Illustrator: Joshua Rodriguez
Lane Community college releases plan to reopen.
Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, LCC has had to close its doors, alongside most other institutions in the country. A decisive plan has been brought forward so the school may reopen accordingly once a vaccine or cure for COVID-19 is widely accessible.
LCC Provost Paul Jarrell released a comprehensive, phased reopening plan for the school, stating, “In general, this is a three-phase approach, with Phase 3 being reached only when a vaccine, prophylactic, or cure is developed and widely available.”
It is unknown when a cure or vaccine will be publicly accessible, although the drug maker Pfizer is seeing promising results in trial. It is very important that LCC begins to refine a reopening strategy of the highest caliber for when Phase 3 ensues. Lane County currently accounts for 5.6% of Oregon’s total infection rate. As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, the CDC advises residents to avoid congregating in any large group.
Vice President of Finance and Administration, Marty Hanifin, has been flushing the water and heating systems for each building on the LCC main campus. Facilities managers have flushed and chlorinated campus water systems to prevent contamination.
While the health and safety of students and faculty remain the priority at LCC, accessibility remains vital for students receiving their now-remote education.
For students unable to obtain their own computers for conducting research, there is a computer lab receiving routine maintenance in Building 4, Room 215. Masks and hand sanitizers are available and required in this room. Also in Building 4 are bathrooms for students and faculty. Elsewhere on campus, porta-potties are available with the same standards for cleanliness.
For students with internet-connecting devices but no internet access, the administration is working to make sure a strong and stable Wi-Fi connection is reachable from all parking lots on LCC’s main campus.
Though casual passing of acquaintances in hallways is not in the soon-foreseeable future, necessary steps are being taken to assure faculty and students of the commitment the school has to smoothly reopen when it is safe to do so.
