COVID-19 SHUTS DOWN ALL STLCC CAMPUSES
Remainder of Spring and Full Summer Sessions forced to move online in March Jacob Politte Online Editor
In mid-March, the world changed. The newest strain of the Coronavirus, codenamed COVID-19, quickly spread across the globe, and one of the global consequences was that all educational institutions were moved to an online format for their courses for an indeterminate amount of time. STLCC did not act as quickly as other colleges in the St. Louis area to make the move; Chancellor Jeff Pittman even sent out an email to students, faculty and staff on March 12 that said that classes for the following weeks were then scheduled to proceed as normal. This quickly changed the following day, when STLCC announced a one-week extension to Spring Break, and formally moved all classes to an online format on Blackboard. STLCC also made the decision to indefinitely close all outdoor athletic facilities to the public effective April 1, 2020. STLCC also disclosed, in accordance with the Cleary Act, that at least three students tested positive for the virus. One of those
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students was present on the Meramec campus on March 12, one of the last days that the campus was accessible to students. While it was initially unclear when on-campus classes would return, in mid-April it was confirmed that on-campus classes would not return for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester. It was announced in July that the majority of classes would be held online throughout the fall 2020 semester as well. Pittman also announced on June 1 that several high-ranking members of STLCC leadership, including himself, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Andrew Langrehr, and Meramec President and Chief Academic Officer Feleccia Moore-Davis will be taking one day of furlough a month through the end of the year, starting in July. These furlough days will help offset impending budget challenges. Other ways that Pittman listed to offset those challenges include freezing a high number of vacant positions, reducing travel and professional development, and reducing operational costs.
A lone, unidentified woman is the only person in sight at the empty Meramec campus on Tuesday, March 31. All buildings on campus have been closed to the public in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
PHOTO BY SYED ALI
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