Belmont Abbey College is answering the call to train and graduate nurses by creating a new degree program. The college just got initial approval from the NC Board of Nursing to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, which will start in August 2022. The first graduating class will be around 40 strong.
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Belmont Abbey Debate Evaluates Ethics in Democracy and Citizenship at NCICU
The Belmont Abbey Debate Team participated in the 2022 North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Ethics Bowl last weekend, evaluating ethics in democracy and citizenship. The event hosted three rounds in an online format, blending policy evaluation and political philosophy. Our team of Blake Traylor, Carter Keller, and Paloma Shrauder won the final two rounds.
In round one, Belmont Abbey discussed the financing of political campaigns with Mars Hill, debating corporate free speech and popular sovereignty. The second round with Campbell University emphasized voting legislation and structures, with significant debate surrounding the ethics and pragmatism of federalist systems. Finally, the third round with Queens University of Charlotte challenged students to consider the Supreme Court, both as an independent institution and an interconnected branch of government.
Although the event was hosted in a virtual format again this year, students had the opportunity to receive feedback from professionals in the community ranging from elected officials to corporate representatives. The event looks forward to returning to an in-person format in Raleigh next year.
Our next tournament will be Bowling Green State University on February 26; this will be a practice tournament for our first-year students. Following Bowling Green, the full team will be invited to compete at the University of Arkansas tournament March 4-6.
Southern Forensics Tournament
The Belmont Abbey Debate Team competed at the 2022 Southern Forensics Championship. The competition welcomed 34 schools from 12 states, with 136 total debaters in IPDA. Four Belmont Abbey students debated a wide variety of topics concerning societal values, policy proposals, and evaluations of policy. At the end of the weekend, Isabella Barrett finished second overall in the final round, while Blake Traylor and Carter Keller were ranked in the top 10 for speaking awards in their divisions.
In novice, Isabella Barrett and Carter Keller each earned four of six preliminary ballots to advance to the octofinals. Both debaters won their octofinal round on 2-1 decisions to qualify for quarterfinals. Carter concluded the tournament as a quarterfinalist in a round against the University of Florida. He was also honored in the top 10 for cumulative speaking points. Isabella continued to win both her quarterfinal and semifinal debates, earning her a place in the final round. Isabella concluded in second place, with Mississippi State University winning the division overall. Jason Tronetti also attended his first IPDA tournament, earning nearly 80% of the total available speaking points and gaining experience with several debate topics.
In varsity, Blake Traylor concluded the tournament after six preliminary rounds. Blake earned approximately 92% of possible speaking points, including three rounds with either a perfect speaking score out of 40 or one point below. He was honored as a top 10 speaker for the tournament.
Our next competition is the 2022 North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Ethics Bowl on February 11.
COVID Management Protocols and Procedures
There are three changes to our COVID management protocols and procedures. These are the result of a changing context of COVID in our region, a reduced number of cases on our campus, and a large percentage of our campus community (>80%) who are vaccinated or have been positive in the last 90 days. This is our initial move to manage COVID as an endemic (rather than a pandemic) disease.
To that end, the following changes will go into effect immediately:
- There will no longer be an indoor mask mandate for activities. Instead we will move to a mask optional environment unless prescribed by some external authority. Two important pieces remain in place for this new policy:
- Per CDC guidance, we would continue to encourage those who have recently tested positive to wear a mask around others in days 6-10 following isolation.
- Second – and most importantly – as a community, we will honor the request of others to mask in their presence if requested. This includes classes, office spaces, meetings, and other gatherings on our campus. As has been the case since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been a community that has proven time and time again that we respect and look out for one another. We ask and expect that this ethos and level of common care will continue in this new phase.
- The College will no longer conduct detailed contact tracing for exposures to a positive case. We will continue to honor voluntary exposure disclosure as before, but will now limit our contact tracing to roommates or other living environment exposures. We encourage those who have tested positive to reach out to others who may have had close contact. In this, positive cases will continue to isolate away from campus.
- We will move to full capacity for on-campus events.
We will continue our testing efforts as suggested and required by local partners, Conference Carolinas, and the NCAA. If you are not feeling well, please contact the Wellness Center and baccovid19@bac.edu for further direction and instruction.
Again, these changes will have immediate effect and will be reviewed no later than March 1.
Belmont Abbey College Receives Accreditation to Offer Masters Level Degrees
Belmont Abbey College announces its full accreditation as a Master’s level institution and intentions to increase academic offerings. In the summer of 2021, the private liberal arts college welcomed the first cohort of students in pursuit of a Master in Health Administration after securing initial accreditation authorization from the Southern Association of College and Schools Commissions on Colleges (SACSCOC). Over the next couple of months, a SACSCOC peer review committee evaluated the ongoing compliance with standards and provided their recommendation for full accreditation to the Board of Trustees. This recommendation was recently approved, allowing Belmont Abbey to move forward with strategic plans to offer new masters-level programs.
