Ouachita Stories

Pandemic Profiles: Chester Mitchell, Sr., and Coleman Rogers

With nicknames like “double trouble” and “salt and pepper,” Chester Mitchell, Sr., and Coleman Rogers are the carpentry team for Facilities Management at Ouachita and are not only rarely seen apart but also good friends. With the work the duo had cut out for them last summer, any less than two sets of hands and a good sense of humor would have made overhauling campus with needed protective measures incredibly difficult.

Pandemic Profiles: Kristi Seals and Kristin Kesterson, Ouachita's COVID-19 Testing Center

For many Ouachita students, the slightest sign of COVID-19 symptoms or the realization that they have been exposed to a positive case causes anxiety, naturally. But since students returned to campus for residential learning in August 2020, they have had two on-campus “mommas” to call for guidance: Kristin Kesterson and Kristi Seals.

Pandemic Profiles: Kari Ledford, Sodexo Retail and Marketing Manager

Consider providing three meals a day to Ouachita’s residential campus of roughly 1,500 students, physically distanced, observing the Arkansas Department of Health and CDC’s vigilant cleaning guidelines and all while keeping lines of hungry students moving. For Kari Ledford, Sodexo’s retail and marketing manager, and her team, their focus was always Ouachita students and their safety.

Pandemic Profiles: Matt Douglass, Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs

After months of remote learning in the spring of 2020, Ouachita students were able to return to their physically-distanced classrooms and desks on campus in mid-August. One of the individuals who made on-campus learning possible is Dr. Matt Douglass, assistant to the vice president for academic affairs and institutional research analyst.

Pandemic Profiles: Kevin Herrington, Network Services Administrator

When Ouachita sent students home for an extended Spring Break in March of 2020, it took some by surprise. Thankfully, Ouachita's Kevin Herrington and the Office of IT Services had already been working on contingency plans for the possibility of remote learning.

Pandemic Profiles: Randall Quillin, Building Services Supervisor

Remember at the onset of COVID-19 in the U.S. when toilet paper was impossible to find and hand sanitizer was out of stock? Imagine the demand for those supplies on a college campus, specifically at Ouachita. Thanks to the work of Randall Quillin, building services supervisor in Ouachita’s Office of Facilities Management, and his building services team, Ouachita was able secure needed supplies to return to on-campus classes.