Please watch the weather forecasts and pay attention to the road conditions. The forthcoming storm will drop significant snow in the area and cause disruptions. The following links have additional winter tips. Have a safe and Merry Christmas!
Road conditions
http://www.dot.nd.gov/travel-info/
Winter survival kit
http://www.dot.nd.gov/divisions/maintenance/wintersurvivalkit.htm
Winter travel tips
http://www.dot.nd.gov/divisions/maintenance/wintertraveltips.htm
City-County Health Dept has scheduled a H1N1 flu vaccine clinic at the Skoal Room in the Student Center from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm on Wednesday, Dec. 2. The priority groups that may receive vaccine at this clinic: pregnant women, anyone who cares for infants 6 months or younger (grandparents, for example), those age 18-64 with an underlying health condition (heart/lung disease, kidney or liver disease, asthma, metabolic disease such as diabetes, anemia and other blood disorders, weakened immune system, organ problems/transplants, certain muscle or nerve disorders) and healthy adults from age 18-24 .(This is most of our college population). There will be no vaccine for children at this clinic.
There is no cost for the vaccine, but there is a form to fill out. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the campus nurse.
Construction is done on exit 292. Traffic is back to normal on the ramps and underpass.
VCSU is conducting a test of NotiFind. This is only a test. In an
emergency, additional information would follow. This concludes the test.
Stay up-to-date on flu activity in North Dakota by visiting www.ndflu.com. ND Department of Health manages this site. The site includes an excellent map tracking various flu cases across the state.
The North Dakota Department of Transportation will close northeast and southeast ramps of exit 292 on Interstate 94, Kathryn Road, beginning Thursday, September 17. NDDOT expects the closure will last for approximately two weeks.
Please use detour and alternative routes.
Recommendations for Residential Students
Students who are ill with H1N1 should “self-isolate”—i.e., severely curtail their interactions with others except to seek medical care—until at least 24 hours after they no longer display fever symptoms without the aid of fever-reducing medicine.
If possible, ill students should return home to recuperate and minimize the risk of infecting others if they live nearby and can do so without using public transportation.
Students who cannot return home should be isolated as much as possible. (The CDC suggests students serve as “flu buddies,” pairing up to take care of each other when ill to limit contact between sick and well people, but this may not be practical for all campuses.)
Schools with shared dormitory facilities rather than private dormitory rooms may wish to set up alternative isolation areas for sick students who cannot leave campus.
Recommendations for Commuter Students
Commuter students ill with H1N1 should practice self-isolation (whether at their own home or the home of a friend/relative) and not return to campus until they have recovered.
Commuter students who can utilize distance-learning methods may be able to continue studies even while ill. (This also applies to resident students.)
Recommendations for Faculty, Staff, and Administration
Faculty, staff, and administration suffering from H1N1 should follow the same self-isolation guidelines as students.
Faculty are encouraged not to require doctors’ notes to excuse absences from class due to illness; administrators are encouraged not to require doctors’ notes to excuse absences from work. This is due to the CDC’s anticipation that students and employees may not be able to obtain doctors’ notes in a timely manner after recovering from H1N1 or other illnesses due to the burden on health care facilities.
Facilities administrators should ensure facilities—particularly dormitories, classrooms, elevators, dining halls, and other high-contact areas—are cleaned frequently.
Administrators and faculty are encouraged to develop distance learning strategies, flextime and remote working arrangements, and other methods of limiting face-to-face contact while maintaining operations in the event of a campus outbreak of H1N1 flu. Such planning should include course coverage for faculty and continuity of business operations for administrators and staff.
Administrators are encouraged to tailor leave policies to accommodate the possibility of a widespread outbreak of H1N1 on campus and/or further CDC recommendations for campus closures/event cancellations in case of a major outbreak.
Senior administrators are encouraged to discuss setting up vaccination clinics on campus when vaccine supplies for H1N1 become available (at this writing, estimated to be October 2009). AASCU will continue to monitor the situation closely and advise members as the fall flu season develops.
