Update on Indoor Mask Mandate
Greetings,
Walla Walla Community College has been closely monitoring developments related to COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. After careful consideration, the College has suspended all school-sponsored student and community events until further notice. Canceled events include, but are not limited to, sporting events including baseball and softball games previously planned for March 13-15, as well as the WWCC College Rodeo and Cowboy breakfast, theater, and drama productions. All non-instructional student events such as open mics, sports viewing-parties, and so forth, as well as instructional program community advisory committee meetings likewise are canceled until further notice.
Winter quarter instruction will continue largely as planned for the remaining three instructional days of the quarter (March 13, 16, and 17), with the exception that finals scheduled for March 18-20 will be conducted entirely online. In cases where online finals are not an option, finals may be given during times normally reserved for instruction (March 16-17), or skipped entirely and a grade assigned based on work completed up to that point in the quarter. Students requiring accommodations can expect those accommodations to be provided as always, and the testing center will continue to function with social distancing and hygiene protocols followed carefully. For additional information regarding continuity of operations, please visit https://www.wwcc.edu/elearning/elearning/continuity-instruction-faculty/
Spring quarter is scheduled to resume on April 1. Faculty are expected to report to work as usual, but no instruction will occur on April 1, 2, or 3 for either online or face-to-face courses. During that time, full- and part-time faculty will make any needed modifications to their curriculum to convert face-to-face courses to majority-online instruction when classes resume on April 6. Students needing access to technology will be welcomed to computer labs on campus, which will be sanitized frequently, and social distancing will be practiced.
Because this is a rapidly developing situation, I encourage everyone to check a dedicated coronavirus page on our website, www.wwcc.edu/coronavirus, which we are updating regularly. The page includes frequently asked questions related to the coronavirus as well as phone numbers for campus, regional and state health services.
These are difficult decisions but necessary to ensure the safety of everyone in our communities.
Please keep in mind that it’s important for all of us to follow the safety protocols designed to thwart the spread of the virus in our communities. A reminder of the basics: Wash your hands frequently with soap and water. Don’t touch your face. And, please stay, or go, home if you are feeling unwell.
Thank you for your flexibility and understanding as we collectively work to keep our WWCC communities safe.
Sincerely,
Chad Emerson Hickox, Ph.D.
Acting President
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