Phase 5 at City Colleges of Chicago

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The State of Illinois and the City of Chicago entered phase 5 of COVID-19 reopening on Friday, June 11. In phase 5, the State and City have moved into a phase with all sectors of the economy reopened.

City Colleges continues to follow the guidance of the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). Accordingly, as of June 16, 2021, there will be no capacity limitations or social distancing requirements. Additionally, the daily health self-screening will no longer be required to enter CCC facilities.

For now, plexiglass barriers that were installed at areas of major interaction between employees and the public will remain in place, as will hand sanitizer stations and/or wipes at our facility entrances and high traffic areas. In addition, a COVID-19 testing program will be in place for non-vaccinated persons. Detailed information on the testing process, including how to register for testing or be exempted from the program with proof of vaccination, will be shared as it rolls out at each college.

For the time being, all persons must continue to wear masks when entering and exiting CCC buildings, in all common areas, including lobbies, elevators, hallways and restrooms, and when people cannot maintain six feet of distance. Unvaccinated persons should wear a face covering at all times. Our Security teams will continue to maintain a stock of disposable masks at facility entrances for individuals that may have forgotten to bring their own and need one for the day.

All Individuals Over the Age of 16 Are Eligible for Vaccination

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City Colleges Students, Faculty and Staff

As of today, April 19, all residents of the City of Chicago over the age of 16 are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine!  Vaccination is an important means of protection against the COVID-19 virus and is key to allowing us to re-emerge from the pandemic.

Below we outline several options you may pursue to obtain a vaccination appointment, and we encourage you to take advantage of these resources as soon as you are able.

OPTIONS FOR CITY COLLEGES STUDENTS AND EMPLOYEES TO GET VACCINATED:.

  1. To make an appointment at a City of Chicago mass vaccination site, please visit ZocDoc at https://www.zocdoc.com/vaccine
    1. Select “Illinois” and click find availability
    2. Answer pre-vaccination checklist questions, and confirm your Chicago residency
    3. Locations of the available vaccination sites will be listed.
    4. Select your location and schedule an appointment
    5. Among the locations listed here pending availability are Chicago State, United Center, American Airlines Conference Center @ Wrigley Field, Rush University Medical Center, Roseland Community Hospital and several others
  1. To search for and make an appointment at a Cook County Health Department mass vaccination site please visit: https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov/
    1. Click sign up, enter your personal information and submit
    2. Locations of available vaccination sites will be listed
    3. Click “Schedule Now” at the desired site and follow instructions to sign up
    4. Among the locations listed here pending availability are United Center, Austin Health Center, Logan Square Health Center, Dr. Jorge Prieto Health Center, Englewood Health Center, Forest Park, Des Plaines, the Tinley Park Convention Center, and several others
  1. Visit the Chicago Department of Public Health’s vaccine finder at https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid19-vaccine/home/vaccine-finder.html to learn more about vaccination and to identify additional providers, such as local pharmacies throughout the Chicagoland area

We recommend that anyone interested in being vaccinated pursue all available options to obtain the quickest possible results. Please also note that appointment availability may change as vaccine availability increases, so please check often.

Also, remember to wear clothing to your appointment that makes it easy to roll up your sleeve.

Thank you for everything you do, including helping Chicago in the fight against COVID-19.

Sincerely,

Juan Salgado

Chancellor

Summer and Fall 2021 Registration Is Underway – Get Started Today!

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Registration is underway for summer and fall courses at City Colleges of Chicago!

Why register now?

  • You’ll have the best chance of getting the classes you want at the times you want.
  • You’ll have more time to meet with your advisor and make any adjustments you need to your plans.
  • You can cross registration off your to-do list before finals.

To get started, check out our course catalog and view class schedules. Our step-by-step registration guide will walk you through the registration process, or you can reach out to Virtual Student Services at www.ccc.edu/VSS for additional support.

Don’t wait until classes start to fill up—register early to secure your seat. Summer classes start June 9.

City Colleges of Chicago

 

Spring Semester at City Colleges of Chicago

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Dear City Colleges Community:

With the opening of spring registration this week, we wanted to remind everyone that we will continue teaching and learning next semester as we have done this semester.

Specifically:
Most classes and services will be remote

As we have done this fall, this coming spring semester City Colleges will offer more than 80 percent of our credit courses remotely or online.

We anticipate that adult education courses will be offered via distance learning, pending ICCB approval of a submitted extension request.

In addition, student services will continue to be available remotely at www.ccc.edu/vss.

We are proud that we have been able to serve many students well with our remote offerings and are confident that we will be able to offer them to our students again this spring.

New designation for remote courses in the credit class schedule

Please note there will be a slight difference in terminology on the spring credit class schedule.

