Marshall University’s main focus is the health and safety of our faculty, staff, and students as well as our community. You can find additional information about COVID-19 below such as FAQs, Telecommuting, Leave Info, and Help Guides. For complete Marshall University news/updates related to COVID-19, please go to MU Update Page.
MU COVID-19 Updates
Campus COVID-19 Sinage
- Download ready-made signs and customizeable templates for you to print and post as needed.
PEIA Resources
- PEIA Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
- PEIA COVID-19 Information
- PEIA Policy for COVID-19
- Temporary Expansion of Telemedicine
Return to Work & Campus
- Return-to-Workplace Guide for employees
- Frequently Asked Questions, (Ex. What if an employee becomes ill with fever, cough or other concerning symptoms?)
- Return-to-Campus Plan
Return-to-Campus Town Hall Meetings
The purpose of these Town Halls is to help the Marshall University community understand the policies and procedures that will be implemented to keep our campus as safe and healthy as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each Town Hall will be in a webinar format with expert speakers.
Travel
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA or Act) requires certain employers to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. The Department of Labor’s (Department) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) administers and enforces the new law’s paid leave requirements. These provisions will apply from April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. See Additional Information and Apply
FAQs
- Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Questions and Answers
- COVID-19 and the Fair Labor Standards Act: Questions and Answers
- COVID-19 and the Family and Medical Leave Act: Questions and Answers
HR Administrative Procedure
Car Loans
Contact your lender immediately if you will have trouble making your car payment. This will help keep your credit in good standing.
Many lenders are now offering special forbearance programs that can help for the next few months. Examples: payment deferrals, reduced payments or extending the loan reducing the monthly payments.
Contact your lender to see what they are offering as it varies by lender and manufacture.
Additional Resources
Car Insurance
- AARP
- AllState
- American Family Insurance
- Erie Insurance
- Forbes Magazine
- Geico
- Liberty Mutual
- Nationwide
- Progressive
- Prudential
- State Farm
- The General
- USAA
Mortgage Loans
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has information listed on their website to assist individuals in understanding the mortgage relief provided to homeowners under the CARES Act. They also have a video explaining the process.
Additional Resources
Stimulus Checks
Here is what you need to know about your Economic Impact Payment. For most taxpayers, payments are automatic, and no further action is needed. This includes taxpayers who filed tax returns in 2018 and 2019 and most seniors and retirees.
IRS
- Economic Impact Payment
- Social Security Recipients Will Automatically Receive Economic Impact Payments
TIAA
Impact of the CARES Act on the West Virginia Higher Education Retirement Plans
- The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (the Commission) wants to make you aware of your retirement plan options as a result of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Key Highlights Include
- RMDs suspended
- Retirement plan withdrawals expanded with penalties waived
- Retirement plan loan limits increased
- Individual recovery checks and student loan relief available
Retirement Loans & Withdrawals
Virtual Financial Counseling Sessions
- You can access virtual counseling by phone or on any device, and get advice and education about your retirement savings, managing debt and your investment strategy. Both are highly secure and private.
Food Programs for Kids and Families
School Programs
Kentucky Feeding Programs
Community Programs
- Facing Hunger Foodbank – Huntington Office (only one in tristate), People can also donate to this location if they wanted to help the community.
- Mountaineer Foodbank – Kanawha County Availability (no closer counties available)
Government Assistance
- SNAP Program – The West Virginia Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides monthly benefits to help eligible households buy food.
- Summer Food Service Program – The West Virginia Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides nutritious meals to children ages 18 and under, when school is not in session.
Area Food Banks and Pantries
Restaurant Options
Delivery Options (Outside of Pizza options)
- Oscar’s Breakfast, Burgers & Brews – 304-948-6916
- Calamity J Grill, will deliver within a 5 mile radius, 304-529-8100
- GrubHub
- DoorDash
- UberEats
- Chipotle
Restaurants with Family Sized Options Available (Outside of the Pizza Options)
- Bob Evans
- Chick-fil-a, 304-733-4850. You’ll choose from items like nuggets, chicken sandwiches or spicy chicken sandwiches, waffle fries, mac & cheese or chocolate chunk cookies. Your bundle will come with a gallon of brewed iced tea, as well — sweetened or unsweetened
- Qdoba, 304-736-3030 – Qdoba is serving up family meals enough for a group of five. The kits come complete with grilled adobo chicken or steak, cilantro lime rice & black beans, a three cheese queso, pico de gallo, salsa verde, shredded cheese, tortillas, and a large bag of chips.
