Campus Updates

At this level, students are participating in online instruction and are encouraged to do the following:

• Practice good sanitation, hand-washing and additional cleanliness in the classroom.
• Limit face to face communications, utilizing email and other technologies when possible.
• WiFi access is available to students in campus parking lots.
• Communicate any technology needs to your instructor.
• College related out-of-state travel is suspended until further notice.

All coursework will be communicated via D2L and NPC student email accounts. Visit computer resources tutorial for setting up Microsoft OneDrive.

Reopening Guidelines

Employees choosing to return to campus June 1 should do the following:

• Keep a log of your time spent on campus and all locations visited (these should be provided by your supervisor).
• Participate in temperature screening, see below.
• Wear a mask when outside office space or in the presence of another individual.
• Video conference as opposed to gathering in-person for meetings if at all possible.

Temperature Checking Stations

Enter through the Student Commons main entrance by the flagpole and check in

Screening and temperature checks will be conducted as scheduled:

• June 8th - 30th, 7:30am - 1:15pm - staff available to do screenings

If you do not have a mask and need assistance securing one, reach out to your supervisor.

If an employee presents with symptoms and/or a fever, they will be referred to a COVID testing center. Employees should bring insurance and employee ID's daily in case they are referred.

At this level, employees are working remotely and are encouraged to do the following while working from home:

• Practice good sanitation, hand-washing and additional cleanliness in the office and workstations
• Ensure home computer connectivity in order for work to be performed remotely in the case of personal illness or campus closing
• Limit face to face communications, utilizing email and other technologies when possible
• College related out-of-state travel is suspended until further notice

Additional Information

• Read about NPC's Telecommuting Guidelines for on Campus Positions in Emergency or Adverse Situations.
• Visit computer resources tutorials for employees working remotely.
• Read about the Department of Labor's leave policy under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
• Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits are available to workers who are unemployed and who meet the requirements of Arkansas UI eligibility laws. Read more from the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services' Appendix A to Rule 30: Notice to Employees at the bottom of their regulations page

The Arkansas Health Department also has a free hotline to call if you believe you may have been exposed. To be assessed by phone, call 501-537-8969 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or 800-554-5738 after hours or on the weekend.

Contact the campus nurse and communicate with your instructors. You can email Sebrena.Lewis@np.edu with documentation of your illness. Nurse Lewis can help coordinate communication with your instructors and with the Dean of Students.

College Travel: 

All college-sponsored domestic and international travel has been suspended until further notice. This includes any travel associated with the college as an NPC employee or student, including travel funded by a government grant, foundation, company, or other private entity. 

Personal Travel within the US:

Please exercise caution and check for the latest information available for your destination as the situation in the US is changing rapidly. If you have any symptoms upon return, please call the Garland County COVID-19 Hotline 501-760-4307.

Personal International Travel:

If you have traveled to a country with a CDC travel advisory of Level 2 or higher within the last 14 days, please call the Garland County COVID-19 Hotline 501-760-4307.

National Park College provides a list of services to employees and students so we can continue operations remotely if necessary.

If you are locked out of your campus account or would like to update your password, see the instructions on changing your password from home.

Microsoft Office

Students and employees have the option to use our Microsoft Office application through the web browser and/or download the full suite to their personal computers for as long as they are a member of the college. The full download includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher, Outlook, Skype, and OneDrive. In order to access these services, please go to this link https://portal.office.com or use the webmail link on our home page and sign in with your email address and campus password. You can click on the trimmed down web version of the application via the buttons or install the full suite by clicking “Install Office” towards the upper right of the screen.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is another application that is free for students and employees to use and download to their computers and mobile devices. Teams is an application listed in Office 365 at the top of the screen. This application is great for messaging, file sharing, screen sharing, and live presentations. Staff and Faculty can create custom groups of people to collaborate with. If you need assistance with the setup, please contact the IT department for more information (techsupport@np.edu).

Microsoft OneDrive

Microsoft OneDrive is a file cloud based file sharing application. It is also listed in Office 365. You are able to store your files here and access them from the college PCs, personal PCs, and mobile devices. You have the option to download the client to your local computer and access all of your files similar to a network drive. We recommend moving your documents from your PC to OneDrive. To install the application on your computer, select OneDrive in Office 365; next select “Get the OneDrive Apps” from the bottom-left of the screen and follow the instructions. Once installed, you will be able to transfer your documents over. If you need assistance with the setup, you can view a video tutorial or contact the IT department for more information (techsupport@np.edu).

Microsoft SharePoint

An easy way for employees or students to collaborate with services such as group file sharing, group calendars, etc. is to use SharePoint. You can create your own sites and share them out to others granting them specific permissions. For larger, more advanced programs, the IT department can also set up SharePoint Sites for you.

OASIS

Employees and students can access OASIS (https://oasis.np.edu) and Human Resources (https://hcm.np.edu) from off campus. This will provide access to services such as admissions, registration, student accounts, grades, scheduling, personnel, leave, pay, benefits, payroll, job duties, etc.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

In times that employees need specific services that can only be accessed from the internal network (such as Financials, Student Manager, Financial Aid, etc.), the IT department can set up a virtual private network (VPN) connection.