In place of the word “remote,” students will see the phrase “online live” or “online.”
• “Online live” signifies classes that have days and times when students can expect class sessions to be held live.
• Traditional “online” denotes classes that are held primarily asynchronously, which may be viewed at any point during the respective class week at a student’s convenience.

Limited CTE, lab, or studio classes will be held in-person for at least some of the semester
The courses not available online require full or partial in-person delivery due to the hands-on experiences called for in the curriculum. Our students need these courses to advance towards their goals.
will serve these students again with social distancing in place as health conditions allow.

Our colleges will remain open for our limited face-to-face classes, as study spaces, and for technology and Wi-Fi use.

As a reminder for your reference, comprehensive safety plans for the colleges can be viewed here:
https://prepare.ccc.edu/reopening-plans/.

Registration
Registration opens for all credit students on Wednesday, November 4th at my.ccc.edu.

Should you have any questions, please send them to covid19@ccc.edu or direct them to your college president.

Thank you all for working together in unprecedented circumstances to maintain a healthy and safe City Colleges community.

Thank you,
Juan Salgado
Chancellor

Mark Potter
Provost

 

Update on Fall Plans

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Dear City Colleges Community:

We are committed to both serving our student population and maintaining the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff. With that in mind, we want to share more about our approach to fall classes and services. CCC welcomes all students for the fall term and in order to best serve all students, some limited in-person services and in-person instruction are required.

Most classes and services will be remote. This fall, City Colleges is offering more than 80 percent of our credit courses remotely or online. All adult education courses will be offered via distance learning. In addition, all student services are available remotely. We are proud that we have been able to serve many students well with our remote offerings and are confident that we will be able to offer them to our students again this fall.

Limited CTE Classes will be held in-person. The courses not available online are primarily Career Technical Education courses that require full or partial in-person delivery due to the hands-on experiences as required in the curriculum. This summer, we successfully and safely completed most hands-on courses from spring semester that had to be paused when we went remote in March. Our students need these courses to advance towards their careers. We will serve these students again with social distancing in place this fall as health conditions allow.

CCC will offer limited in-person services during peak enrollment. While most of our students can be served remotely, we must recognize that the remote offerings do not always effectively support every student. A subset of our students is best served in-person. These students may be entering college for the first time, have language barriers, or limited technology experience. Among recent survey respondents, 31% of students planning to enroll in fall courses stated that they may prefer to enroll in person or didn’t know how they would enroll. As an open access institution, we are committed to serving every student who comes to us. Our plans for limited in-person services seek to provide these students access to college in a safe manner. As one prospective student told us:

“I am 100% new to all this so I have no prior knowledge of how any of this works except for the vast amounts of things I can research which is very time consuming. I’m sure it would be a lot quicker to find answers if I can just speak with someone.”

We cannot let students like this fall through the cracks.

To serve these students, each of our college plans calls for limited in-person student services to be offered, in particular during the peak registration period through August 20th. City Colleges typically sees 20-25% of its enrollment during this two-week time period.

As we move beyond the peak enrollment period, on August 21, all student services will return to remote delivery with the exception of computer labs and limited in-person tutoring embedded in face-to-face classes. Our colleges will remain open for our limited face-to-face classes, as study spaces, and for technology and Wi-Fi use in the computer labs.

Our Safety Plan.

We have developed a comprehensive safety plan for any in-person classes or services taking place on our campuses.

We require facial coverings, health self-screening in advance of building entry, strict social distancing, and we encourage service appointments. Additionally, our facilities have been equipped with Plexiglass barriers at all areas of interaction between employees and the public, disposable face masks are available at every entrance for those who arrive without a mask, and our facilities undergo regular cleaning and disinfecting.

The inflow of outdoor air has been increased at each CCC facility. Air ventilation systems at all CCC buildings are started at least one hour prior to public opening to allow for fresh air change-over before occupancy each day. Increasing outside air comes with the tradeoff of making it harder to cool buildings in the summertime. Slightly higher summer indoor temperatures are expected.

Our plan has been reviewed by experts from the Chicago Department of Public Health, and follows the standards and recommendations of the Illinois and Chicago Departments of Public Health (IDPH and CDPH), the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

We’re grateful to CDPH, who collaborated with us on, reviewed, and approved our re-opening plans and ongoing COVID-related communications. According to CDPH Commissioner Arwady, “The Chicago Department of Public Health appreciates this thoughtful and very thorough planning process. Every educational institution is different and we agree this is the safest path for City Colleges.”

We recognize that the best plans need to be executed. Each college was visited on multiple occasions prior to their re-opening to ensure compliance, and the City Colleges leadership team continues to visit colleges to ensure adherence to our plans. Our college Presidents are committed to diligence regarding oversight, implementation and compliance with these plans. Compliance, of course, also requires that each of us follow the rules. For a reminder of our COVID-19 facility policies, please see the overview here.

