Mercer distributes Bear Care Kits to protect students, faculty

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Mercer University is taking precautions for the safety of students and faculty.

Organizers will distribute a portion of the university’s Bear Care health initiative-safety kits at the beginning of the Fall semester.

Michael Junod, director of the school’s university center, says the organizers will package and ship the kits by week’s end. Each kit includes a mask, a bottle of hand sanitizer, a digital thermometer, and other safety resources.

Prep day consisted of two 3-hour shifts with staff and students creating nearly 3,000 kits. Junod says the overall goal is to create around 11,600 for the next two days.

Faculty member Meredith Keating-White says there will be in-person classes. Therefore, helping students and faculty return in the safest way possible tops her priorities.

As assistant director for Campus Life and Student Involvement, Keating-White expressed her enthusiasm for the campus buzzing with incoming freshmen. She says this year will be about safety, prevention, and communication.

“We normally have wide-open doors, we work in student involvement,” said Keating-White. “We are discussing if we need to have any more appointments or ask students to let us know that they are coming by.”

The university will give out the kits on all the campuses in August. This includes the Atlanta campus.

The mask policy

Classes begin August 18, and students must wear a mask. The university says eating in dining services and working out in the fitness center are the only exceptions to the mask policy.