William Jewell College started its first week of school Aug. 26 with mostly in-person classes for the fall semester. Prior to starting school, the College administered mandatory COVID-19 tests for all employees and student-athletes, while remaining students could opt for voluntary testing. 

According to the Jewell Coronavirus Response page, during the time frame of Aug. 22 to Sept. 6, there were 817 total COVID-19 tests administered to Jewell students and staff. Out of these tests, there were 11 student positives and 1 employee positive. This translates to a 1.3 percent positivity rate. Currently, the rate of positive cases on campus is zero. 

The COVID-19 policies to be followed on-campus were published in a July 31 guide by Jewell’s Operational Planning Team. These policies include socially distanced classrooms, mandatory facial coverings and added barriers in common areas. 

Joseph Garcia, vice president of operations and finance, said that Jewell’s low positivity rate is evidence of compliance with COVID-19 protocols. 

“Our Operation Safe Campus procedures have been mostly followed for which we are grateful.  Compared to other schools we are doing well,” Garcia said. “One measurement is the relatively low # (number) of positive cases that we’ve had so far, about a 1 percent positivity rate. That doesn’t just happen. It takes students, faculty, and staff doing the basics like wearing masks and social distancing, monitoring symptoms, etc and being personally accountable for the greater good.”

Similarly, Ernie Stufflebean, director of residence life, said that he has received positive feedback about how well the COVID-19 procedures are being followed in residence halls.

“Based on feedback from RA’s, RD’s and House Managers, it seems that residential students are doing a good job of following the College’s Operation Safe Campus plan,” Stufflebean said. “Staff are trained to educate residential students about the plan and to remind them of the guidelines if a resident is operating outside of the plan.” 

COVID-19 procedures for residence halls include maintaining social distancing and appropriate hygiene measures, as well as the exclusion of non-resident guests from residence halls. The specific protocols for residence halls can be found on the “Campus Resident Resource” page on Moodle.

“We received specific feedback on some of our quarantine actions that we’ve modified as a result,” said Garcia regarding whether any changes to COVID protocols will be made. 

These modifications include organizing ways for students to receive food without coming into contact with others and setting up an outdoor area for students quarantining to safely get fresh air. Browning Hall is the dedicated space on-campus for students to isolate or quarantine should the need arise.

Though Jewell is currently reporting zero active COVID-19 cases, this should not lead students and staff into complacency or a false sense of security. 

“While there may be no current cases on campus, we must continue to follow our Operation Safe Campus plan and take all necessary precautions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” Stufflebean said. “I think communicating the on-going status is important for a number of reasons, but we cannot become complacent when there are no active cases on campus. As we’ve seen, this can quickly change with just one positive case.”

Garcia points to continued testing as a safety measure necessary to contain the threat on-campus.

“There will be ongoing testing of students that will provide us a feedback loop on our procedures,” Garcia said. “Our student athletes are tested to follow NCAA guidelines for example. We are testing those that are about to end their quarantine period to add another layer of precaution. Regardless of these test results, we should not get complacent as we are fighting a formidable foe with the coronavirus. We’ve seen what can quickly happen at other colleges and universities.”

Jewell’s COVID-19 protocols, threat level, and campus updates can be found on the William Jewell Coronavirus response page. Additionally, The Hilltop Monitor publishes live updates about COVID-19 on-campus in a realtime blog.

Following what was initially intended to be an extended spring break, William Jewell College students were officially prohibited from residence halls as a result of risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. In mid-April, the College rolled out credits and refunds for the portion of time students were unable to live on campus.

Joe Garcia, vice president for finance and operations, notified students April 3 that the College’s normal refund policy would be suspended in light of the unprecedented conditions brought on by COVID-19. The refund policy for room and board has historically stated that students can receive refunds only up to the fourth week of classes, with the amount being refunded depreciating 15 to 25 percent from week to week. That is, 100 percent being refunded if the refund is requested prior to the first day of classes, 90 percent the first week, 75 percent the second week and 25 percent the third week. In its place, Garcia promised refunds for room and board costs for the eight remaining weeks of the spring semester.

In addition, the College raised the maximum account balance permitted for class registration to accommodate for students experiencing financial stress as a result of COVID-19. Typically, the maximum account balance permitted is $250, but Garcia announced in the April 3 email that this balance would be increased ten-fold to $2,500.

Returning students had the option to fill out a form requesting a refund instead of having credits automatically applied to their accounts, while non-returning students received a check in the mail. Approximately 10 percent of returning students requested a check, while the remaining 90 percent of returning students had the credit applied to their account.

The amount credited or refunded was equivalent to eight weeks of room and board charges, which vary according to which residence hall and meal plans students select. On average, the credit or refund was approximately $2,400. Students who had existing credits owed to the college saw their balance reduced by the credited amount.

