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Jarvis Christian College has done a herculean job in trying to keep the wheels on the bus during the COVID-19 pandemic. This time last year, students and faculty left for spring break,
only to be informed that the break was being extended for an additional week. Then, the comprehension set in that things were about to suddenly change and that judgements would have to be made for the good of the Jarvis family.

The health and safety of Jarvis’s students, faculty, staff, and administration is paramount and was addressed immediately by the executive leadership team. Every television, radio station, and social media outlet provided updates from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) enlightened the community about the number of people testing positive and dying from the disease. This was so overwhelming that the decision was made for students not to return to campus after the break ended.

The College then had to make arrangements for students to collect their personal items without possibly contaminating the
campus community. Where did students go during the break (e.g., home, beach resort, out of the country, etc.)? Who knows? In addition, some needed resources to get their items home while
some needed a home to go to. Praise God that the College had received funding for emergency needs to assist.
 

Jarvis prides itself on recruiting students to not just get to college but get through college. The institution’s goal is to promote retention, enhance academic persistence, and ultimately increase graduation and career rates. Another dilemma that the College faced was continuing education. COVID-19 forced institutions across the United States to quickly adopt online learning in record time.

The majority of the courses were taught face-to-face with very few being hybrid and online. Decisions were made to offer TutorMe to provide 24/7 assistance to students, and provide training using Quality Matters to faculty who may have been challenged with online teaching. The Information Technology Department moved quickly to bridge the gap to ensure
faculty were prepared to work remotely. Challenges kept arising. Some students did not have desktop computers, laptops or tablets to do their work. When the College addressed that issue by providing laptop computers for students, another one arose. Some students needed additional bandwidth due to the areas in which they lived, and again the College delivered. The institution partnered with Trellis, who aids student borrowers in successfully repaying their loans and encourages access and success in higher education. Jarvis was also concerned about the mental well-being of students and provided counseling for all who deemed it necessary to circumvent an epidemic in mental health depression.
 

The College community’s collaborative efforts during this trying time spoke volumes. A taskforce was developed with representation from various areas. Each area was responsible for developing contingency plans explicit to their respective areas that would be shared with the taskforce, in order to provide a comprehensive plan for the College. Work schedules were
modified for non-essential workers, and the executive team along with senior administrators were required to continue on campus to safeguard that the operations of the institution remained steadfast in this new normal environment.
 

All were and still are required to maintain a physical distance of 6 feet from others while on the properties and in common spaces. Every person on campus must wear a mask or cloth face covering and are encouraged to wash hands often with soap and water for at least twenty seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Employees who felt sick were and are still strongly encouraged to stay
home.
 

Jarvis is characterized by its resilience and determination to press forward in the face of challenges. Upon reopening this spring, several things were set in place. For one, only a set number of students were allowed to return to warrant safe accommodations in the residential facilities. Second, students were oriented to the Campus Wellness Plan that includes safety
measures associated with visitation, large gatherings, social distancing, wearing masks and keeping hands sanitized. Only fifteen students are taught face-to-face to practice physical distancing plans. Thirdly, temperatures are checked at the gate and temperature apparatuses are
located in every building to conduct faculty and student symptom checks. Fourthly, cleaning and sanitation protocols are stringently enforced. Fifthly, COVID-19 Safety Jewel Kits are provided to each employee monthly. They consist of masks, hand sanitizers, bacteria wipes, and sanitizer
spray. Sixthly, testing is done on a weekly basis of all students and employees; and seventhly, protocols are in place to quarantine and isolate students who test positive. Whether or not we are
aware, we each have a role to play in limiting the potential spread of this disease. My hope is that you will join us as we care for one another, practice healthy behaviors and embrace the spirit of learning and discovery that makes Jarvis strong and resilient!
 

While this past year may be view as one of the most difficult years in history, some positive things have happened despite dealing with a global pandemic, issues of social injustice and a recent insurgency at our nation’s Capital. Our on-line program is on the move with the highest enrollment ever. Our students and faculty are more technologically savvy having
increased skills using Zoom, Microsoft Teams, GoogleMeet, GotoMeeting, just to name a few.

