Students, you can still have fun while being safe! Check out these resources for things to do:

• The calendar of campus events compiled by the Office of Campus Activities lists each week’s socials, club meetings, professional development opportunities and more.
• Engage is a web-based system (log-in required) where students can find organizations, campus areas and academic colleges and their events, professional development opportunities, news updates and more.
• Visit AppalachianToday to view university events
• University Recreation also has activities planned, all structured for 25% capacity and physical distancing.

To address isolation, loss, lack of motivation and other feelings due to the presence of COVID-19, remember your campus resources:

• The Counseling Center offers short-term individual counseling, group counseling, emergency services and more — all through Telemental Health. 

  • Begin by visiting its Get Started webpage.
  • A Self-Help page includes tips on how to cope during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as information on anxiety, grief and loss, mindfulness, stress and other mental health-related topics.
  • "Let's TeleTalk" allows students to “drop in” virtually for brief conversations with a counselor. 

• Wellness and Prevention Services offers virtual events, peer education, weekly motivation messages and more. One of their resources is App State’s Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC), an addiction recovery community for students.

• App State’s Resiliency Toolkit offers helpful information, including methods for managing stress, tips for staying active during winter months and how to create a pandemic pod, emotional regulation, ways to resolve conflict, and more.

University Recreation (UREC) offers indoor as well as outdoor physical activities, following the State of North Carolina’s Interim Guidance for Fitness Center and Gym Settings with Limited Operations and university procedures.

Outdoor physical activities include fitness classes, weight lifting, local outdoor trips and modified intramural sports. In addition, the outing center opened on a modified schedule for equipment rentals.

The expanded indoor offerings include in-person fitness classes, weight rooms, cardio equipment and more — all structured for current capacity restrictions and physical distancing. The pool is also open for lap swim. 

Reservations are required for most activities and face coverings must be worn at all times.

The ability to hold campus events and with how many people in attendance depends on decisions made by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.

Clubs and organizations continue to be encouraged to exercise an abundance of caution in an effort to minimize exposure and community spread. The use of online platforms for organizational meetings remains the recommended approach.

Visit the Engage (log-in required) web-based system to find organizations, view events and professional development opportunities, and read news updates.

The Athletics Department continues to monitor the fluid situation of intercollegiate athletics. The health and safety of students and spectators is the most important aspect of decision-making. Procedures are guided by federal, state, local public health and university guidelines, as well as recommendations from the Sun Belt Conference. 

The latest updates are provided at appstatesports.com.

A virtual Family Weekend has been scheduled for March 26-28, 2021.  Visit the Family Weekend website for details.

The Plemmons Student Union is open with its regular schedule. See facility hours.

Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT), which provides service experiences as opportunities to connect and engage with others in the local community, is working with local community partners to determine which organizations can safely accommodate volunteers.

Access to ACT’s database of volunteer opportunities in Boone or online can be found on its website. You also can stay connected to ACT through Instagram (@actasu).

As the 2020-21 academic year continues, it remains critically important for all our students, faculty and staff to come together as a community and embrace public health and safety standards together. One important component of this is educational training.

All students, faculty and staff are expected to complete educational training courses about the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 before returning to campus. Completion instructions were emailed to students. Read more about these training courses here.

Students, as well as faculty and staff, are expected to self-administer daily health checks for COVID-19 symptoms using an online tool. Depending on the symptoms checked, the tool will give guidance as to whether you should stay home, seek medical care or are cleared to be on campus. 

Visit the Daily Health Check informational page for details and to access the tool.

The State of North Carolina, the UNC System, the Town of Boone and Appalachian State University are taking public health guidance seriously and are requiring face coverings. You will see signage about requirements for face coverings and physical distancing placed throughout campus in building entrances, hallways, offices and any common areas where students, faculty and staff would previously congregate between classes and during the day.

All students were provided three reusable face coverings during the fall semester. For the spring 2021 semester, students will receive five new, washable, reusable face coverings and are expected to wear them — on campus and during off-campus activities, as well — for the health and safety of everyone in the campus and local community.

Visit the Face Coverings web page for campus requirements as well as distribution information and what to do if you forgot your face covering.

A N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Secretarial Directive warns North Carolinians to avoid indoor spaces without masks and gatherings between households. 

Per Gov. Roy Cooper’s Feb. 24 executive order, in-person gatherings are limited to 25 people or fewer indoors and 50 or fewer outdoors. All participants should be spaced at least 6 feet apart and face coverings should be worn.

Leadership of Appalachian State University’s fraternities and sororities issued a joint statement at the start of the 2020-21 academic year stating the groups’ commitment to “enforcing the directives and initiatives of our state, town and campus” for the safety of students and others in the community returning to campus amid COVID-19. The statement also declares “those organizations that do not act according to these initiatives and our community values will be held accountable.” Read the news story

The Appalachian Police Department assists local agencies with patrolling and responding to off-campus sites, including off-campus apartment complexes with large populations of students. Read the news story.

