Campus Update June 18

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,

I hope that you and your families are staying healthy and safe during these COVID-19 days and are in good spirits.  We are all adjusting to changes in our lifestyles that are uncomfortable for many reasons – physically, emotionally, and socially.  Our hearts go out to those already affected by this pandemic, and we are concerned as you must be at the continuing rise in the positive number of cases.  

As we approach a full return to campus, I know there are many questions on your minds.  The Leadership Team and the Emergency Operations Group (EOG) have been working tirelessly to ensure that you will be as safe as possible when you return to campus. We are fortunate that our emergency planning has been led by a seasoned professional, Frank Patterson, and our work has been informed by employees throughout the campus.  Part of this has been the hard work of a faculty committee working to develop classroom protocols for teaching in the COVID-19 world. Other committees have focused on making recommendations for a safe return and are developing protocols to adapt as necessary.

Our overall return to campus plan outlines the steps we are taking to provide a safe environment which will include social distancing, advanced cleaning protocols, and the installation of Plexiglas dividers to protect students, employees, and campus visitors. As part of the plan, the College is currently developing a policy that will require employees and students to wear face coverings when in the presence of others. Please note that face coverings are not a substitute for proper social distancing, so we must do both.  These are challenging times, but we can absolutely do this!

Dr. Allison Ward-Moore, MD, IBCLC, is an Associate Professor of Anatomy and Physiology at McLennan Community College and is a board-certified OB/GYN. Though not an infectious disease expert or epidemiologist, she has been staying current on the transmission and prevention of the spread of the COVID 19 virus to better protect friends, family, and our community.  Dr. Ward-Smith is an advocate for wearing face coverings, and I am sharing a document with her thoughts on this topic.  She is one of us and provides additional knowledge and encouragement.

In addition to wearing face coverings and social distancing, prior to returning to campus and each day thereafter, all students and employees will be asked to take a daily self-assessment and verify that they are not COVID positive, did not have COVID symptoms, and have not been in the presence of anyone who is COVID positive for the past 14 days.  Should students or employees answer yes to any of those questions, they will be required to notify the College through the self-reporting form and to self-isolate for at least 14 days as dictated by evidence-based public health protocols for the control of infectious disease, only returning to campus if they are symptom-free at the end of that period.

To help protect students and faculty, we are reducing the number of people allowed in a classroom to allow for proper social distancing.  While we are planning to have classes in person as much as possible, we must all be flexible and aware that we may have to return to completely online instruction at any time.  This has led to our moving all face-to-face classes into blended/hybrid class sections.  Students enrolled in blended/hybrid classes will see fewer students in the classroom will also receive part of their instruction.   We will continue to offer blended and fully online courses, allowing students to choose the class format that best fits their learning style and comfort level.  More information will be provided soon about details.    Faculty and staff are working hard to prepare for that possibility. 

As much as COVID-19 has changed the world in which we live, MCC’s commitment to students and their success has never wavered. The Summer II session begins totally online (except for face-to-face skills training) on July 8, and the Fall 2020 semester begins on Monday, August 24th. As we look toward re-opening our campuses to students, faculty, and staff, we encourage you to visit https://www.mclennan.edu/covid and learn more about what McLennan Community College is doing to help McLennan Community College students meet their educational goals.

Johnette McKown
President
McLennan Community College