And as an institution, we have achieved a measure of excellence in the operation of this institution and the delivery of services to first our students, our community, and to those entities who provided or invested resources in this institution. But we cannot let down our guard down.
We must not assume the battle is over. We better get ready, because we will be busting at the seams. We are gearing up to be prepared for online explosion. Higher education will never return to the old status quo and will continue to provide remote learning options in some form.

- Dr. Lisa Lang

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By Maliya Kemps-Surrell 

My father is Clarence James. Clarence was born in the backwoods of Growing Valley, LA on September 3, 1943. Erma L King was his future wife and a twin born on August 3, 1933 in Marlin, TX. Clarence married Erma King on April 12, 1965. My father is 10 years my mother’s
junior. They have been married fifty‐eight wonderful years. I have two older siblings, James Oliver, and Connie. My father raised them as his own. Coincidentally, my father was just thirteen years older than my brother. My siblings accepted my father as their mother’s new husband, not necessarily as their “stepfather.” I was born in May of 1971. My siblings were
respectively seventeen and thirteen when I was born. According to my brother, they never even knew my mother was pregnant.
 

We all lived in our 2‐bedroom, 1 bath. My parents still live in that home. My parents had what were considered “good jobs.” My father was a truck driver and my mother worked and retired from Texas Instruments. Most of the kids in my neighborhood were older than I was, so I was alone quite a bit. I learned to love reading and music. Those are two things that still offer
a bright spot in my life. Their humble upbringing allowed them to raise three children. They taught us a value system that I believe has allowed us to be the best adults that we can be or were. My sister Connie died in December of 2017. My brother James Oliver died in November
of 2019.
 

My great grandfather Robert Thomas James was born June 24, 1896. We are unsure of his exact place of birth. We do know that he was raised in a large family of sharecroppers. They were not landowners. They lived on the land that was presumably given to them. I am not able to trace any substantial information at this time. Robert met and married my great
grandmother.

Mary James somewhere between 1913 and 1915. Mary Banks James was born November 19, 1899. She was a mere girl when they married. Robert

and Mary went on to have thirteen children.
 

Robert and Mary started their family out in a home on the land of an old white man, who had previously owned slaves. Mary was the money manager and was able to save up enough money for the family to buy eighty‐eight acres of land and have a home built for their growing family.
 

Robert held many jobs including working at the Shell plant in town. He was also a logger, because of the piney woods where they lived. That occupation held his interest. In addition to those jobs, he was a farmer. Mary, of course, was what is now called a “stay at home mom.” As
the family grew, the children would come in from school and work the land. I spoke with my father and my aunt regarding the life the James family lived. My Aunt told me that she used to be ashamed to tell her school friends that they had to farm the land before any schoolwork was
completed. She told me she didn’t recognize it until later in life, but they were wealthy. They grew all their food, (all their vegetables.) They also raised all the farm animals you could name.
 

They never wanted or needed for anything. They had a water well and a pond for fishing. They were even able to make cooking grease.
 

Thirteen children caused Mary to learn to sew. She sewed the clothing her children wore and her husband’s trousers. The family had a hot, cooked meal every day. She baked desserts because my great grandfather was a lover of sweets! My aunt stated that the traits that her grandparents instilled into her, and her cousins has kept them all these years later.
My father, aunt and another cousin Ann, were raised by their grandparents.

My grandmother, Bertha James, the mother of my father and aunt, died of cancer at the age of 29. My father told me that they didn’t know for sure what it was until many years later. Robert and Mary raised many of their grandchildren on those eighty‐eight acres of land. Their last‐born
daughter, Patricia James was known to have epileptic seizures. Pat also had a daughter. My cousin Frances (Tiny is her nickname, as she was a tiny born baby). The seizures had such an impact on the family, my great grandparents decided that it was best to adopt her to ensure
they would have guardianship.
 

I learned some new things during this research. What I knew for sure was Robert and Mary raised many children outside of their own. What I know for sure is that my great grandparents were full of a hard work ethic and a value system that has been passed on. What I know for sure is that those thirteen children have thirty‐eight grandchildren amongst them.
 

Those thirty‐eight grandchildren have a number of great grands, great great grands and so forth. Robert James succumbed to death in 1972 at the age of 72. Mary died of Alzheimer’s in November of 1996. The legacy that Robert and Mary left on our family is immeasurable, as we still own the eighty‐eight acres of land in Growing Valley.
 

‐Tamica James