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Biology Major Update 3.24.2020

Dear Biology Majors,

Welcome back.  We hope that you are doing as well as possible during this challenging time. We also hope that you have found a safe and comfortable place to stay during this period of social distancing – remember to be smart and stay 6 feet apart.

If you need help securing basic needs (housing, food, etc.), please know the University of Mississippi is ready to assist. The University maintains a website that brings together information and resources to help you through this time: https://olemiss.edu/keeplearning/support.html

Our Department is also keeping a COVID-19 Student resource page for your support: https://biology.olemiss.edu/covid-19-update/

Please go to the University’s main for the most up-to-date information, including the current University status: https://coronavirus.olemiss.edu/

Stay Healthy:

It is an important time for you and for all those around you to remain well and free of the COVID-19 virus. Please remember, that you can carry the virus and be infectious, even without any symptoms.  Things that you can do to remain healthy include:

  1. Washing your hands frequently to remove virus particles.
  2. Avoid large gatherings where you can become infected, or infect many others.
  3. Maintain Social Distance – Be smart, stay 6 feet apart.
  4. Maintain a good and healthy diet – keep your immune system strong.
  5. Maintain a regular sleep schedule – reduce common stressors.By doing these things, you can help reduce the spread of the virus, help maintain your health and the health of all those around you, and help keep our medical system operating to help those in need.

Keep Learning:
As Biology faculty, we believe that your education is highly important for your future, and the future of our society.  We recognize there are many things that are going to make continuing your courses challenging: emotions related to this unprecedented moment, internet difficulties, becoming ill or caring for loved ones who are ill, caring for loved ones who are now home, etc.   We are here to help you.

Things for you to do: 

  1. Check your go.olemiss.edu email regularly for updates from your course instructor, academic advisor, department, or university.
  2. Check Blackboard for course updates, discussion board posts, and new assignments.
  3. Contact your instructors if you are having difficulties with any aspect of your courses. Please know that if you have any additional questions or concerns, as the Chair of the Department, I am here to help! Contact us at biology@olemiss.edu. We will get back to you within 24 hours.
  4. Our College of Liberal Arts Student Advising office is also ready to help with advising, graduation, and course registration or other questions. See contact information here: https://libarts.olemiss.edu/covid-19/
  5. The University’s “Keep Learning” site provides excellent suggestions for making the transition to this new learning environment and includes an extensive list of resources to help you in any number of ways: https://olemiss.edu/keeplearning/
  6. In the coming weeks, some announcements that would previously have been posted on a board by the elevators or within the student lounge, will now be posted on Social Media, so please make sure you follow Biology on Instagram and Facebook.

Please remember to care for yourself and the people around you. When possible: take walks outside, maintain a good sleep schedule, relax when you can, and continue to interact with people, even virtually.

We will be posting announcements on Social Media and the Department’s COVID-19 Student Resource Page (https://biology.olemiss.edu/covid-19-update/), and emailing these announcements so that we can stay in touch this semester.

We wish you a successful end of the semester and we are here to help.

Sincerely,

Gregg Roman, Ph.D.

Professor and Chair of Biology

The University of Mississippi

Department of Biology

P.O. Box 1848

214 Shoemaker Hall

University, MS 38677-1848

662-915-7203