FAQs

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.

Absolutely. Now is a great time to think thorough the classes you will need for summer and fall to stay on track to graduate. Summer registration is open now, and Fall registration opens on April 13. Follow the steps located here to get advised and registered: https://sites.highlands.edu/advising/how-to-register-for-classes/.

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.

The physical Bookstores are currently closed. However, the bookstore website remains open.

• • Online Bookstore – Cartersville or call 678-872-8042.
  • Online Bookstore – Rome, Heritage Hall, Douglasville, Paulding, & Marietta or call 706-295-6359

GHC Library is currently in remote operations, meaning you can work digitally with librarians via chat or e-mail. See contact information here:  https://getlibraryhelp.highlands.edu/home/contactus

You can visit https://getlibraryhelp.highlands.edu/home for electronic popular material, as well as chat with a librarian if you need research assistance when we resume remote instruction.

Check out STEM 411 (https://highlands.edu/lp/stem411/), our free virtual tutoring platform that allows question submissions and offers a live chat feature, is also available. A faculty member will answer your question for the following courses:  College Algebra, Precalculus, Calculus series, Statistics, Quantitative Skills and Reasoning, Chemistry, and Biology.

At this time, your financial aid will not be negatively impacted. However, if you need additional information, please contact the Student Financial Aid office by phone at the main campus numbers listed at the bottom of the homepage or email finaid@highlands.edu.

Normal custodial and ground operations will continue with increased attention to disinfecting each of our locations.   

Our intention is for all classes to resume on March 30 through remote delivery. Your instructor will be in contact with you about course specific instruction. 

Georgia Highlands College will be following guidance from the University System of Georgia and will postpone commencement ceremonies scheduled for May 16th, 2020. We will be rescheduling the 2020 graduation ceremonies for a later date when we are confident of the safety and well-being for our graduates and their guests. We will begin posting additional details as they become available. 

Please read more about this decision on the University System of Georgia website by clicking here.

GHC will refund students who have paid or been assessed the GHC parking fee, GHC student activity fee, or the Spring 2020 meal plan fee, with the following considerations:

1.      March 16th is considered the last service date for refunds.

2.      For those with GHC meal plans, 39% of the respective Spring 2020 rate will be refunded

3.      For GHC Parking Fees and Student Activity Fees, 46.28% will be refunded, based on the number of days remaining in the term from March16th forward.

Consistent with the USG guidance, GHC will not provide refunds for tuition, the Special Institutional Fee, the Technology Fee, or other fees not previously mentioned as these remain critical in supporting continuity of instruction and associated support. Separately, students who choose to withdraw entirely will be refunded in accordance with GHC’s normal refund schedule.

We expect to begin issuing refunds the week of March 30th. Refunds will be processed to the refund method that students have previously selected. Please note that direct deposit is the fastest refund method. For information about refunds or how to update your refund preference, please visit GHC Refunds Frequently Asked Questions

We understand you may have questions about this process, and we invite you to visit GHC’s Business Office page for more information, or for all Student Account related questions, please email bursarsoffice@highlands.edu

Faculty will be contacting students regarding the changes in their course delivery method that will begin on March 30th. Please continue to check your D2L and student email for communications. 

Due to the two-week suspension of instruction (March 16-27), it is a necessity to adjust our academic calendar in an effort to ensure student success, academic progress, and degree completion. Because of this shift in schedule, we will seek to accommodate scheduling conflicts our students may encounter. 

 By shifting our spring break forward, we avoid extending the semester. This will ensure our completion of spring semester on time, maintain the integrity of instruction and course content, and provide students the opportunity to attend Maymester courses. 

 If you have travel scheduled for the week of April 6-12, please reach out to your instructor to explore accommodation. 

Our GHC faculty and staff are committed to each student’s academic success and future! No students will be penalized for missing a currently published deadline as we work to address any questions or concerns. Updated deadlines will be provided accordingly. Deadlines regarding coursework should be discussed with instructors.

Please contact your instructor for details. 

Please communicate with your instructor directly for questions about course work. 

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/ .

Our admissions application is online. You can apply and pay online at 

https://www.highlands.edu/how-do-i-apply/ .

If you are already signed up for testing, the Testing Center will reach out to you. If you have questions, please email testing@highlands.edu or call 706-204-2110. 

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 .

Contact your supervisor for more information. 

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. 

GHC food pantry is currently closed.

GHC fitness centers are currently closed.

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 closed until further notice.

We will work with students to receive supporting documents past the Document Received Deadline. If you need extra time, please email a request to admitme@highlands.edu.

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. Questions can be directed to orientation@highlands.edu.

At this time, GHC is waiving the need for ACT/SAT/Accuplacer scores. If you have already applied, GHC will be adjusting that requirement on your application, and it should be reflected in your “Check Admission Status” within 3 business days. Please make sure the phone number you provide on your application is correct, so someone from GHC’s admissions team can reach out to you to follow-up.

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. 

Normal custodial and ground operations will continue with increased attention to disinfecting each of our locations.  

Please work directly with your supervisor. 

Due to the two-week suspension of instruction (March 16-27), it is a necessity to adjust our academic calendar in an effort to ensure student success, academic progress, and degree completion. Because of this shift in schedule, we will seek to accommodate scheduling conflicts our students may encounter. 

By shifting our spring break forward, we avoid extending the semester. This will ensure our completion of spring semester on time, maintain the integrity of instruction and course content, and provide students the opportunity to attend Maymester courses. 

 If you have travel scheduled for the week of April 6-10, please reach out to your supervisor to explore accommodation. 

Please work directly with your supervisor.

Please coordinate this directly with your supervisor, resources can be accessed here: 

https://sites.highlands.edu/marketing-and-communications/coronavirus-covid%e2%80%9119-information-and-resources/employee-resources/ .

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

Read more here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.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.

The federal government handles screening at U.S. entry points and does not allow anyone who has been in a high-risk area in the past 14 days to enter the country. Individuals traveling to nations that are under CDC Levels 2 or 3 travel advisories during spring break also will be required to observe and prove a 14-day self-quarantine before being allowed to resume normal campus activities. As part of the CDC travel guidance, all non-essential travel to Level III countries including China, Iran, Italy and South Korea have ceased.

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.

The CDC does not currently recommend the use of face masks for the general public to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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.