College leaders address concerns, safety, challenges
By: Bri Heaney, News Editor
The college campuses lay nearly desolate. Empty hallways, empty courtyards with the library empty and closed. Students and staff are no longer permitted to enter for the near future; the last date to collect and clear out belongings was March 26. However, the college is operating as students and faculty scramble to shift to online learning – a situation that many of them didn’t expect to be in.
In response to a global pandemic, students have been forced into a new normal. They’ve had to set up home workspaces in their homes, log in online, practice social distancing, and meet up on Blackboard Collaborate or platforms such as Zoom.
Saint Louis Community College (STLCC) initially extended Spring Break by one week, with the hopes of re-opening on March 30, but has since announced that all face-to-face courses will shift online.
This result and further actions that may follow have been a part of an evolving situation in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In a press release sent out on Friday, March 27, the school said that “St. Louis Community College students will be able to finish their semester coursework online.” This official press release comes just over two weeks after Chancellor Jeff Pittman sent out an email on March 12 claiming the campuses were not planning to close.
But, the pandemic grew exponentially in the U.S. within days and on March 23, STLCC received notification that a student from the Florissant Valley campus tested positive for COVID-19. The student last attended courses at the Florissant Valley campus on March 12.
“Our top priority is the health and safety of our school community,” said Jeff L. Pittman, Ph.D., STLCC chancellor, in the press release. “STLCC is doing everything we can to mitigate risk and to allay concerns as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves.”
The college is also expecting a move to only online learning to present some challenges.
Andrew Langrehr, vice chancellor of academic affairs for all STLCC campuses, has been on the forefront of devising a plan of action for the school during this unprecedented situation.
He said that the college has multiple resources for students dealing with this transition. The school has limited laptops available for students who do not have the technology to support online classes. Langrehr also said that different internet providers, like spectrum, are offering free wifi to students. Langrehr said that the IT Department has ordered more equipment and is going to see, based on student response, what more needs to be ordered as well as what other steps need to be taken to make the transition easier for everyone.
“IT is looking at purchasing more equipment, but we will have to see what the response is like and try to see how many people are in need,” said Langrehr.
However, Langrehr also said that with an influx of schools across the nation also buying more technological equipment, that the supply side is currently stressed. This is a hurdle that may come into play if the school needs to order more equipment.
Students in lab and studio classes face unique challenges that the school is currently working out.
“We have some biology classes with a lab that students could take online, but if you are taking organic chemistry, that lab requires instrumentation and chemicals that you would not have in your house, so you would not be able to take an organic chemistry lab online,” said Langrehr.
The school is considering having students complete what is left of the labs toward the end of the semester or, offering the opportunity for students to complete them during the summer, all depending on what local and national governments are allowing in relation to social distancing.
For students getting adjusted to taking classes online, Langrehr said STLCC is offering online resources and course options.
Students who do not want to continue online can withdraw before April 24 and retake the class over the next year at no charge.
