The Scene staff
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to demand a new way of life for St. Louis Community College students, faculty, and staff.
Classes moved online last week, and the Forest Park campus is closed, except for a few essential employees. Faculty and staff are allowed to access classrooms and offices only four hours a day, two days a week.
The new procedures require big adjustments.
“We’re trying to find out where people have issues and trying to help them,” said Forest Park President Julie Fickas in a telephone interview last week.
On March 23, STLCC announced that a Florissant Valley student had tested positive for coronavirus. His or her last day on campus was March 13.
On April 1, the college announced that two more students had “self-reported” either a positive test or exposure to coronavirus, one from the Forest Park campus and one from the Meramec campus.
“The student from Forest Park reported not being on campus since March 9,” according to the emailed announcement. “We believe the Meramec student had not been on campus since March 12.”
STLCC notified St. Louis County Department of Public Health of the three cases so that its staff could follow-up with others who may have been exposed.
Coronavirus causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease that was declared a pandemic on March 11.
As of Sunday, there have been more than 1.2 million confirmed cases and 67,000 deaths worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center.
Throughout the crisis, STLCC advises students, faculty, and staff to check email, Blackboard and the college’s coronavirus-related web page at https://www.stlcc.edu/messages/covid-19.aspx for updates and other information.
ONLINE CLASSES
STLCC students returned to school on March 30 after an extra week of spring break that allowed faculty to prepare for the transition to online classes.
Professors and students now work from home in compliance with “social-distancing” recommendations by the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
Eight-week classes were delayed and began March 30 as well.
WITHDRAWALS
STLCC has created a new withdrawal category, called “community crisis.” It allows students to withdraw from classes and take them again at a later time.
Students who withdraw under this category will not receive refunds for tuition and fees, but they will not be charged a second time when they re-enroll in classes. They must take the classes within one academic year.
More information about withdrawals is available at https://www.stlcc.edu/admissions/tuition-and-fees/withdrawal.aspx.
BUILDING ACCESS
STLCC began limiting access to campus offices and classrooms on March 30.
Faculty and staff can enter buildings to pick up materials, particularly those needed for online teaching, or take care of other business. But it must be done between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Mondays or Thursdays.
“The default, though, is that any work that can be done via phone, email, Skype, or other distance tools should be done through these methods,” according to a March 26 announcement by Robin Phillips, STLCC associate chancellor of human resources.
Forest Park employees who need building access must first contact Fickas at jfickas@stlcc.edu to let her know when. They will not be allowed to stay and work.
SURVEY CASH
Coronavirus is causing economic problems for many people, including college students.
Washington University in St. Louis is offering to pay $25 to students ages 18 to 29 who agree to participate in a 60-minute online survey that will focus on their experiences with police violence.
Interested students can email to motley.r@wustl.edu or text to 314-226-8119 with the subject heading “Survey Research” and provide name, phone number and best time to call. They will be sent a link and survey code.
The survey has been reviewed and approved by the STLCC Institutional Review Board. When students complete it, they will receive payment through cashapp.
TUTORING HELP
STLCC Academic Support Centers want students to know that online tutoring is available even though campus is closed.
For help from math, writing and speaking tutors, go to https://stlcc.mywconline.net/index.php?logout=YES. Video instructions will explain how to register and sign up for live or email sessions.
For help from tutors in biology, chemistry, nursing, psychology and other subjects on the Forest Park campus, email Kimberly Crank at kcrank@stlcc.edu.