GRCC planning student vaccination incentive and campus clinics, requiring face coverings indoors to combat COVID-19 variant

Grand Rapids Community College is offering an incentive to encourage students to get the COVID-19 vaccine and plans on-campus vaccination clinics as part of efforts to keep the campus safe.

Vaccines have been determined to be the most effective tool in stopping the spread of COVID-19 and preventing serious illness and hospitalization. As of Tuesday, GRCC is requiring that everyone on campus wear face coverings when indoors, following a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kent and Ottawa counties were moved into the “substantial” category for risk transmission.

Students who have already received the vaccine or who are fully vaccinated by Nov. 15 will receive a $200 credit on their RaiderCard accounts to use for campus dining, parking, printing, and in the bookstore.

The incentive will be available for students enrolled for the fall 2021 semester. The college is using federal Strengthening Institutions Program Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds for the project.

“An increased number of students and employees are coming back to campus this fall as we emerge from the pandemic,” GRCC President Bill Pink said. “We believe vaccines are the best way to assure students are able to successfully engage in on-campus learning and participate in campus activities. Vaccines are readily available, and we’ll provide vaccinations here on campus to make sure everyone has the opportunity to get one. Promoting vaccines is one more thing we can do to keep our campus safe.”

Vaccination location information is available at vaccinatewestmi.com.

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Tech Tip: Employee Separations

Do you have an employee who is leaving, transferring positions or retiring and want to make sure their access is removed for the systems they used? Here are some things to know about removing employees’ access.

Network Accounts: To have access removed from an employee’s network account, supervisors should fill out the Employee Separation service form upon transfer to another department, separation with the college or retirement. This would include access to systems such as Peoplesoft, Web Editing Access, Document Imaging and shared Network Drives. To submit an Employee Separation, visit the IT Customer Support Portal.

Google Groups: Each Google Group has one or more managers that controls the access of the Group. If you have someone that needs to be removed from a Group, one of the Group managers should be notified and they can remove them from the Group. If you are not sure who the manager of a Group is, click the Member tab in a Group and the Manager(s) will be listed there.

Email: An employee’s email access will automatically be removed when an Employee Separation request is processed. Separations are processed on the effective date which is typically the day after the employee’s last day. Supervisors should coordinate with their employee before the date of separation to transfer important departmental emails.

For other great tips, visit the IT Customer Support Portal and search the Knowledge Base for other articles.

The Quiet Cafe closed August 12 through August 29

The Quiet Cafe will be closed August 12 through August 29, then re-open on the first day of the Fall Semester, August 30.

Student Organization renewal/activation window is open

All new and returning student organizations must be registered or re-registered to benefit from being a student organization. Any students looking to renew a student organization or form a new one can look up the requirements on the Student Life webpage.

To renew or create a new student organization, you can log in to Raider Connect, then navigate to the student organization registration page. There is no longer a deadline to renew/create a student organization, but all student organization related activity requires annual renewal/activation. Your student organization must renew in order to take advantage of the benefits of being a registered student organization!

Perks of being a registered student organization:

• Reserve space on campus for meetings and events
• Table to recruit students to your organization
• Post flyers up of your student organization
• Travel as a student organization
• Ask for funding for meetings, events, and conferences
• Fundraise on campus (use of cash box, and RaiderCard readers)
• Use of storage space

If you have questions, please let us know by calling 616-234-4160, emailing studentlife@grcc.edu or stopping by our office; first floor of the Student Center! We’re excited to see you.

Coming Soon: Fall 2021 employee learning opportunities

Coming to an Online Center enrollment tile near you! Your patience is appreciated as an excellent schedule of learning opportunities for faculty and staff is curated and developed. 

New sessions on new topics as well as popular favorites will be available this Fall. Some are in person, others are virtual.

Watch for another announcement in GRCC Today when the sessions are open for registration — it should be by the end of this month!

Any requests? Questions? Contact angelasalinas@grcc.edu

Thank you for your support of employee learning!

Tech Tip: Student employee access extension

Do you have a student employee who will be working with you again next semester? Now is the perfect time to request for their access to be extended with the IT department! If you weren’t aware, access for student employees is only granted on an academic semester basis. 

