situation and offer assistance, if necessary. Emailing COVIDcase will also immediately provide students with the Telehealth number, as well as links to employee and graduate/professional student report forms, the undergraduate student form and the form to report exposures. Additionally, to help find a clinic that offers the flu shot near you, visit the CDC’s vaccine finder widget online. By: Madelyn Rinka Co-Editor-in-Chief Shark Dining changes: more convenience, less hours Along with various other changes to on- campus experiences this semester at NSU, significant changes to the on-campus eateries and Shark Dining have been announced by the Office of Business Services. These new changes to Shark Dining are meant to reflect the current state of the university and provide a dining experience that is not only safe, but convenient and delicious. The most significant change to dining on campus is the implementation of the GET app, which allows students to order from their favorite eateries around campus for pick-up or residence hall delivery by using SharkCard funds. Students can use either their meal plan or their SharkCash when using the service. The GET app is available for both Apple and Android devices and instructions for installation posted by Shark Dining can be found here . “We have always talked about rolling an app out for delivery, but because of the pandemic, it was put on the front burner due to there being students who are concerned with food preparations or getting sick. This kind of fulfills that challenge. We want students to eat and feel comfortable eating, and this is a solution for students,” said Jason Fitch, resident district manager for Chartwells at NSU. Shark Dining has also announced changes to the hours of operation for the restaurant options around campus. “Some of the hours were abbreviated due to the lack of traffic on campus. It is just a temporary abbreviation of hours. What it really allows us to do is to focus on the high traffic areas during peak periods and serving students in those locations during that time,” said Fitch. The majority of options within Razor’s Reef will stay the same, in regards to their hours of operation, but branded restaurants, like Starbucks and Einstein Bros. Bagels, have had their hours reduced. Additionally, some locations will be permanently closed until further notice, including West End Deli, Supreme Court Cafe and the kiosks in the HPD and Parker building. A full list of hours can be found online on the Shark Dining website. “We are also held up to social distancing By: Rick Esner News Editor guidelines, so we can only have so many associates in a space during service times. This allows us to minimize our footprint of where we are serving on campus and focus on the most popular areas during those peak times,” Fitch further explained. It is worth noting that the GET app has yet to fully launch for all students. Fitch mentioned that he is hopeful for the app to be up and running for students to use sometime this week. PRINTED WITH PERMISSION BY F.SHABAN Order your on campus favorite foods on the GET app