LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — As safety guidelines related to the COVID-19 Pandemic relax, the Yuba Community College District is increasing the availability of face-to-face services and classes to support students.
Beginning June 1, all staff began a phased return to on-campus operations that will result in a full return to services on campus for the fall semester that begins Aug. 16.
While neither Woodland Community College nor Yuba College closed for the pandemic, most classes were transitioned to distance education, and many services transitioned to limited in-person operations.
The colleges deployed virtual options such as email, Zoom, and phone calls to process standard student service transactions in the interest of safety.
Beginning June 1, and ahead of the start of the Summer Session which takes place from June 14 to Aug. 5, services in person will increase.
“We’ve been successful in these online or virtual service modalities with our students,” said Dr. Dalexh Hunt, vice president of student services at Yuba College. “Students did not have to make a trip to our campus to move their registration or financial aid forward. However, some students need additional support or prefer doing so in person, so we look forward to returning to a walk-in model while still holding onto the online services.”
Offices will be open at both colleges from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, beginning on June 7.
Also, starting this summer, the ratio of in-person classes will increase.
“We typically plan our class offerings nearly one year out, so our fall course schedule was finished in January when our guidance was strict,” said Dr. Tawny Dotson, Yuba College president. “However, we planned where possible to have the flexibility to offer some courses in person with the hope that conditions would improve. We will see an increase in face-to-face courses this summer, and nearly half our courses will return to face-to-face for fall.”
In addition to the return to face-to-face services, both colleges will be supporting more students with federal funding provided by the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
In total, the two colleges will award students in the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years more than $10 million in additional financial support.
“We received over $3 million that will be disbursed directly to students impacted by COVID-19,” said Kasey Gardner, acting president of Woodland Community College. “Our colleges have been working together to outline a plan for students to access these funds that supports students who may otherwise stop attending, as well as supporting the return of students who put their education on hold due to the pandemic.”
In the first two rounds of Higher Education Emergency Relief Funding students attending Yuba Community College received grants totaling more than $6 million in addition to their financial aid. Students attending in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years should expect to receive additional disbursements.
Enrollment for the summer and fall sessions is now open at both colleges. Visit http://yc.yccd.edu or http://wcc.yccd.edu to learn more about how to enroll in courses.
Yuba College and Woodland Community College expand face-to-face services and course offerings
- Lake County News reports
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