Dear Chattanooga State Community,

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the summer.  My leadership team and leaders at every level of the College continue to make plans for the fall 2020 semester. Recently, the State of Tennessee released the Tennessee Pledge for Higher Education which includes recommendations and best practices to protect students and employees as we return to campus. We are continuing to update our Return to Campus plan in order to ensure that our plan addresses all guidelines outlined in the Tennessee Pledge.

COVID-19 Update

On Monday, June 8, 2020, the College became aware that a member of the campus community tested positive for COVID-19. This individual was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Monday, June 8 and is quarantining at home following the guidance of the health department.

This individual was on campus Monday, June 1 through Thursday, June 4 with campus access being limited to the Health Science Center (HSC) and Plant Operations. Following CDC guidelines, the HSC and Plant Operations buildings were deep cleaned and disinfected on Monday, June 8.

Chattanooga State, working with the local health department, immediately began contacting all individuals who may have had contact with the infected individual. All persons deemed to be a contact have been asked to self-quarantine for a minimum of 14 days.

While the majority of our students and employees continue online learning and working from home, we ask our campus community to remain vigilant with social distancing, wearing face masks, and following all other CDC recommendations to mitigate the spread of the virus.

CARES Act Update

We have completed the necessary programming and are now in the process of completing testing to ensure the scripts are running correctly. Distribution of CARES payments to qualified students will begin once testing is completed. Payment amounts will vary depending upon the student’s classification (Pell eligible versus non-eligible). 

Support Services for Students

If you are in need of assistance, please let us know. We are here to help you.

• The Tiger Cupboard provides supplemental food and other necessities for students in need. Although the campus is closed, we will fulfill requests for food from the Cupboard. Visit https://www.chattanoogastate.edu/tiger-cupboard for more information. 
• The Helping Hands Fund provides emergency aid for students in need. Submit a Helping Hands Request here.
• Chattanooga State is dedicated to delivering support services and resources to assist our students. Learn more about the services available through our Student Support Center here.

You will get through this. We will get through this.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Ashford, Ed.D.
President