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Melanie Storms

Safety, flexibility are the bywords as college students return

August 25, 2020 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

With COVID-19 safety protocols in place and enrollments either declining or flat, Pasco County’s colleges and universities have welcomed back students for the fall semester.

Whether it was Saint Leo University or the campuses at Pasco-Hernando State College, most courses were offered online to keep class sizes small. Zoom video conferencing technology was utilized for full interactivity, while hybrid/in-person attendance demanded face masks, hand-sanitizing and social distancing.

Students gather with face masks at Saint Leo University. (Courtesy of Renee Gerstein/Saint Leo University)

Seat configurations were redone. Plexiglass shields were installed in high-transaction, high-touch point areas. Some student activities were abandoned, while others were offered virtually.

“The keyword for everyone these days is flexibility,’’ said Saint Leo Senior Vice President Melanie Storms. “Of course, there will be a learning curve. But we’re very comfortable with what we’re doing.’’

After a record-breaking 2019, which featured a 40% enrollment increase, Storms said Saint Leo will have the same number of new students (1,000) as last fall. There is a 30% reduction in new international students and a 10% decrease in students living on the main campus. Enrollment in Saint Leo’s online programs are up 16% over last year.

“We got out early with a plan and were very transparent with our students about what we were planning to do,’’ Storms said. “We often talk (in the administration) and wonder what our enrollment might have been had there not been COVID. We might have seen another pretty substantial increase. We believe the fact that we have held steady is a reflection of how strong our new class is and the flexibility we’re providing them.’’

Saint Leo students could choose their educational method — either hybrid (alternating in Group A and Group B between in-person and Zoom), connected (exclusive Zoom in a scheduled class period with other students) or online.

Regardless of the choice, all Saint Leo students are required to have at least one class fully online, so overall traffic at campus sites could be kept at acceptable levels (maximum 50% of the normal population, maximum of 15 students in all classes).

“It’s a lot to take in, but we have a team solely dedicated to analyzing this and manipulating the boxes,’’ Storms said. “We went through the classrooms and determined where we’d need to be for comfortable occupancy. We backed that into the scheduling software and worked to make sure students would have the right mix and be optimized in their educational experience.

Saint Leo University’s social distancing reminder.

“We’re all doing things we’ve never done before. Many students are just navigating their lives and saying, ‘Sometimes I’m on Zoom, sometimes I’m online, sometimes I’m in the classroom.’ It’s interesting that one-third of our students selected connected (Zoom), but our housing is only down 10%. So we anticipate a lot of students coming to live with us who are (solely) studying in the Zoom capacity. It’s a new world. We’re getting our feet wet and making adjustments on the fly.’’

At Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus, in Wesley Chapel, and its East Campus, in Dade City, course offerings will largely be online or Zoom. There are notable exceptions, particularly in the health sciences programs, where students need access to laboratories and specialized equipment or disciplines, such as welding or law enforcement.

Porter Campus Provost Kevin O’Farrell said his enrollment was down 24% from last fall during a recent snapshot, but he was optimistic about an upswing due to students making last-minute decisions.

“I know the word ‘unprecedented’ has probably been overused, but there’s no other way to describe the challenges faced by all levels of higher education,’’ O’Farrell said. “At the same time, I’ve been so heartened by the level of innovation and ingenuity everybody is using. I always say, ‘Don’t let a crisis go to waste,’ and by that I mean, it’s an opportunity to rethink all of our processes and problem-solving.

“We went to a virtual waiting room for students to utilize time with advisors. I think that’s going to become a standard now. When the pandemic goes away, I think people would rather wait at home to speak with an advisor instead of sitting in the lobby. We’ll go back to some things, but we’ve found better ways to do other things.’’

At the state college’s East Campus, Provost Ed Goolsby said his faculty has adapted well to working remotely, although some prefer occasionally utilizing their on-campus office.

“They can work from there, but they just won’t be teaching on campus for the most part,’’ Goolsby said. “There will always be a place for the face-to-face teaching and I know some students want that level of accountability. We’ll just have to see what the environment is moving forward to the spring semester and beyond.

“I think we have shown — and we have been forced to show — that education can adapt. We have seen the words ‘fluid’ and ‘pivot’ quite a bit, but those are words that describe what we need to do,” he said.

By Joey Johnston

Published August 26, 2020

Filed Under: Education, Local News Tagged With: COVID-19, Kevin O' Farrell, Melanie Storms, Pasco-Hernando State College, Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, Saint Leo University

Saint Leo to get $20 million wellness center

February 19, 2020 By Kevin Weiss

Saint Leo University will soon be home to a sprawling $20 million wellness center —integrating student recreation, fitness, health services, counseling services and campus ministry.

A groundbreaking ceremony earlier this month celebrated the forthcoming 59,000-square-foot wellness center, to be situated on the west end of the campus by Lake Jovita.

From left: Jon Akvan, project manager, JLL; Troy Powell, project manager; Creative Contractors Inc.; Dr. Melanie Storms, Saint Leo University senior vice president; Jose Caban, Saint Leo associate vice president of facilities management; Dr. Jeffrey D. Senese, Saint Leo president; Celine-Deon Palmer, student government union president; D. Dewey Mitchell, Saint Leo Board of Trustees chair; Alan Bomstein, CEO, Creative Contractors; and Joshua Bomstein, Creative Contractors president, at the ceremonial groundbreaking of Saint Leo University’s new Wellness Center. (Courtesy of Renee Gerstein, Saint Leo University)

Construction tentatively will begin in April, and university officials hope to open the wellness center in fall 2021.