We’ve simplified the process for you! Please navigate to the Network Account Provisioning Form  on our Support Portal and under request type select extend current access. From there you add the student’s information and submit the request. IT will make sure your student employee’s access is extended for them when they come back to work the next semester. 

For other great tips, visit the IT Customer Support Portal and search the Knowledge Base for other articles.

If you have a suggestion or a Technology Tip you think can be useful, you can submit them by emailing techtips@grcc.edu 

Volunteers needed for Information Stations Aug. 23-27 and Aug. 30-Sept. 1

It’s that time: We are looking for volunteers to help with the Information Stations! As you may know, volunteers at the Information Stations help our students feel welcome and find their way around campus. This will be especially important this semester!

This year, we are holding an information table outside of the new Enrollment Center prior to Fall start. The first three days of Fall start will be the stations set up around campus like in the recent past. As you look at the volunteer sign-up sheet, please take note of the two different tabs to sign up accordingly!

RJF Info Station: August 23-27 from 10:00am-3:00pm
Semester Start Stations: August 30-September 1 from 7:00am-6:30pm

Sign up here

Details about Information Stations that may look a bit different this semester:
We are inviting two volunteers to each station, but please prioritize filling each station so we can guarantee coverage for the 2-hour commitments.

1. Please follow the current campus protocols while working at the information station to minimize contact and germ spreading.
2. Each station will have two tables and 2 chairs in addition to plexiglass barriers and signs indicating wayfinding.
3. Instead of having a binder of information that everyone thumbs through, a Google doc. will have all relevant information.This will allow us to keep information up-to-date as things change.
4. Please bring your GRCC-issued laptop or tablet to access the Google doc. of information (again, to minimize the spread of germs).
5. Handouts at each station will include campus maps, Sneden shuttle flyers and GetHelp cards.
6. Please plan on bringing your own water and snacks as these will not be provided.

There will be hand sanitizer at each table. We will also have antibacterial wipes so the table can be wiped down at the end of each shift.

GRCC In the News, 08/10/2021

GRCC requires masks indoors, announces vaccine incentive

August 09, 2021; WOOD TV

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Grand Rapids Community College will be offering students a $200 credit to get the COVID-19 vaccine but not requiring vaccinations for the fall.

Grand Rapids Community College offering $200 campus credit to all students who get COVID-19 vaccine

August 09, 2021; MLive

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Grand Rapids Community College is giving $200 in campus credit to all students who are vaccinated against COVID-19.

GRCC requiring masks indoors this fall, offering incentives to get COVID-19 vaccine

August 09, 2021; FOX 17

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Community College is requiring masks indoors to combat the delta variant of COVID-19, as well as offering incentives to encourage students to get vaccinated.

Here’s how vaccinated college students can get a $10 Meijer coupon

August 09, 2021; WZZM

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As more colleges and universities make COVID-19 vaccinations a requirement, Meijer is offering students $10 off any purchase when they complete the process. 

… Grand Rapids Community College also announced a vaccine incentive program Monday. Grand Valley State University announced last week it ill require the COVID-19 vaccine for all students, staff and faculty by Sept. 30. 

Meijer hopes $10 coupons encourage college students to get vaccinated

August 09, 2021; WOOD TV

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Meijer says it will give a $10 coupon to college students who get their COVID-19 vaccinations at a Meijer pharmacy.

… Some Michigan colleges, including the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Grand Valley State University, are requiring all students, staff and faculty to get vaccinated. While Grand Rapids Community College is not requiring the shots, it is offering a $200 credit to students who get them.

Grab a $1 coffee or treat as reimagined Momentum Café opens

August 09, 2021; secondwavemedia.com

More than a year after closing because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Momentum Café in Grand Haven has reopened with more space, a larger menu, expanded training for member volunteers, and a new manager.

… Joe Carmolli is the café’s new manager. A graduate of the University of Vermont and the
Culinary School at Kendall College in Evanston, Illinois, Carmolli moved to Grand Haven in 1998 as a catering chef. He has been a culinary educator since 2001 at Careerline Tech Center, Grand Haven, as well as at Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College.