FAQs

Absolutely. Now is a great time to think thorough the classes you will need for fall and spring to stay on track to graduate. Fall classes begin August 15. Follow the steps located here to get advised and registered: https://sites.highlands.edu/advising/how-to-register-for-classes/.

All GHC locations will be open Monday - Thursday (8AM - 5:30PM). All operations on Fridays will be only be available remotely from 8AM to noon.

Effective July 15, 2020, University System of Georgia (USG) institutions will require all faculty, staff, students, and visitors to wear an appropriate face covering while inside campus facilities/buildings where six feet social distancing may not always be possible. Face covering use will be in addition to and is not a substitute for social distancing.

Face coverings are not required when alone in an enclosed office or study room or in campus outdoor settings where social distancing requirements are met.

Anyone not using a face covering when required will be asked to wear one or must leave the area. Repeated refusal to comply with the requirement may result in discipline through the applicable conduct code for faculty, staff or students.

Reasonable accommodations may be made for those who are unable to wear a face covering for documented health reasons.

Read the full update at usg.edu/coronavirus

Advising is ongoing and will be conducted via phone, email, Zoom, or other technologies. Students can make an appointment with an advisor in Navigate at highlands.navigate.eab.com. If you have advising questions, email advising@highlands.edu.

To support social distancing requirements, broadband providers are offering various options for Georgians to connect to the internet. By visiting broadband.georgia.gov, Georgians can find locations to which they can drive for accessing WiFi around the state, made available from telecommunications cooperatives and government agencies. While many public libraries are currently closed, some are still offering limited services such as WiFi outside their buildings.

Can’t access the Internet at home?  Then, check out the GHC Wi-Fi Drive-In!

GHC’s Cartersville, Floyd, and Paulding locations now feature designated outdoor areas and parking spaces that allow access to the GHC-Chargers student Wi-Fi network. In the event of a site or school closure due to COVID-19, these areas will remain available for use on a first come, first served basis. Students must follow any social distancing protocols required by state or local health officials.

GHC Wi-Fi Drive-In is provided as a best effort service only. Due to circumstances beyond our control (such as weather or radio frequency interference), GHC provides no warranty of service for the reliability, bandwidth, and overall quality of this service.

Wi-Fi Drive-In Internet Locations:

Cartersville: 10-20 spaces in the first row of faculty/staff parking lot behind the Student Center

Paulding: 10-15 spaces in faculty/staff parking lot in front of Bagby Building

Floyd: 10-12 spaces in the first row of Lakeview parking lot

Visit https://sites.highlands.edu/office-of-finance-and-administration/business-office/bursars-office-student-accounts/payment-options/ 

 For more information: 

https://sites.highlands.edu/office-of-finance-and-administration/business-office/bursars-office-student-accounts/ .

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to evolve, bad actors are taking advantage of the situation to not only spread misinformation through social media but are also using phishing emails to obtain personal information or spread malicious software. Here are some tips to avoid being victimized.

• Obtain information from trusted sources. Some web sites are providing misinformation and serving malicious software. Refer to the World Health Organization (WHO) (https://www.who.int), Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (https://www.cdc.gov) and the Georgia Department of Public Health (https://dph.georgia.gov/) for official information on COVID-19.
• Check email addresses and links. Inspect web links by hovering your mouse pointer over the URL to see where it leads. Review the sender’s email address.
• Beware of online requests for personal information. A COVID-19 themed email requesting personal information like your Social Security number or login information is a phishing scam. Never respond to these emails.
• Watch for spelling and grammatical mistakes. If an email includes spelling, punctuation or grammar errors, it is possible this is a phishing email.
• Look for generic greetings. Phishing emails are likely to use greetings like “Dear sir or madam.” These usually signal an email is not legitimate.
• Avoid COVID-19 themed emails requiring an immediate response. Phishing emails often create a sense of urgency. Stop. Think. Then Click.
• Report suspicious email. Contact our IT Help Desk at rt@highlands.edu or (706) 295-6775 if you receive suspicious email.

The Writing Center will be open to serve all students via Zoom and virtual appointments. Students can make an appointment using Navigate. 

If you would like to speak with a professional Counselor, please email sss@highlands.edu to schedule an appointment. All sessions will be scheduled online via Zoom. Our full staff of Counselors are available for you Monday through Thursday, 8am - 5:30pm, and on Friday 8am -12pm.  As a student, why not take advantage of this form of self-care? https://sites.highlands.edu/student-support-services/contacts/

Tutoring is available and will be conducted virtually through Zoom. Students should log in to Navigate at highlands.navigate.eab.com to schedule appointments. Individual tutor schedules are available at https://sites.highlands.edu/tutorial-center/schedule/. The link to the Zoom session will be included in the appointment confirmation email that is sent. If you need help, email nmartin@highlands.edu .

Please submit a 411 ticket at https://www.highlands.edu/need-help/ .

Please contact Amy Wise, Veterans Affairs Coordinator at awise@highlands.edu or 678-872-8005. If you have questions about your specific circumstances, please contact the VA Education Call Center at: 1-888-442-4551 between 8 AM and 7 PM Eastern Time, Monday-Friday. 

Yes, students in need can request food assistance by visiting the Charger Food Pantry webpage and completing a pantry pre-order-form.

For course/instructional questions, contact your instructor.

