On July 7, the Milligan Back to Home plan launched to the whole of the community. The plan itself is an extensive program aimed at eliminating the chances of an outbreak occurring on campus. The body of Milligan, from student to teacher, agreed to abide by the plan in hopes of minimizing contamination.
So far, the results have been pleasing as Bill Greer, president of Milligan University, in a recent email made the comment that no active cases have occurred on campus. Though plan A has been successful, the topic of a plan B has not been widely mentioned or discussed openly with the body of Milligan University. It may even raise the question, “is there a plan B at all?”
Lee Harrison, vice president for marketing and student enrollment with a doctorate in higher education leadership and management, in a recent interview shed light on this unique topic.
“We have a plan to accommodate the possibility of students needing quarantine and isolation,” Harrison said. “Whether it’s one or two or whether it’s more, our plans that we work on weekly is making sure to accommodate that and we have plans in place for that.”
When asked to elaborate on the significance of the word “accommodate,” Harrison explained it is a two part process. For potentially infected students, both physical and spiritual needs will be met via a specially created group that would take care of the quarantined students. The school nurse and the campus minister are just two examples of the individuals associated with the group.
The second part of the process would be to accommodate the student body itself. Harrison explained that much discussion goes into this topic. A lot of different options and ideas are explored regarding the student body to make sure their needs are met as well. As for a major outbreak plan, one has not officially been established, but Harrison assures this has not been left out of the planning. Harrison had this to say about a major outbreak plan B.
“There are definitely plans in place in all of our discussions and in our work that we did even back in the spring,” Harrison said. “If there were to be that level for Milligan, it’s very important that we assess it on an ongoing basis and adjust our plans as needed.”
Harrison commented that even though no major outbreak plan has been written down, the governing body is not completely without aide. In addition to having the experience in the spring semester with evacuating campus, the fall plan is stated to have enough guidance to help the Milligan body during the potential occurrence of another outbreak.
Harrison also relayed information that Milligan had been in contact with outside entities such as Ballad Health to help monitor the situation. Harrison would also comment that the university was not naive of the situation at hand and that thorough planning is being done to ensure the safety of the campus. Harrison expressed, one last time, the confidence the committee has in its plan.
“We are very reassured that we have a solid plan in place and we have great support from the student, faculty and staff in navigating the plan and following it,” Harrison said. “We have a great response team that is meeting regularly and keeping an eye on things and constantly readjusting, assessing and tweaking and making adjustments as needed.”
For more information on the Fall plan, go to milligan.edu/returnhome to learn about the resources available and COVID-19 updates. Links to the CDC and U.S State Department for Travel have also been provided.
Headline photo: Brutus the Buffalo watches over campus as thoughts on a plan B have not been openly discussed.