We want to thank everyone for working together in unprecedented circumstances to help our students reach their goals while maintaining a healthy and safe City Colleges community.

Thank you,
Juan Salgado
Chancellor

Mark Potter
Provost

College & District Re-opening Plans

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Dear City Colleges Community:

Ensuring the health and safety of our college community and supporting our students in reaching their academic goals are our top priorities.

Over the last several weeks, our colleges and district team have worked to develop re-opening plans found here that will allow City Colleges to offer a limited number of classes and select student services in-person, and will also allow our colleges to serve as study spaces for students this fall.

These plans are guided by standards and recommendations of the Illinois and Chicago Departments of Public Health (IDPH and CDPH), the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The plans are also iterative — they will evolve as conditions and public health guidelines demand and as we receive thoughtful feedback from the City Colleges community. We thank the cross-functional teams who worked collaboratively to develop these plans.

Plan Highlights:

• Re-Opening: Updates:
o Course Delivery: The delivery method (remote, in-person, etc.) of specific classes is outlined in the college plans.
o Registration & Student Services: Colleges will open for in-person registration and select services (which vary by college) on August 3rd. For specific services offered and whether appointments are needed (most on-campus service will operate via appointment), please consult your college plan. All services will also continue to be offered virtually and can be reached at: www.ccc.edu/vss.
o Open Spaces: Libraries and computer labs will be open to provide students with quiet study areas and access to technology. Expect reduced occupancy and hours.

• Re-Opening: Healthy Practices
o One-time Form: Prior to arriving at your college or district office location for the first time, all faculty, staff and students are required to complete the one-time form at my.ccc.edu.
o Self-Screening: Conduct a daily self-screening before coming to any CCC facility and do not come to school or work if you are sick or have COVID-19-like symptoms. If you have been directed to quarantine by your employer, a medical professional or public health official for any reason including due to close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case, you may not come to school or work until the period of the directed quarantine is complete. If you are subject to quarantine due to a City of Chicago Emergency Travel Order upon return from travel to a high-risk location, you may not come to school or work until 14 days from the time of last contact in the identified location. Use www.ccc.edu/healthcheck on your mobile device for the daily self-screening and the quickest facility entry.
o Face Covering: Wear a face covering at all times in CCC facilities (with reasonable exceptions for times such as eating, drinking, etc.). CCC will provide a limited number of washable, reusable cloth face coverings to all faculty and staff, as well as to those students that have a face-to-face component of instruction in the fall 2020 semester.
o Social Distance:
 Maintain 6 Feet: Maintain at least 6 feet of distance from others as much as feasible; respect others who ask for more space
 Barriers: Plexiglass will be installed in areas of frequent interaction between employees and the public.
 Workstations: Employee workstations will be at least 6 feet apart, wherever possible. Where workstations are less than the required distance, staggered or rotating in-person vs. telework schedules to minimize close contact may be utilized.
 Student Seating: In-person classes will adhere to at least 6 feet between student seats, as well as between the students and faculty member. The occupancy of any classroom will also be limited to 25% of standard occupancy (percentage subject to change as Chicago moves through the phases of recovery and based on CDPH guidance) and be capped at 50 individuals.
 Plan Ahead: Minimize in-person meetings, do not pop in on your colleagues or instructors unannounced or unscheduled.
o Hygiene:
 Wash Your Hands: Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially when you first arrive at work or school. Use hand sanitizer placed throughout the colleges when handwashing is not possible. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
 Clean Surfaces: Use sanitizing supplies to wipe down your own seat or work area before and after use
 Supply Locations: Hygiene supplies (e.g., hand sanitizer) will be placed in high-use areas, such as facility main entrances, adjacent to timeclocks, as well as in conference centers, cafeterias and other common areas.
 Routine Disinfecting: CCC’s facilities teams will conduct ongoing cleaning and disinfecting routines in accordance with CDC guidelines.
o Follow City Colleges’ Guidelines: A comprehensive list of City Colleges-wide guidelines should be viewed here.
• Re-Opening: Outbreak Response Plan
o Steps for the COVID Positive:
 Stay Home: If you are diagnosed with COVID-19, you must stay home and cannot return to school or work until:
 at least 10 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared; and,
 at least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since your fever has resolved (i.e. no fever without the use of fever reducing medications) and your other symptoms are improving.
 For example, if you have a fever and coughing for 7 days, you need to stay home 3 more days with no fever for a total of 10 days. Or, if you have a fever and coughing for 8 days, you need to stay home 3 more days with no fever for a total of 11 days.
 Notification:
 Students that contract COVID-19 should contact the Office of Student Services at their college. Student Services will coordinate support as needed, including presentation of options from the COVID-19 academic policy. Student Services will also inform the District Office Department of Safety and Security, which will coordinate response in consultation with the Chicago Department of Public Health.
 Employees that contract COVID-19 should contact their Human Resources Business Partner. The HR Business Partner will provide details on COVID-19 leave policies and inform the District Office Department of Safety and Security, which will coordinate response in consultation with the Chicago Department of Public Health.