Information Resource Links
CDC guidance specific to colleges and universities: http://www.flu.gov/plan/school/higheredguidance.html
President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Executive Report: U.S. Preparations for the 2009-H1N1 Influenza: http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/PCAST_H1N1_Report.pdf
Federal one-stop information site http://www.flu.gov/
CDC flu site http://www.cdc.gov/flu/ http://www.dhs.gov/files//programs/swine-flu.shtm (Homeland Security flu site)
U.S. Health and Human Services flu site http://www.hhs.gov/
U.S. Department of Education flu site http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/pandemic/index.html
CDC recently published updated guidance for higher education.
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/institutions/guidance - guidance for universities
http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/institutions/guidance/technical.htm - technical report for the guidance
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/institutions/toolkit - communications toolkit
The West Student Center parking lot will close August 18 and remain closed for a couple days. Crews will work to repair and resurface the lot. Please use the Mythaler and North Student Center lots.
NDDOT closed the northwest and southwest ramps on Interstate 94 – Exit 292. We are encouraging employees, students, visitors, and others to use other exits entering and exiting Valley City.
There is a major reconstruction project ongoing on I-94 exit 292. This is the exit for VCSU, Kathryn Road, Wagon Wheel, DOT, and 8th Ave SW. NDDOT installed traffic signals in the area to help traffic flow. During peak traffic hours, expect some delays. If possible, use alternative routes. This construction project will last into October.
The VCSU parking lots are in the midst of reconstruction. Several lots were damaged during the floods. Reconstruction should be complete by August 17.
The World Health Organization declared the H1N1 virus a pandemic. This declaration pushes drug makers to develop drugs to fight the virus. In addition, schools and government organizations are activating their pandemic plans. The U.S. Department of Education released a statement yesterday following the announcement. You can read the two page letter at the following link - http://tinyurl.com/mdz4sd
There will be no parking on College Street until Monday, June 8th. Crews need to clean the street prior to allowing parking. In addition, crews may remove the top layer of the river levees by campus this week. For safety purposes, we will continue no parking on College Street until the work is complete. We apologize for the inconvenience, and we will keep everyone updated.
Summer Weather Information
Valley City State University (VCSU) is located in Valley City in Barnes County. If a weather advisory is posted, please pay attention to the information for Barnes County.
Get weather advisories and warnings
Local radio stations
1490 AM 101.1 FM 103.1 FM 600 AM 93.3 FM
Local TV stations
Channel 4 Channel 6 Channel 9 (or 7 via antenna) Channel 11
Summer health protection
Heat, sun, and bugs may cause health problems during the summer months. People should drink plenty of water, use sun screen and bug repellant, and check themselves for insects such as ticks. For more information, see the Centers for Disease Control website click here.
Authorities in southeastern North Dakota are looking for a high school exchange student from India who went missing from the Edgeley school on Saturday night, after returning from a track meet in Jamestown. The student's name is Harman Singh and he is 16 years old.Superintendent Rick Diegel calls it a "bizarre" situation. He says the boy left "goodbye" notes in the lockers of four students. He won't say exactly what the notes said, but he says they were not suicide notes.
Diegel says the boy has not had any previous problems at the school, and was active in many activities. He says the student even qualified for the state speech meet.
Authorities took precautions such as searching the school for anything suspicious and having two law officers on hand Monday. Diegel says that was done because the school felt an obligation to ensure the safety of students and staff.
Valley City State University is monitoring the H1N1 (Swine) Flu outbreak. The campus works with city, county, and state officials to plan and prepare for any pandemic. There is no reason to panic, as the state is prepared with H1N1 treatment.VCSU encourages faculty, staff, students, visitors, and others to practice good hygiene. Proper hand washing/sanitizing and covering a cough help stop the spread of germs. Below is some information from the CDC:
From Valley City Mayor Mary Lee Nielson -
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 With the river going below 17 feet and the additional capacity gained in the sanitary sewer system- in consultation with Jeff Differding and Wade Hesch, we are going to allow residents to use their toilets with minimal flushing. We will be monitoring the system for the next 2 days to see how it works. The port-a-potties will remain in place in case the system gets overloaded. Please follow the old adage- “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” Our hope is that the above ground sanitary system we are relying on at this time will be able to handle the extra load. The collection of waste water for clothes washing, bathing and dish washing still needs to take place. We do not want to pour more waste water into the system other than the minimal flushing. As the river continues to go down there may be an opportunity to add these activities. The city will keep you posted. The citizens have done an excellent job in complying with the collection of waste water and use of port-a-potties. This is our next test- keep up the good work!
