Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 10-30-20

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USF Adjusts Spring Break Dates In Response To COVID-19
Group Encourages Passers-By To Vote ‘Yes’ For Amendment 2
A group gathered last week at 22nd Street and I-4 with their signs as they showed support for Amendment 2, “Raising Florida’s Minimum Wage.” They were encouraging passersby to vote ‘yes’ for the amendment. (Photos by BRUNSON)
Greg McCreery, professor at USF, addressed the group.
The University of South Florida will ad- just its academic calendar for the spring 2021 semester to help mitigate the possible spread of COVID-19.
USF’s spring break, originally sched- uled for March 15-21, will be moved to April 12-18. Pushing spring break into April will allow USF to deliver the last two weeks of instruction and final exams re- motely.
Because many students and faculty typ- ically travel over spring break, transition- ing to all remote delivery for the last few weeks of the semester is intended to reduce the number of individuals who return to a
USF campus and lower the likelihood of exposing others to COVID-19.
USF previously announced a similar plan for the fall semester, with classes and final exams delivered remotely after the Thanksgiving break.
“The University of South Florida contin- ues to prioritize the health and well-being of our university community as we develop plans for the spring semester,” USF Presi- dent Steve Currall said.
The change to USF’s calendar does not affect the start and end dates of USF’s spring semester, which will still begin on Jan. 11, 2021, and end on May 6.
City Of Tampa Utilities To Resume Normal Collections Activity November 1, 2020
The City of Tampa Utilities section will re- sume normal collections activity on November 1, 2020. Normal collections activity had been suspended prior to COVID-19 due to a recent Customer Information System conversion. That suspension was extended after the COVID-19 outbreak in March of this year. With the gradual resumption of economic re- covery in our region, collections activity will now resume.
Later this month, customers will again begin to receive reminder notices. Late fees will be assessed for new balances accrued after November 1, 2020. To mitigate the impact to customers, unpaid balances accrued up to No- vember 1, 2020 will not be charged a late fee.
We understand that customers may still be
experiencing financial hardship. The collec- tions team will be ready to discuss and author- ize reasonable repayment terms in order to avoid interruption of services. Customers should pay close attention to their utility bills and identify any balances owed prior to the COVID-19 outbreak in March.
Assistance under the federal CARES Act is still available through the appropriate Hills- borough County social services agencies through December 31st. Our team will continue to facilitate communications between our customers and these agencies to deter- mine eligibility for payment assistance.
Customers looking for additional guidance should contact our representatives by call- ing, (813) 274-8811.
Tee, Harriet, Juanita, and Nita were among those who stood at 22nd St. and I-4 to encourage residents to vote ‘For’ Amendment 2 – A living wage.
PAGE 2-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020