Santa Rosa Junior College plans to continue remote learning though its Fall 2021 semester, incorporating select courses and labs for in-person attendance. SRJC President Dr. Frank Chong says the expansion of broader student attendance is contingent upon sufficient vaccine supply available for Californians 16 years and older who wish to be inoculated, and if hospitalization rates remain stable and low.
Dr. Chong says he is working with his leadership team on the creation of a transition plan, which will clearly outline a district plan for a safe, staged reopening for SRJC that closely follows Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Industry Guidance: Institutions of Higher Education, which provides guidelines for reopening safely. The vice presidents will utilize the district’s plan to work with their teams to develop area-specific reopening plans.
The current re-opening guidelines for SRJC are as follows:
- SRJC will continue to operate the instructional program in a largely remote format in fall 2021, while also allowing an increase in the number of partially in-person courses and the addition of fully in-person courses as are safely possible given District constraints on human, financial and facilities resources.
- Student services will also continue to operate in a largely remote format in fall 2021, while allowing for partially or fully in-person services as are safely possible given District constraints on human, financial and facilities resources.
- It is the District’s intent to utilize the contingency planning process and criteria negotiated between AFA and the district for fall 2021 to develop a prioritized list of courses for fall 2021 requiring some in-person instruction/activities and fully in-person instruction/activities. All courses to be offered in fall 2021 with in-person instruction/activities will be presented to the County Department of Health for review. SRJC will continue to work alongside faculty and staff in these areas utilizing its negotiated social distancing and in-person instruction protocols to protect the health and safety of our college community.
- Until informed otherwise, all other non-instructional staff that currently works remotely is asked to continue to do so. This is in line with the Cal/OSHA recommendations, which encourage continuing remote work where possible until conditions change.
- SRJC will not hold any mass gatherings on campus during this time, in accordance with health department recommendations.
In a statement, Dr. Chong said, “While I do not make these decisions lightly, it is clear to me that a gradual transition to reopening SRJC will allow us to begin to provide more on-site offerings without rushing to reopen too soon. The safety of our students, employees and community members remains the top priority at SRJC and while we look forward to the day when we can come together again, we will not risk the health and wellness of our community to do so.”
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