Other colleges and universities in the area took slightly different approaches to calculating refunds. Rockhurst University in midtown Kansas City, Mo., for example, allotted refunds that amounted to 50 percent of  spring semester room and board fees. The University of Missouri – Columbia, allotted refunds amounting to 45 percent of spring semester on-campus housing fees for students who vacated their residence halls by April 3. 

Garcia commended the College’s business office for their quick and precise turnaround in doling out refunds following the news that students would not be returning for the remainder of the spring semester.

“The Business Office deserves credit for reviewing every account to ensure the credit was accurate and that refund checks were distributed expeditiously. They, as usual, did a great job,” Garcia said.

Garcia noted that the College lost $1.4 million in auxiliary revenue due to the refund rollout, which placed a significant amount of stress on the total operating budget. However, due to relief funds the College received from the Paycheck Protection Program, Garcia also acknowledged that some of this burden has been eased.

As part of its Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the federal government allotted $3.27 million to William Jewell College to cover employee paychecks during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the College received $707,592 as a part of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, $353,796 of which will be paid directly to students by the College.

Though a provision in the PPP Flexibility Act states that up to 40 percent of the funds may be used for non-payroll, operational expenditures, the College elected to allot all $3.27 million to employee paychecks. This full support for employee pay enabled the College to cover all employee payroll costs for over two months.

Funds from the PPP covered payment for both part-time and full-time non-student employees. Student workers, on the other hand, were paid separately through the Department of Education.

No Jewell employees were furloughed without pay as a result of the pandemic, but a small portion had to suspend work due to the cessation of campus operations in March. Before receiving the PPP stimulus, the College formulated a plan to utilize sick leave and vacation time to maximize payment for these employees while they were unable to work. However, upon receiving the stimulus, the College restored all sick leave and vacation time used by these employees.

Joe Garcia, vice president of operations and finance, said that all employees are likely to return to their jobs by Aug. 1 in preparation for the fall semester.

The US Congress set aside $14.25 billion for universities and colleges within the Education Stabilization Fund – a fund for educational institutions mandated by the HEERF portion of the CARES Act. Grants were then allocated to institutions based on a formula stipulated within the legislation.

The funding from HEERF is intended to cover expenses related to the disruption of campus activities as a result of COVID-19. The College has reserved exactly half of the $707,592 it received to be used for direct student payments.

Though individual circumstances vary, the College determined that all students were entitled to compensation due to financial disruptions caused by the coronavirus. Garcia confirmed that each student will be receiving, at minimum, around $580 through HEERF.

College employees reviewed student eligibility for funding through 2019-20 FAFSAs, and checks are expected to be sent out to students within the next two weeks.

Students who may need additional financial assistance can apply for a Professional Judgment (PJ). A PJ allows the College to review the individual circumstances of students beyond just the scope of their FAFSA information in order to decide if conditions are met for additional financial assistance. If they qualify, PJs can result in additional financial assistance through Title IV student aid.

Garcia noted that the College has gone to several additional lengths to lessen the financial burden of the coronavirus pandemic on students and employees.

“In response to COVID-19, the College conducted online campus visits, accepted unofficial transcripts for admittance, and waived all deposits.  We provided financial aid relief to incoming students experiencing hardship.  More exemptions were made to the on campus living requirement. We extended deadlines for other financial aid opportunities,” Garcia said.

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and William Jewell College’s subsequent closure, College departments donated unused personal protective equipment (PPE) to area hospitals. In all, Jewell donated hospital beds, nitrile gloves, latex gloves, goggles, N95 masks, surgical face masks, disposable lab coats, Clorox wipes, caps and gowns from the various participating departments. 

In addition to masks and gloves, the nursing department donated eight of the department’s hospital beds to Truman Medical Center. 

The biology and chemistry departments donated gloves, goggles, masks, disposable lab coats, Clorox wipes and bleach from among their leftover lab supplies to Liberty Hospital. 

Joe Garcia, chief operating officer of the College, is leading the efforts of both securing and donating PPE. 

“It was more of a department-level decision, but we coordinated the reporting,” Garcia said, when asked about the decision to donate supplies. 

In total, the various departments were able to donate 96 boxes of nitrile gloves, 54 boxes of latex gloves, 39 pairs of goggles, 59 N95 masks and other face masks, 140 disposable lab coats, seven canisters of Clorox wipes, 200 gowns and 170 gowns to hospitals around the Kansas City area. 

Dr. MacLeod Walls, president of the College, spoke to the Monitor about the importance for Jewell to donate supplies, both to assist healthcare workers and continue the relationship between William Jewell and the Kansas City community. 

“We were honored and pleased to help by marshaling resources and assisting our healthcare partners during the pandemic. This experience has reminded us how important these relationships are to William Jewell and to our larger community,” said MacLeod Walls. 

The donation of supplies not only helped local hospitals gain more vital supplies but also serves as a reminder of the importance of institutions like Jewell serving and working with the local community – especially during extreme circumstances.