For advising or administrative questions, use the GHC 411 ticketing system at https://www.highlands.edu/need-help/ .

Access to Paris Lake on the Floyd Campus is currently open.

You can learn more about the CARES Act by visiting caresact.highlands.edu and you can learn more about the process by visiting the bursar’s office page and clicking CARES Relief Fund Plan.

Absolutely. Now is a great time to think thorough the classes you will need for fall and spring to stay on track to graduate. Fall classes begin August 15. Follow the steps located here to get advised and registered: https://sites.highlands.edu/advising/how-to-register-for-classes/.

All GHC locations will be open Monday - Thursday (8AM - 5:30PM). All operations on Fridays will be only be available remotely from 8AM to noon.

Effective July 15, 2020, University System of Georgia (USG) institutions will require all faculty, staff, students, and visitors to wear an appropriate face covering while inside campus facilities/buildings where six feet social distancing may not always be possible. Face covering use will be in addition to and is not a substitute for social distancing.

Face coverings are not required when alone in an enclosed office or study room or in campus outdoor settings where social distancing requirements are met.

Anyone not using a face covering when required will be asked to wear one or must leave the area. Repeated refusal to comply with the requirement may result in discipline through the applicable conduct code for faculty, staff or students.

Reasonable accommodations may be made for those who are unable to wear a face covering for documented health reasons.

Read the full update at usg.edu/coronavirus

Please continue to try requesting your transcript through normal online or electronic methods. If you cannot request your transcript via these methods and need more time, please email an extension request to admitme@highlands.edu.

Charger tours have been postponed at this time. Please register for a future charger tour at https://sites.highlands.edu/admissions/visit/.

Yes! Once you are admitted into Georgia Highlands College, your first step is to complete your Pre-Orientation found on your Check Application Status page. Once your Pre-Orientation is complete, the Check Application Status page will update to allow you to sign up for a Charger Orientation. Orientations will be virtual. You will receive an email close to the date you chose with next steps. Questions can be directed to orientation@highlands.edu.

Yes! Admissions Counselors are available to meet with you online and answer your questions. See https://sites.highlands.edu/forms/lets-chat-admissions/ for more details.

More information about our return to campus can be found by reviewing the Return to Campus training (D2L), Return to Campus Guide, and the HR FAQs page.  For questions or concerns regarding the return to campus, employees and managers can also contact our dedicated HR email at HR_COVID-19@highlands.edu.

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to evolve, bad actors are taking advantage of the situation to not only spread misinformation through social media but are also using phishing emails to obtain personal information or spread malicious software. Here are some tips to avoid being victimized.

• Obtain information from trusted sources. Some web sites are providing misinformation and serving malicious software. Refer to the World Health Organization (WHO) (https://www.who.int), Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (https://www.cdc.gov) and the Georgia Department of Public Health (https://dph.georgia.gov/) for official information on COVID-19.

• Check email addresses and links. Inspect web links by hovering your mouse pointer over the URL to see where it leads. Review the sender’s email address.

• Beware of online requests for personal information. A COVID-19 themed email requesting personal information like your Social Security number or login information is a phishing scam. Never respond to these emails.

• Watch for spelling and grammatical mistakes. If an email includes spelling, punctuation or grammar errors, it is possible this is a phishing email.

• Look for generic greetings. Phishing emails are likely to use greetings like “Dear sir or madam.” These usually signal an email is not legitimate.

• Avoid COVID-19 themed emails requiring an immediate response. Phishing emails often create a sense of urgency. Stop. Think. Then Click.

• Report suspicious email. Contact our IT Help Desk at rt@highlands.edu or (706) 295-6775 if you receive suspicious email.

Read more here: https://dph.georgia.gov/novelcoronavirus

Read more here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/transmission.html

Read more here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/symptoms.html

Read more here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html

Georgia Highlands College urges students who have a fever and are exhibiting flu-like symptoms to contact their healthcare provider and stay home until 24 hours without a fever. In consideration of recent health events, GHC will be flexible with attendance and make-up work policies, as needed. Students will be afforded all manner of instructional continuity available. Please work with your instructor to complete course work remotely, if needed.

If you should have to stay home at this time, please review prevention techniques to reduce the spread of flu-like viruses in your home at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Georgia Highlands College urges employees who have a fever and are exhibiting flu-like symptoms to contact their healthcare provider and stay home until 24 hours without a fever. In consideration of recent health events, GHC will be flexible with attendance. Employees should work with their immediate supervisor proactively to learn ways to work remotely when possible.

If you should have to stay home at this time, please review prevention techniques to reduce the spread of flu-like viruses in your home at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Contact your healthcare provider, then contact your instructors for options to complete course work remotely, if needed. In consideration of recent health events, GHC will be flexible with attendance and make-up work policies, as needed. Students will be afforded all manner of instructional continuity available.

GHC has protocols are designed to protect the entire community, while providing support and resources to anyone who might have been exposed.

We have plans in place for large-scale disasters and outbreaks and will continue to assess those plans for the duration of the event.

When it comes to preventing all viruses, including the flu, the following guidance holds true:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Stay hydrated and get plenty of rest.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Isolation involves separating ill persons from well persons, while quarantine involves separating well persons who have been exposed to the infection from other well persons during the incubation period of an illness. The current quarantine for COVID-19 is 14 days.