This semester, students may have noticed new COVID-19 signage scattered across Southern Adventist University’s campus. While students participated in distance learning last semester, administration contemplated how to reopen school for the Fall 2020 semester. Associate Vice President for Financial Administration Marty Hamilton was part of the university task force that helped implement several changes for reopening campus. According to Hamilton, one of the most necessary changes was the addition of COVID-19 signage.
As policies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Hamilton County Health Department were being made this past summer, Southern wanted students to be aware of the new health guidelines and procedures for campus. In order to encourage constant awareness of the new safety protocols, Hamilton and his team put COVID-19 signage in every single building on campus.
“It’s not just about the students,” Hamilton said. “I also want to encourage the employees everywhere they go to be safe. We’re all challenged by this.”
The signage includes green dots that space out students in classrooms, directional arrows that allow for less traffic down particular aisles in the Village Market and stickers that encourage six feet distancing.
“We just got creative,” Hamilton said. “We took inspiration from how grocery stores, dining places and other universities were creating their signs.”
According to Hamilton, after the signs are digitally designed, they are sent to Plant Services to be printed and distributed across campus.
Hamilton emphasized the importance in every department using Southern-made COVID-19 signage only. While every department on campus has the ability to buy their own signs if they prefer, not all signs may be valid or agree with Southern’s campus safety procedures.
“Let’s be unified as a campus in sending out consistent messaging,” Hamilton said.
In order to encourage departments to use Southern-made signs, all COVID-19 signs requested by departments are free and are processed and distributed by Plant Services in the span of a week.
Because the signage is so visible, Hamilton believes students, faculty and staff will be more cautious and aware of their surroundings. He hopes Southern will remain healthy and safe as a result.
