Warhawk Weekly 8–4: Commencement postponed; Readers’ Choice Awards; COVID-19 test

AUM postpones August commencement ceremony

Auburn University at Montgomery’s combined spring and summer commencement ceremony in celebration of 2020 graduates has been postponed indefinitely due to public health concerns associated with large indoor gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as recent interstate travel restrictions.

The ceremony had been scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 15, at Montgomery’s Garrett Coliseum.

All Spring and Summer 2020 graduates will be welcome to participate in a future commencement ceremony.

The university regrets any inconvenience the postponement may have caused graduating students, as well as their family and friends. No decision has been made regarding AUM’s December 2020 commencement ceremony. AUM officials will continue to monitor guidance from public health officials.

University nominated for 2020 MGM Impact Makers Award

We’re proud to have been nominated for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce 2020 MGM Impact Makers award in the Large Business category.

For 50 years, AUM has prided itself on being a good neighbor and trusted community partner. Learn more about the awards and don’t forget to vote!

AUM tops Montgomery Advertiser Readers’ Choice Awards poll

You voted and it made a difference.

Voters in the Montgomery Advertiser’s 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards have selected Auburn University at Montgomery as the top university in Alabama’s River Region for the third consecutive year.

More than 100,000 votes are cast in the poll, which identifies the top schools, businesses and service providers in Montgomery’s tri-county area. The results were published in the July 26 edition of the Advertiser.

“We pride ourselves on being a good neighbor and trusted community partner,” AUM Chancellor Carl A. Stockton said. “The results of this poll indicate that members of our community believe we are delivering on our promise of helping graduates of local high schools and community colleges realize their educational and professional aspirations.”

Read more about the Readers’ Choice Awards.

Students: Don’t forget to schedule your free COVID-19 test

All Auburn University at Montgomery students coming to campus for the Fall 2020 semester are required to take a COVID-19 test.

GuideSafe Entry Testing is available to students free of charge. Students may elect to test elsewhere and submit their negative results to Warhawk Health Services located in Moore Hall, Room 102 prior to the first day of class or move-in to housing.  Each student must have a negative test result to return to campus.

Housing students will receive further information from AUM’s Office of Housing and Residence Life.

AUM students ages 19 and under will need parental consent before scheduling their testing date. Please have your parents complete and virtually sign the three consent forms located here.

The consent forms will automatically come to GuideSafe^TM Testing once submitted.

Testing will begin the first week of August, but students should not test more than 14 days before coming to campus. You will soon receive additional information from GuideSafe^TM that will enable you to schedule your test. Test kits will be mailed to out-of-state students, while international students will receive specific instructions on testing from AUM’s Office of Global Initiatives.

Test sites will be located throughout the state beginning August 4. The Baptist Campus Ministry building, located at the intersection of University Drive and Senators Drive across from the AUM Baseball Complex, will also serve as a test location for the campus community.

If your test results are negative, you will be cleared to come to campus. If your results are positive, you will need to contact Warhawk Health Services for follow-up care and clearance before entering campus. Warhawk Health Services will provide guidance on self-isolating and caring for yourself during this time. Students who take a test with a personal healthcare provider within 14 days of returning to campus may contact Warhawk Health Services to submit their results.

Students who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 12 weeks do not need to be re-tested at this time. If you tested positive within that time frame, or choose to test with your personal healthcare provider and receive a negative result, have your physician send the results to Warhawk Health Services.

Additional details about the testing program, COVID-19 self-screening resources, AUM’s face mask and social distancing policies, and more are available on our Back to Campus web page.

Got a question? Reach out through the Ask AUM portal.

Lowe inducted into Alabama Sports Hall of Fame

Q.V. Lowe built AUM’s baseball program from the ground up, winning more than 1,000 games, claiming six conference championships and earning three NAIA World Series berths in 27 seasons.

All of that adds up to enshrinement in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. WSFA-TV caught up with Coach Lowe, who retired after the 2014 season, before he was joined the hall of fame’s 2020 induction class last weekend.

Watch the interview with WSFA.

Register your vehicle for the 2020-2021 academic year

AUM students and employees can now register their vehicles online through the MyAUM/Webster portal before picking up their parking decals.

If you haven’t registered your vehicle online previously, you will be able to register it during one of the designated decal pickup times. Bring your vehicle’s information (tag number, year, make, model, and color) with you so AUM Police can register the vehicle.

Decal registration and pickup times:

Students, faculty and staff can pick up parking decals for the 2020-2021 academic year and receive assistance with vehicle registration at the AUM Café (Taylor Center), from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., on the following dates:

• Monday, August 10
• Wednesday, August 12
• Friday, August 14
• Tuesday, August 18
• Wednesday August 19
• Friday, August 21

Beginning Monday, Aug. 24, parking decals and hang tags can be picked up at the AUM Police office in Taylor Center 267.

Non-resident student parking permits: Payment is not required when you pick up your decal; the parking decal fee is charged to your student account. For questions about your student account, please contact the Student Accounts office.

Resident students: There will be no additional charge for residential parking permits. Resident Student parking permits are restricted to residential lots only and do not include general parking lots or the Wellness Center lot. If you wish to add a general parking pass that allows you to park on campus outside of Housing lots, you may register for the Housing/General permit. The additional fee will be charged to your student account.

Any student who purchases an AUM License Plate will received their General Parking Permit for free. The fees will be adjusted when the permit is picked up.

Faculty/staff general permits: Parking for faculty and staff members who register for a General permit is restricted to white-lined parking spaces.

Faculty/staff reserved permits: Faculty/staff reserved parking spaces (orange-lined spaces) are available for $75 per academic year. Faculty/staff members who are re-registering an AUM License Plate will only pay a $5 administrative fee. Faculty/staff who register an AUM License plate for the first time will receive a reserved parking decal and hang tag at no charge. All fees will be adjusted when the parking permits are picked up.

Coping with PTSD and pandemic fatigue during COVID-19

With no end in sight to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is common for people to begin to experience pandemic fatigue and stress, says Auburn University at Montgomery psychology professor Peter Zachar.

Five months into the COVID-19 crisis, people still need to practice social distancing at school, in stores and in the workplace to prevent the virus’ spread, resulting in many people having increased anxiety and depression related to isolation, a lost sense of control, and the inability to have choices, Zachar said.

“When large-scale disasters such as COVID-19 occur, they are usually long-lasting and create widespread disruption of everyday life, leaving people with high levels of uncertainty and placing more people at an increased risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder,” he said. “In terms of disasters, COVID-19 is potentially pretty severe.”

The good news is that typically two-thirds of people have a “resilience trajectory” despite considerable stress, and eventually adapt enough to maintain functionality, research shows. Another 25 percent have a recovery trajectory in which they develop significant symptoms, but regain adaptive functioning once the stress is alleviated, Zachar said.

“Some people unfortunately will continue to experience symptoms, which become chronic,” he said. “Time will tell if the all-encompassing nature of this pandemic results in different outcomes than are typical.”

Read more about Zachar’s expertise.

2020-2021 academic calendar available

AUM’s Fall 2020 Academic Calendar has been modified to end face-to-face class meetings no later than Friday, Nov. 20.

This adjustment will impact all traditional and hybrid courses offered full-term and second half-term. Classes will make the transition to being fully online beginning November 30.