The new facility will provide space for group exercise, spinning and yoga classes, and a large community fitness center. There also will be two indoor basketball courts, an indoor walking track, a healthy café and smoothie bar, a resort-style outdoor pool with a lakeside infinity edge and outdoor barbecue, as well as a relaxation terrace and garden. There also will be several multipurpose rooms, which could be used as space for meditation, specialty classes, gaming and so on.

Many of those amenities, such as a dedicated cycling and yoga studio, aren’t presently offered on campus. Also, “There will be new machines, new equipment on the fitness floor that we don’t currently have,” said Dr. Melanie Storms, senior vice president at the university, who is  spearheading the wellness center project.

The university’s current recreation and fitness offerings are mainly housed at Marion Bowman Activities & Aquatics Center.

But, once the new wellness center opens, the Bowman Center will become an exclusive training ground for Saint Leo’s various athletic programs, Storms said.

The Bowman Center has been somewhat limited for recreation and intramural activities because the space also is shared by the university’s intercollegiate athletic programs, such as the Saint Leo men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams.

Saint Leo University is building a 59,000-square-foot wellness center that integrates student recreation, fitness, health services, counseling services and campus ministry. The $20 million project will be housed on the west end of the campus by Lake Jovita. It is expected to be open by fall 2021. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

Because of that, Storms said the regular student body has been pining for a “fully dedicated rec gym” the wellness center will offer.

“We definitely have had high student demand —  voices from the students saying they needed additional space, that the (recreation) hours and offerings just haven’t been sufficient to meet the needs,” Storms said.

The wellness center primarily will be for Saint Leo students, faculty and staff, but some features may be open to be public.

Storms said summer pool memberships will “definitely” be offered to the local community, while public-use options for the fitness center and health services are still being explored by university officials; the university is in talks with several health care providers that potentially could serve the community by delivering medical services on-site.

Storms said student health and counseling services currently offered at DeChantal Hall will move to the new facility once it opens, making it the “single source of health services” at Saint Leo. She added the DeChantal Hall building will stay in use for other purposes for the time being, as it also houses other university departments, such as theology faculty.

The wellness center project has been under discussion for a number of years, but officials say now was the time to proceed — as the school in the fall welcomed its largest incoming group of students in the university’s 130-year history (1,001 new students).

The school now has about 2,100 students on campus, plus more than 700 faculty and staff.

Said Storms, “With the increase that we saw in our student population this past fall, and the anticipated coming in next fall, we just realized it was time; our recreational facilities are overloaded.”

Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, presented a history of the site, during a ceremony celebrating the groundbreaking for Saint Leo University’s new Wellness Center.

Creative Contractors of Clearwater is serving as the construction firm for the project, while S3 Design Inc., of Braintree, Massachusetts, is handling the architectural design; and JLL of Tampa will provide project management services.

The university has secured financing to proceed on the multi-million project, but also is working to secure private fundraising and state funding, Storms said.

The wellness center is going on land that originally belonged to the Benedictine Sisters of Florida.

With that, Storms believes the facility “fits within the historical context of who they are and how they used the space.”

She observed, “The site is very special in the sense of being dedicated to the mind, body, spirit, and the sort of holistic well-being of the individual, and sort of carrying forward their legacy in that way. It’s beautiful because it’s lakeside, it’s very serene, and I couldn’t think of a better way to use the land than this.”

At the groundbreaking, Saint Leo president Dr. Jeffrey Senese predicted the new wellness center will have a significant impact: “We are creating an iconic building for Pasco County, Tampa Bay and Florida. It is our vision that this building will take your breath away.”

Published February 19, 2020

Filed Under: Education, Health, Local News Tagged With: Benedictine Sisters of Florida, Bowman Center, Creative Contractors of Clearwater, Jeffrey Senese, JLL of Tampa, Lake Jovita, Marion Bowman Activities & Aquatic Center, Melanie Storms, S3 Design Inc., Saint Leo University

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01/27/2021 – Into the Interstellar

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01/29/2021 – One Book, One Night

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will host “One Book, One Night” on Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m., for teens and adults. Participants can start online as the beginning excerpt of the book “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, is read in English, Spanish and French. For information and to register, visit the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/29/2021 – One Book, One Night

01/30/2021 – Toddler craft

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will host a virtual craft for toddlers on Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. Participants can learn how to make a paper plate shark. To view the video, visit Facebook.com/cplib. … [Read More...] about 01/30/2021 – Toddler craft

01/31/2021 – Nova Era performs

The Pioneer Florida Museum and Village, 15602 Pioneer Museum Road in Dade City, will host a live performance by the classical music group Nova Era on Jan. 31 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The ensemble performs in handcrafted 18th-century costumes and ornate, powdered wigs. Gates open at 2 p.m. There will be heavy hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. This is an outdoor event. Guests should bring lawn chairs. No cooler or pets. Masks are required inside the buildings. Social distancing will be in place. Advance tickets are $25, or $30 at the door (if available). For information and tickets, visit PioneerFloridaMuseum.org. … [Read More...] about 01/31/2021 – Nova Era performs

02/01/2021 – Yarn hearts

The Hugh Embry Library, 14215 Fourth St., in Dade City, will offer a craft kit for adults on Feb. 1, all day. Pick up a kit, while supplies last, to learn to make a yarn heart. For information, call 352-567-3576. … [Read More...] about 02/01/2021 – Yarn hearts

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