Letter to Community College Community explains hands-on classes will adopt classroom hybrid model of learning; outlines approach to Covid-19 and  issues of racism and injustice

Yavapai Community College president Dr. Lisa Rhine and her staff are moving forward with plans for the fall semester.  In her most recent letter to the Community College family, she outlined how she intends to keep students safe from infection from Covid-19 while moving ahead with fall classes. 

She also touched on how the Community College will be considering racism and injustice.

Her letter is reproduced below.

Letter links:  Letter to students click here: 

CTE video:  Click here.

Includes when wearing  face covering is required and several other protocols intended  to help stop the spread of COVID-19

Yavapai Community College has announced specific safety protocols for students, faculty and staff.  The protocols  are immediately effective.  They include requiring employees, students, faculty and guests to wear face masks except when outside with adequate social distancing.

The complete list of eight protocols follows  below.

Says U.S. has failed to uphold unspoken societal contract to protect each other fairly and justly; must stand against racism together

In a short address to faculty, staff and students on June 3, Yavapai Community College president Dr. Lisa Rhine asserted that as a society the United States has failed to uphold the unspoken societal contract to protect each other fairly and justly.  She said that the community must take a stand against racism.

She also said that the College is taking immediate action to “re-examine our own practices and ensure we continue to implement policies, trainings, and accountabilities to protect our students, staff, and faculty of color.”   She said that in “our roles as educators, researchers, professionals and community leaders, we must prepare those in our classrooms to participate vigorously in civic discourse and democracy.” Moreover, the “killings and mistreatment of citizens must stop.

You may view Dr. Rhine’s two-minute video statement on this issue below.

Asking Campus Chief of Police and YC Respect Committee to look at tangible and inclusive ways to foster a healthy relationship between Campus law enforcement and the communities of color

Yavapai Community College president Dr. Lisa Rhine has asked the College Police Chief and the College Respect Committee to “look at tangible and inclusive ways to foster a healthy relationship between our law enforcement and the communities of color who depend on our officers of the law to model both justice and compassion.”

In a letter on this issue, she wrote that “in our roles as educators, researchers, professionals and community leaders, we must prepare those in our classrooms to participate vigorously in civic discourse and democracy. For a robust civil discourse requires open, honest dialog: The bottom line is the killings and mistreatment of citizens must stop. The system as it stands must change, from the inside out.”

Dr. Rhine’s complete statement follows below.

Plans face-to-face classes in labs and elsewhere where necessary; safety from Covid19 paramount concern

Yavapai Community College President Lisa Rhine has said that she anticipates that the College will deliver 70% of all its  fall 2020 classes remotely or on-line.  The remainder will be delivered in classes that require “hands-on learning, face to face activity, and/or  laboratory work.

She said that the College will ensure that the face-to-face classes it offers  are “safe for everyone.”

You may view her May 27 update on the estimate of face-to-face classes on the very short video clip below.

Says masks may reduce transmission of Covid19 by as much as 90%; wearing a mask is not about “protecting yourself from Covid19, it is about protecting others”

Yavapai Community College president Lisa Rhine outlined the requirements for staff and visitors to the College during the summer during her Wednesday, May 20 update.  Dr. Rhine emphasized the importance of using masks by saying that according to one study, transmission of Covid19 can be reduced by as much as 90% by wearing masks.

Some of the summer mask guidelines at the College, which are based on guidelines issued by the Federal Centers for Disease control,  include the following:

               Employees, students and visitors who have been approved to be on campus will be required to wear a mask when in a Community College building.

               There is no requirement that people wear a mask when outside on Campus but they must maintain good social distancing.

               If working alone in their private office, employees are not required to wear a mask.

               Employees must wear a mask in any shared or common space.

She said that wearing a mask is not about “protecting yourself from Covid19, it is about protecting others.”  According to one study she cited, wearing a mask may reduce the possibility of transmission of Covid19 by as much as 90 percent.

You may view the portion of her May 20 video where she discusses the mask requirements for the Community College below.

Will spend next several weeks with departments on developing a comprehensive plan that will help determine how, when and what to reopen as in-person classes

President Lisa Rhine made it clear in her May 4 video update  to faculty and students that the College will use a wide variety of information and data when deciding when, and if, in-person classes will resume.  She said that the College will rely on data, guidelines provided by the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  (CDC), information from state and local officials and conversations with individual college departments.

She also said that Yavapai Community College will be spending the next several weeks to prepare a plan that may lead to fully reopening in-person classes  at some time in the future.  She noted that she was not aware of any plan from the Arizona Governor’s office to allow for colleges or universities to return to in-person instruction.

You may view a clip of her video update that focuses on in-person class resumption in the video below.

Music, speakers, digital program; link to share commencement with family and friends found at yc.edu/commencement2020

President Lisa Rhine has announced that Yavapai Community College will hold a digital virtual commencement ceremony live for its spring 2020 graduates  on Saturday May 9 at 10 a.m.  It will feature music, speakers, and a digital program.

Students, family, friends and others may view the event by going to the College website at yc.edu/commencement2020.  (By clicking here you will also be taken to that website.)

A photo and video gallery of the graduates is being put together by the College student ambassadors. The gallery will be available on the College commencement website when it is finished.  Graduates may still submit a photo or video at yc.edu/2020ycgrad.

You may view Dr. Rhine’s announcement about commencement in the video clip below.

Will implement whatever safety measures and health protocols are necessary to keep students and employees safe including operating in-person classes at 50%

According to a news story by Maria Polletta and Alison Steinbach, published April 30 in the Arizona Republic, Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University all plan to resume in-person classes this fall.

ASU President Michael Crow said he would “implement whatever safety measures and health protocols are necessary to keep students and employees safe” when classes begin August 20.

UA President Robert Robbins said that UA’s in-person classes would operate at 50% capacity so students could distance themselves from each other.

NAU President Rita Cheng, in an email to students, said NAU plans to require physical distancing in all public areas and classrooms. Residential and dining areas will have new health and safety protocols. NAU plans to adopt “state-of-the-art testing and contact tracing” as well as isolation when necessary, Cheng wrote.

President says Community College is in a “very different situation than four-year colleges”

It is clear that as of April 23  Yavapai Community College is not planning to lay-off or furlough any staff or faculty in the near future.  In a video address to the faculty and staff (see below), Dr. Rhine stated that Yavapai Community College is in a “very different situation than four-year colleges” who have announced possible furloughs and lay-offs of staff and faculty in the near future.   She has no plans to follow the lead of those  four-year colleges.

You may view her short but very important statement to staff and faculty below.