- Fazoli’s – Fazoli’s has a family meal for $19.99, featuring Fettuccine Alfredo and Spaghetti with meat sauce or marinara, a whole cheese or pepperoni pizza, and 8 breadsticks.
- Cracker Barrell, Barboursville Location, 304-733-3450 – Each contains enough food for around six people, and there are multiple baskets you can choose.
- Longhorn Steakhouse, Barboursville Tanyard Station, 304-955-5541
- Steak ‘N Shake, Barboursville Location 304-733-2051 – You get grab four Double ‘n Cheese steak burgers, four small fries, and four drinks for just 20 bucks from Steak ‘n Shake.
- Texas Roadhouse, Huntington Location 304-521-4443, Ashland Location 606-325-5188 – This Texas Roadhouse offering four entrees like the New York Strip, pulled pork, and ribs, as well as a giant house salad, four sides, and rolls with their delicious cinnamon honey butter.
- KFC
- Captain D’s
- The Wild Ramp
Optum
Optum, part of UnitedHealth Group, is opening its Emotional-Support Help Line. Professionally trained, mental health staff are there to support people who may be suffering from fear or stress created by COVID-19. Optum’s Emotional-Support Help Line number is 866-342-6892 and will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The service is free of charge and open to all PEIA members.
Centers for Disease Control
- CDC – Stress and Coping
Mind Control: Managing Your Mental Health During COVID-19
Never in the history of humanity have so many people been feeling intense anxiety related to COVID-19 and the world it will leave in its wake. The intent of this course is to give you a deeper understanding of the anxiety reaction as it relates to various aspects of our current life, ranging from our consumption of news to the way we talk to our children about this. I will also give you clear strategies for managing and, in fact, turning off the anxiety response at least for short periods. My sincere hope is that you will leave this course with a better understanding of how your brain reacts to crises, along with some powerful tools for managing it before it manages you. REGISTER HERE
Mindfulness for Wellness: Eight-Session Series
This Mindfulness for Wellness series was developed by Dr. Louisa Sylvia and the team at the Dauten Center for Bipolar Treatment Innovation within the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Department of Psychiatry. This program teaches basic mindfulness skills that can help you cope with the stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each session focuses on a particular skill and will take between 15 and 20 minutes to complete. You can do these sessions over a period of days or weeks. Most of the mindfulness exercises you will learn are quite short, and you will get more out of the program if you can find the time to practice them between sessions. REGISTER HERE
Prama’s Wellness Wednesday Online Meditations
Free meditation session. We will be providing a mantra (meditation technique) which will help you concentrate better. The session will last about 30-40 minutes, including a guided meditationand a short talk on aspects of meditation practice.
The online meditation is conducted with Zoom. You can either join us by phone or with the Zoom app which will give you full video access to the event. You will receive the zoom link before the program. REGISTER HERE – its free
Take a Deep Breath
Science has shown that slowing our breathing helps us calm down. Research also shows that taking a few minutes to do breathing exercises can help relax our brains and make it easier for us to cope with stress and make thoughtful decisions.
Take a Minute to Meditate
Today, there are many definitions of meditation and even more approaches to doing it. When we talk about meditating as a way to “Press Pause” during stressful or anxious moments, we’re talking about taking a mindful moment to calm down, turn off some of that noise in our minds, and refocus so we can get the important stuff done.
Weekday Sunrise Meditations – Online
These one-hour online meditations will be a support for all those who like to be in nature and feel the support of the natural world for our practice and to help calm and relax our body, mind and heart.
Running on weekdays at 7 am Pacific Time / 10 am Eastern Time. No meditations are scheduled for Saturdays and Sundays.
This class is offered freely. REGISTER HERE
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when so many of us are very restricted in our movements, it is even more important for people of all ages and abilities to be as active as possible. Even a short break from sitting, by doing 3-5 minutes of physical movement, such as walking or stretching, will help ease muscle strain, relieve mental tension and improve blood circulation and muscle activity. Regular physical activity can also help to give the day a routine and be a way of staying in contact with family and friends.
- 8 tips for staying active during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Be Active during COVID-19
- COVID-19 and Exercise: Staying Active while Socially Distancing
- Staying Active During the Coronavirus Pandemic
- Check on elderly family and neighbors
- Check on those at high risk
- Donate Blood
- Donating to Food Pantries
- Support Local Businesses
- Ways to help
- West Virginia Mask Army