This weekly newsletter contains important information about UW-Eau Claire’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and offers Blugolds details on how to access key resources and assist others on our campuses and in our communities.
Volunteers needed as community testing extended at Memorial High School
Additional testing days have been added to the calendar at the community antigen-testing site at Eau Claire Memorial High School. UW-Eau Claire has orchestrated the volunteer team needed to support this site, and Blugolds are still needed to help on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays this month. Volunteers are critical to the success of the surge testing site, and the main duties for volunteers include guiding the flow of traffic, answering questions from community members and verifying registration appointments. UW-Eau Claire provides personal protective equipment (masks, shields and gloves) to volunteers, who are needed in several shifts for the following dates: Jan. 9, 10, 13, 16, 20 and 23. Weekend shifts are from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 1-5:30 p.m. Wednesday shifts are from 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. and 4-8:30 p.m. Those interested should contact Arjen van Dijk
Students with nursing skills can earn tuition credit for helping fight COVID-19
UW System President Tommy Thompson announced last month that students with nursing skills can receive a $500 tuition credit by helping fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualified students who are enrolled in the spring semester at a UW System school like UW-Eau Claire must work a total of 50 hours in a clinical setting such as a hospital, nursing home, long-term care facility or state or local health care facility between Dec. 1, 2020, and Feb. 1, 2021, to be eligible for the tuition credit. Students must meet health care licensure and certification requirements to be eligible for the credit, and they must work for a minimum of 50 hours to qualify. Interested students can connect with local agencies and employers through Handshake, the online job platform utilized by students in the UW System. After working the required hours, students must obtain a verification letter from their employer. Additional details on templates for employer letters will be shared with students in January. Letters will not be reviewed prior to the deadline of March 31, 2021, and the $500 tuition credit will be applied to student accounts near the end of the spring semester. The media release on the program can be found on the UW System website.
COVID-19 resources online
If you want up-to-date information on COVID-19 and UW-Eau Claire’s response to the pandemic, visit the university’s COVID-19 Updates webpage, where you can find past editions of this newsletter, video messages from Chancellor Schmidt and important emails that have been shared with campus.
Vital Statistics
(as of noon Thursday, Jan. 7)
Confirmed Cases of COVID-19
Worldwide: 88,162,955
United States: 21,976,788
Wisconsin: 535,999
Eau Claire County: 9,782
Barron County: 4,697
Wood County: 6,185
UW-Eau Claire COVID-19 Dashboard, updated daily
Look for the next Blugold Flight Plan newsletter on Jan. 14.
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