5 Ways Xavier is Responding to the Pandemic — in Only the Ways We Can
Mar 18, 2020
It was 11:30 on a March evening when Kim Diehl’s cell phone rang.
“I’m at the airport,” said the voice on the line.
It was not her child calling her. It was one of her students, who was coming home early from a study abroad program, checking in.
You could say the late-night call was to be expected. Just days before, Diehl — who serves as the director for Xavier’s Center for International Education — actually gave out her cell phone number to all of the dozens of Musketeers studying abroad, as well as their families.
It’s just one of the ways Xavier staff and faculty responded to the COVID-19 pandemic — and they did it in ways that only Xavier could.
1. Reaching out to our students in different countries.
Diehl led the efforts in communicating with parents and students across the globe: Getting them home if they needed to, making sure they were okay if they were in a different country. And yes, she went so far as to give out her personal cell number, which resulted in some late-night calls.
“We’re working with each student to find the best solution for them,” she said. “It’s nice for them to have a calm voice of reason when things get stressful.”
Yes, that does sound nice, doesn’t it?
Xavier Nation, we are here to help! If you have questions or concerns about #COVID19 give us a call at 513-745-1010.
— Xavier University (@XavierU) March 13, 2020
A team of Xavier staff will be available to answer questions from Friday, March 13 through Monday, March 16 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. ET.
#AllForOne pic.twitter.com/rRNpYwegud
2. Creating a Call Center to answer questions.
In March, University officials created a hotline, which was staffed daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., to answer questions from students, parents, and others. Since then, hundreds of questions have been answered, making lots of people feel more at ease about the situation.
“When this is all over, I think what people will remember is how supportive everyone has been, and how relatively orderly we adjusted to a ‘new normal’ in a very unique circumstance,” parent Bob Helbig, of Milwaukee, wrote on Xavier’s Parent Facebook page. “THANK YOU to everyone at Xavier University for being responsive and honest.”
And let’s face it, it just made people feel good to be doing something.
“Volunteering in the Call Center was a way for me to live out cura personalis,” said Jessie Arnold, assistant director for Student Success. “As a success coach, I work to make every student feel valued and cared for and that was exactly what I was doing in the Call Center. I believe the value of the Call Center was that people knew they were being heard and receiving both compassion and clarity.”
Which led to a massive undertaking …
3. Calling all of our 4,500-plus undergraduate students — just to see if they’re okay.
Over the course of several weeks, Xavier faculty and staff called all of our undergraduate students, just to check up and make sure they were getting all of the necessary information about topics like housing and the new class schedule.
“Yes, I received quite a few calls from Xavier checking in on me,” said Aaliyah Davison, a Radiologic Technology major who will graduate in 2021. “They were just letting me know that they were there to answer any questions or concerns I had. They sounded very supportive.”
Aaliyah lives in Thurman, Ohio, about three hours southeast of Cincinnati.
“I’m doing well,” she said. “I feel less stressed about it all — everything gets better with time. Thank you again for reaching out. (Xavier is) doing a great job at keeping everyone updated.”
The feeling was mutual.
“I’m very proud of the fact Xavier had live people for them to talk to,” said Brian Maley, director of Alumni Relations. “It’s what we do. We take pride in the personal attention of our students — and it doesn’t end with a situation like this.”
But it turns out there were multiple populations of people affected by these events. Not just students — faculty, too.
4. Providing extra help for our professors.
Even before the decision was made to transfer all classes to an online format for the remainder of the semester, Xavier’s Provost communicated with faculty about the possibility of it occurring.
And when it became reality, Xavier wasted no time in providing the technology and training materials to assist its teachers in whatever ways they needed.
“Given the highly unusual and quick-changing circumstance, the University's response has been great,” said Wendy Maxian, PhD, associate professor and Chair of Communication. “The instructional continuity webpage and instructional technology’s online training sessions were up in a day, which is as impressive as it is selfless. The University is continuously updating those resources as well. The (Center for Teaching Excellence) has been sending daily emails and coordinating the purchase of teaching technologies, like document cameras, for home use.
“There have been a few bumps along the way, but those are expected,” she continued. “All the faculty I have talked to are beyond grateful for everyone who has supported the switch to online teaching. I feel so lucky to work for a place that comes together during a crisis and supports one another and our students.”
Still, support can be many things. And sometimes, you just need someone to talk to.
5. Counseling during a tough time.
It’s called video teletherapy.
Basically, it’s a HIPAA-approved, video-conferencing feature that Xavier’s Counseling Services is using to help its patients through this crisis.
“We understand that now, more than ever, our Xavier students may need access to our assistance,” said Jamie Baxter, director of Xavier’s Counseling Services. “We are pleased to be able to offer free, HIPAA-compliant teletherapy services, which allows for our students to connect remotely with one of our therapists.”
To request an appointment, and to get step-by-step instructions on how to sign up, call 513-745-3022, extension 2.
And as an added bonus, it may be worthwhile for everyone to follow all of the University’s social media. You may just come upon the recipe for a treat. For those missing their chocolate chip cookie fix from The Caf, Hoff Dining Hall baker Maria Freese has revealed the recipe on Facebook:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temp
- 10 oz light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 pound all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips
From Freese: Cream the butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy. Add all the other ingredients, slowly mix until they start to come together (don't want the flour blowing up everywhere). It'll look crumbly and a little dry. Then turn the mixer up to medium speed, mix until the dough gets soft and starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. Bake at 300 degrees, time may vary depending on your oven but ours are baked for 12 minutes for 1 1/2 oz cookies.
“It's simple, it's easy and the ingredients shouldn't be too hard to scrounge up,” Freese said. “It’s a great way to kill an afternoon and get a taste of simpler times.”
By Ryan Clark, Office of Marketing and Communications