Genesee Community College Announces Restart Plans for Fall Semester

Some Employees Return to Batavia Campus this Week Following Social Distancing Guidelines

Batavia, NY (07/06/2020) — GCC unveiled a series of plans for the Fall 2020 semester to bring students back to campus in a limited capacity, while operating numerous courses through remote delivery. The Fall 2020 plans include a blend of learning modalities featuring a robust number of online, hybrid and HyFlex classes, and all in-person instruction will follow the College's COVID-19 safety measures such as:

• All classrooms and labs have been assessed to determine the maximum capacity while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
• Maximizing GCC's hybrid and HyFlex learning environments that strategically combine in-person and online instruction.
• Labs requiring face-to-face, hands-on learning will be separated in multiple sections as needed to reduce classroom density.
• All College Village residence bedrooms will be converted to singles with one student per private room.
• The services that students rely on, such as the Library and Tutoring and Testing Centers as well as campus study spaces will be available for use following social distancing rules.
• Dining services will open but will focus on single-serve items and take-out items.
• While some programs and activities will look different in the Fall semester, GCC is committed to providing a vibrant student engagement experience for all students.

"We will remain vigilant throughout the duration of this pandemic, continuously monitoring health conditions and working to mitigate the spread of the virus," James M. Sunser, Ed.D., president of GCC said. "The hard work and cooperation of everyone today helps ensure we remain healthy and safe tomorrow and can have a successful academic year."

College officials are currently gearing up to welcome back staff and faculty on a reduced capacity as well, beginning Monday, July 6, 2020.

"The past four months have been an extraordinarily challenging time. There are so many moving parts in a college campus that I must commend our campus community who have teamed up to maintain as many critical services as possible, allowing us to be prepared for this fall," Dr. Sunser said. "This included modifying workflows, teaching and working remotely, learning and introducing new technologies, and sometimes discovering new efficiencies or new opportunities, such as our Virtual Commencement Ceremony. It is no accident that GCC continues to have no documented positive cases of COVID-19, a true testament to our collective commitment to strategically tackle this crisis."

Employees received a five-page "Welcome Back" guideline outlining all the new facets of working on campus that includes social distancing, mask wearing and multiple steps to reduce the density of the campus population. The most salient features of the Re-opening Plan include but are not limited to:

• Only employees with a valid ID are allowed on campus at this time.
• All persons will be given a brief verbal screening about their physical health and an infrared, touch-free temperature reading by a member of the College's Health or Campus Safety Office, who will have the authority to deny access to anyone deemed at risk for the COVID-19 virus.
• Many departments are staggering summer staffing to reduce GCC population density.
• Maintain a six-foot distance from other people at all times, avoid physical contact such as handshakes, and wear a face mask in all shared spaces.
• Most meetings will continue to be held remotely and many areas of the College will remain closed this summer, such as dining services, as they are prepared for fall configuration.
• GCC's Buildings and Grounds Department will be cleaning and disinfecting common areas and frequently touched surfaces throughout each day, and each department and individual will be asked to clean and disinfect individual workstations and equipment using College provided supplies.

GCC posts the latest updates and information on the College's COVID19 webpage that is available from the College's homepage on its main website, www.genesee.edu.

For further information, contact Donna Rae Sutherland, marketing director at dsutherland@genesee.edu.

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Editor's Note: For a poster graphic highlighting the COVID-19 requirements that will greet GCC's employees on Monday, July 6, 2020 go to: http://marketing.genesee.edu/images/WelcomeBack_Requirements.jpg

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