JSU Campus Reopening Information

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff, 

As announced yesterday in an email, JSU’s campus will begin reopening on Monday, May 18, after operating remotely for nearly two months due to COVID-19. We ask that offices maintain regular hours to assist students Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. While some areas of campus will be phased back in between now and June 1, all student service areas and frontline offices will be open beginning on Monday. 

When visiting campus, students and guests will be asked to maintain at least six feet of distance between themselves and others, use the hand sanitizer stations installed throughout the buildings, and wear a face mask when possible. Employees will also be following these guidelines. We encourage all of you to continue to practice good handwashing hygiene, cover your cough, and stay home if sick.

We have the following updates from across campus.

Library: Beginning May 18, the Houston Cole Library will be open only to faculty, staff and students with JSU ID, with the following schedule: Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Sunday, 2-6 p.m. 

Bookstore: Beginning May 18, the Campus Bookstore will be open Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Customers will be required to wear face masks to enter the Bookstore. Contactless payment and receipt options will be available. Book sales for the Summer 2020 semester will be processed online only. The central warehouse is currently striving to ship all orders within 1-2 days. Students may use financial aid this summer to purchase textbooks, supplies, laptops and more, through June 23. Book buybacks for the Spring 2020 semester will begin on May 18 and run throughout the Fall 2020 semester. A valid JSU student ID is required to participate. The deadline to return spring textbook rentals is June 15. Students may mail rentals back to the Bookstore with a complementary return label or return rentals in person, beginning May 18. 

Dining: Sodexo will provide food service to campus this summer through the Jack Hopper Dining Hall and WOW. Jack Hopper Dining Hall will be open May 13-July 23, Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5-6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. WOW will be open May 15-July 19, Friday-Sunday, 12-7 p.m. 

Rec Center: The Recreation and Fitness Center will reopen on May 18 with reduced capacity and reduction of services. Strength and cardio equipment will be spaced appropriately and pool usage will be modified for social distancing. Locker rooms, showers, steam rooms, and hot tubs will be closed, and towel service will not be available. Only the outer lane of the track may be used, except when passing. The climbing wall will not be open. Basketball and racquetball courts are available for individual use by appointment (reserve a court by calling 256-782-8689). The Adventure Recreation Center will provide equipment checkout by appointment (call 256-782-8690 to schedule pickup). View hours of operation online.

Tutoring: The Division of Student Success has partnered with tutor.com to provide free online learning support to students during Summer 2020. More than 3,000 online tutors are available by appointment 24/7 to assist with a variety of subjects, including mathematics, science, world languages, computer science, nursing and health sciences, history, social sciences, literature, and business. For access, log in to Canvas, click the tutor.com link located in the navigation menu, create an account or sign in to tutor.com, and click on “Connect with a Tutor.” Contact Debra James at dmjames@jsu.edu for more information. 

Writing Assistance: For the first time, JSU’s Department of English will operate its Writing Center during  the summer semester. Virtual consultations are available by appointment Monday-Thursday, from May 13 to July 17 (except for Memorial Day). Students of any major may receive help on any type of writing task at any stage of the writing process, including understanding assignments, brainstorming, developing ideas, organization, integrating sources, proper citation, revision strategies, and grammar review. The Writing Center also provides assistance with APA and MLA styles, as well as multi-modal projects and speeches. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit the Writing Center webpage. For questions, contact Mysti Nichols, Writing Center Coordinator, at mnichols1@jsu.edu
 
Credits and Payments: The summer payment deadline is May 21. Prorated housing and meal plan credits from the spring semester have now been applied to the accounts of qualifying students. Students who graduated in spring should receive a refund for prorated housing and meal plan funds, if applicable, by the end of May. Please make sure JSU has your updated address or direct deposit information.

CARES Act Funds: The US Congress has allocated funds to assist college students during this time of economic insecurity. JSU has not yet received these funds from the federal government. It has also not been determined which students will qualify, although we do know it will be needs-based. The university will distribute additional information to students as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, students are encouraged to apply for assistance from the JSU Student Emergency Fund if they need financial assistance to meet immediate, essential expenses because of a temporary hardship.

If you have additional questions, please reply to this email, and the Public Relations staff will assist me in getting you the answers you need. Also, please join the JSU Administration on Monday, May 18, at 6 p.m. for a Virtual Town Hall on JSU’s Instagram page, where we will answer your questions live. 

We hope that everyone is having a great first day of summer classes. 

Sincerely, 

Dr. Don C. Killingsworth, Jr.
Acting President