Reading the plan highlights above does not take the place of reading your specific college or district plan and the comprehensive CCC-wide guidelines. We ask that you take the time to review this information at https://prepare.ccc.edu/reopening-plans/, and send any feedback or questions to your college president or to covid19@ccc.edu.

Thank you for your partnership and patience in these unprecedented times as we all work to provide students with a quality education in a safe environment.

Thank you,
Juan Salgado, Chancellor
Mark Potter, Provost
David Anthony, Associate Vice Chancellor, Administrative Services

Plans for Fall

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Dear City Colleges Community:

To protect the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff, we anticipate more than 80 percent of City Colleges classes will be offered remotely or online this fall. This approach aims to care for the well-being of our students, faculty, and staff while helping our students meet their academic and career goals.
Approximately 20 percent of classes will be offered on-campus face to face, either fully or as blended face-to-face/remote classes. These are limited to classes in which hands-on experiences are essential to meeting course requirements, or to classes in which student learning and retention can benefit from face-to-face instruction. In all cases, face-to-face instruction will be undertaken only as public health conditions allow and with social distancing in place.

Students can look up specific classes and their delivery methods in the ”class notes” section of the Fall class schedule. Online courses will continue to be offered by Harold Washington College and available to all City Colleges students, consistent with past semesters. The deadline to register for Fall 16-week credit classes is August 20th.

New this fall, our student services will be offered both remotely, online, and in person, with social distancing measures in place, so students can get access to help from wherever they are.

Also, our colleges will be open this fall for students who want to come in to take advantage of a quiet place to study and use technology resources, again with proper precautions.

We will provide more detailed return and reopening plans, but we wanted to share this overall direction now.

Please don’t hesitate to direct any questions to covid19@ccc.edu and we will incorporate answers into follow up communications.

Thank you,
Juan Salgado, Chancellor
Mark Potter, Provost

Chicago Resiliency Fund for Those Not Eligible for Federal COVID-19 Financial Assistance

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Dear City Colleges community,

Last week, Mayor Lightfoot, in partnership with the Resurrection Project and the Open Society Foundations, announced the Chicago Resiliency Fund – an up to $5 million cash assistance program to support the more than 300,000 Chicago residents who were excluded from federal stimulus aid in response to COVID-19. Eligible Chicagoans include but are not limited to undocumented individuals, mixed-status families, dependent adults and returning residents.

If you were not eligible for CARES Act funds, please visit resurrectionproject.org/chicagofund to learn more about ways to apply for assistance through the Chicago Resiliency Fund. Applications will begin to be accepted June 22nd.

You may also donate to the fund at that same web address.

Thank you,
City Colleges of Chicago

Forms to Complete Before Entering a City Colleges Facility

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Dear CCC Community:

As students, faculty and staff return to our facilities to complete Spring courses and continue other essential duties, we are introducing a new process to ensure that everyone is taking the necessary health precautions to keep one another safe. These processes go into effect on Monday, June 22nd and apply to those entering a City Colleges facility.

STEP 1 (Applies to: Faculty, staff and students):

Before entering a City Colleges facility, you will need to complete a one-time form found at my.ccc.edu. Instructions on how to complete the form are available here.

STEP 2 (Applies to: Faculty, staff, students, community members and guests):

In addition, on the days you plan to enter a City Colleges facility, prior to arrival, you will be asked to attest to your health using the checklist at www.ccc.edu/healthcheck.

Upon arrival at the facility, you will be asked to show the composite result of this check list (a pass or fail screen with date stamp) to the security staff. Only those people with a pass screen with a current date stamp will be able to enter the facility.

More details, including plans for the fall semester, will be shared as they are finalized. If you have any questions in the meantime, please pose them to your college president or email covid19@ccc.edu.

Thank you,

Juan Salgado
Chancellor
City Colleges of Chicago

No Credit Opt-In Information

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Dear City Colleges community,

Due to the COVID-19 situation this spring semester, credit students can choose the “No Credit” option for any of their classes, where a final grade has not been awarded.

What does opting in to “No Credit” mean?
If you opt-in to take the No Credit option, at the end of the semester, any “D” or “F” grade will turn into a “No Credit (NC),” but any “C,” “B,” or “A” will remain as the official grade for the term. This option is only available for classes where grades have not been posted by May 9, 2020.

How does a student opt in?
Students must opt in by Saturday, May 9th and can do so by logging in to my.ccc.edu > Academic Records and following the steps in this help guide. Once a final grade is posted, students cannot change their grade to “No Credit”.

Additional Help
In addition to this step-by-step help guide, you can view an information session that took place on Monday, April 27th.

Thank you,
City Colleges of Chicago