The university continues to strictly enforce on-campus behavior, and work with law enforcement to address off-campus violations. Student Conduct staff receive information involving App State students from the courthouse biweekly. App State addresses violations per the Code of Student Conduct, and serious and/or repeated violations will result in suspension.

Students with residence hall contracts have received updated information about spring 2021 move-in, COVID-19 re-entry testing and ongoing surveillance testing, isolation and quarantine requirements, and face covering and visitation policies via email — view the information here.

Off-Campus Student Services and the Student Legal Clinic, based in the Dean of Students Office, assist students living off campus.

Off-Campus Student Services focuses on helping students identify and secure off-campus housing that meets their needs.

In addition to its main website, Off-Campus Student Services maintains a searchable database of available rental properties at offcampushousing.appstate.edu. The website includes sublet ads created by students and a roommate finding function.

The Student Legal Clinic provides free, confidential legal advice to Appalachian students, including assistance with reading and understanding lease agreements.

Begin with your faculty member, then reach out to your department chair or academic advisor for additional assistance if needed. For more information or assistance, contact Academic Affairs.

The Student Learning Center (SLC) offers resources that will help you stay on track and organized, including its Tutoring & Support Services page.

Here are general tips from the Student Learning Center for staying motivated in online learning or other academic challenges:

• Tips for Success in ONLINE Classes – including how to manage your time, find your focus and avoid distractions.
• Keep Learning – a resource that includes study skills and support services.
• Peer Academic Coaches – upper-level undergraduate students trained in evidence-based coaching strategies who can meet one-on-one with students to help them overcome barriers to their academic success.
• Faculty care about student success. Reach out to them and let them know if you are struggling. Faculty are reporting midterm grade information, a form of proactive support of students, at the highest return rate ever this semester. This is just one measure of faculty members’ investment in student success during this challenging time.

During the spring semester, on-campus study spaces will continue to be available with adequate space for social distancing — in the Plemmons Student Union (see facility hours), Belk Library and Information Commons (see hours of operation) and Legends (see facility hours).

Belk Library and Information Commons is operating with reduced hours until further notice — see their Service Status page for complete information about the status of library services.

View their Continuity of Library Services page for additional information about checkouts and other resources.

Students who are facing financial challenges that are significant barriers to academic success may apply for financial assistance through the Mountaineer Emergency Fund.

• This funding is not a loan and does not need to be repaid. There is no deadline to apply at this time and grants will be awarded as long as funds are available.  

• Visit the Mountaineer Emergency Fund page to view eligibility requirements and to apply. Students who have previously received the maximum award amount of $500 may not be eligible to receive additional funding.

• Please note that this is not the CARES Act Supplement provided through the federal government. Should App State receive an extension through the CARES Act, additional information will be provided.

• Students in need of immediate assistance should contact the Case Management Team in the Office of the Dean of Students for help to access other sources of support and assistance. 

Visit Campus Dining’s Continuity of Operations page for hours and operational information.

The Mountaineer Food Hub and Free Store in the Office of Sustainability is open by appointment. Email sustainability@appstate.edu for a pickup appointment. Additionally, a new satellite location, the Belk Library Food Pantry, is now open. Visit the Mountaineer Food Hub page for other satellite locations and more information.

The deadline to return rental textbooks for fall 2020 was Dec. 15. Full details were emailed to all students with rental textbooks

Information about ordering spring 2021 textbooks is available on the University Bookstore website.

Information Technology Services has been working to ensure the best possible learning environments. Details on laptop recommendations, online computer labs and financial assistance is available here. 

AppalCART public transportation has implemented enhanced cleaning of its buses, as well as rear door boarding, reduced capacities, schedule changes and other safety precautions to protect the health and safety of passengers and drivers. Some routes have been changed to reduce travel time on the bus. All passengers will need to wear a face covering.

Read more about AppalCART updates. And, learn more about the changes to AppalCART in this video.

Student Health Service in the Miles Annas Building is open with regular hours. View the Student Health Service operations schedule.

During the spring semester, flu shots for students will be offered during regular clinic hours. Call 262-3100 to schedule an appointment.

For COVID-19 testing information, visit the Student Health website or the university’s COVID-19 testing page for details.

App State’s Career Development Center provides resources for students seeking employment. Begin by visiting Career Studio, which provides resume reviews and tips on how to do a job search in Handshake. Then, view an online presentation on how to find a part-time job and visit Handshake to search for work on campus or in Boone. Students can also email their resume or questions to careercenter@appstate.edu.