Our facilities staff are taking extra precautions to clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces to prevent the spread of illness.

• All custodians are trained/certified using methods designed for educational facilities. This training includes daily disinfecting of common “touch” surfaces including door knobs, desks, etc.
• We utilize two major chemicals for cleaning and disinfecting including a hospital grade disinfectant, virucide and cleaner. We also utilize an aerosol spray disinfectant that is a hospital grade broad-spectrum disinfectant and antimicrobial agent.
• We use a microfiber cleaning rag system with red designated for biohazard areas and gray for all other areas. These rags are always kept separate even after use and during the laundry process. Our procedure is to use separate rags for each room and function. We do not carry rags and germs from classroom to classroom or bathroom to bathroom. We do not use bio-rags on touch surfaces like sinks or countertops.
• At public contact areas (weightroom, computer labs, etc.), we provide Super Sani-Cloth wipes that are bactericidal, tuberculocidal, and virucidal in two minutes.
• We also provide hand sanitizer dispensers on all floors of all buildings. Most are located adjacent to the main entry doors.

Here are everyday preventative actions you can do to help prevent the spread of illness from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

• Put distance between yourself and other people outside of your home.
• Remember that some people without symptoms may be able to spread virus.
• Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people.
• Do not gather in groups.
• Stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings.
• Keeping distance from others is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

Stay home when you are sick.

• If you are sick at home with a flu-like illness, the CDC recommends that you home isolate until you have had no fever for at least 72 hours without the use of a fever-reducing medicine, other symptoms have improved, and at least 10 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using soap and water and a household disinfectant spray or wipe.

Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask.

• You could spread COVID-19 to others even if you do not feel sick.
• Everyone should wear a cloth face cover when they have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store or to pick up other necessities.
• Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.
• The cloth face cover is meant to protect other people in case you are infected.
• Do NOT use a facemask meant for a healthcare worker.
• Continue to keep about 6 feet between yourself and others. The cloth face cover is not a substitute for social distancing.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
• For information about handwashing, see CDC’s Handwashing website.

The CDC has accurate and up-to-date information regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) if you are interested in reading more.

The Arkansas Department of Health has information regarding COVID-19 cases in the state.

The city of Hot Springs provides current data on cases and testing locations.

UAMS has developed a free online screening tool for COVID – 19 for Arkansas residents.

Visit the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services to learn more about temporary employment benefits available for those who are unable to work during this time. 

Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits are available to workers who are unemployed and who meet the requirements of Arkansas UI eligibility laws. Read more from the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services' Appendix A to Rule 30: Notice to Employees at the bottom of their regulations page

This statement acknowledges that National Park College has signed and returned the certification and agreement form for the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and that the institution has used, or intends to use the funds to provide the mandated amount of at least 50% of the emergency financial aid grants to students.

The total amount of funds that the institution has received under the HEERF student portion equals $1,142,754.

Of those funds, the total amount that has been distributed to students as of the date of reporting (07/07/2020) equals:

• Spring Term- 762 student payments - $304,800
• Summer Term- 284 student payments (22 new students) - $113,600
• Total Spring and Summer = $418,400

The estimated total number of students at the institution eligible to participate in programs under Section 494 of Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and therefore eligible to receive an emergency financial aid grant at the current time equals approximately 1500 students.

The total number of students who have received an emergency financial aid grant equals 762 spring plus 22 new students for summer for a total of 784 students as of July 7, 2020.

The institution determined which students did, or will receive emergency financial aid grants, and how much funding they did, or will receive in the following manner:

Most of our student body are Title IV eligible (85-90%), so a decision was made to award a flat amount to all eligible students. We decided to split funds to provide ongoing support to students throughout the year. One-half of the funds approximately could be disbursed immediately, with the remaining distributed to summer and fall students. Initially it was estimated that 1,421 students were eligible during the spring term. The split of the award would be 50% spring, 10% summer, 40% fall. $571,377/1421 = $400 approximately.

For students enrolled for summer, the same $400 was disbursed to 262 returning students from the spring term who had already certified that they had COVID-19 related expenses. Then 22 newly enrolled students for summer term certified that they had COVID-19 related expenses and were disbursed the $400 for summer.

Any instructions, directions, or guidance provided by the institution to students concerning the emergency financial aid grants were disseminated to students via messages shared on the learning management system (D2L) prior to the end of the spring term, email, and social media.

The following information was shared with students:

You may be eligible to receive CARES funds, which are federal funds to assist students impacted by COVID-19. Federal CARES funds are available to currently enrolled students for the spring and/or summer 2020 term. Eligible students will receive $400 for the spring and summer terms. Future amounts for fall terms are yet to be determined.

You must complete a certification form by May 25th in order to qualify for spring funds. Students are required to complete the certification form by July 14th in order to qualify for summer funds. This certification form allows you to declare you have COVID-19 related expenses for the spring and/or summer terms. If you have completed a FAFSA form for 2019-20 and are eligible for federal financial aid, you should have received an email at your preferred email account listed in OASIS. That email will contain the link to the certification form for CARES funds for spring and/or summer 2020. If you believe you are eligible and have not received the link, please contact your financial aid advisor at 501-760-4159.