SVCC Goes Cyber March 21 

Sauk Valley Community College courses and services have transitioned to 100% cyber which will enable SVCC to continue serving students and our community.

With the recent instructions from Governor Pritzker, SVCC has implemented the following steps to promote the health and well-being of our students, faculty, staff, and community:

Cyber Sauk: 100% Cyber, 100% Serving You!

• Classes will continue with flexible, online delivery
• SVCC services (Academic Advising, Student Services, etc.) will be available online
• SVCC’s campus will be closed to all visitors, students, and employees
• With many classes going online, it is vital that students with questions contact their professors and frequently check their SVCC email. Labs and other career/tech programs that were previously scheduled on campus are being postponed.

SVCC still has not been notified of any positive cases of COVID-19 in relation to students, faculty, or staff on campus. We will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as they become available at svcc.edu/covid19.

For questions, please contact Eric Epps, 815-835-6322, eric.epps@svcc.edu.

Sauk Soars Safely - Services Resume March 23

Sauk Valley Community College will provide virtual classes and services effective Monday, March 23. Classes will resume in flexible, online formats.

These are the current steps SVCC is taking to promote the health and well-being of our students, faculty, staff, and community:

• All courses and services will resume with virtual delivery beginning March 23.
• Only those few instructional labs for which virtual delivery is impossible or very limiting will be available on campus, by invitation only, with no more than five persons in one place and with social distancing and disinfecting protocols being used.
• Students without access to virtual delivery of courses and services will be allowed to make appointments to use a computer lab (tables will be set up in the West Mall) with no more than four students and one proctor at a time and with social distancing and disinfecting protocols being used.
• Sauk’s campus will have limited operations and can be accessed by faculty and staff only via the West Mall from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
• Everyone coming on campus will have a health screen, which includes having one’s temperature taken. Persons with a fever or who answer “yes” to one or more of the following questions should not come on campus:
  1. Have you had contact with anyone that has been around a person diagnosed with Covid 19 in the last 14 days?
  2. Have you traveled in a geographic area of infection within the last 14 days?
  3. Have you had a cough, cold or fever in the last 14 days?
• Persons granted access to campus will be advised of the social distancing and disinfecting protocols. SVCC facilities crew has begun a thorough cleaning of the campus and will continue to do so until further notice.
• Many areas and restrooms will be closed to undergo comprehensive cleaning. Some locations will remain closed so custodial efforts can concentrate on areas being used.

With many classes switching formats, it is vital that students with questions contact their professors and frequently check their SVCC email.

SVCC still has not been notified of any positive cases of COVID-19 in relation to students, faculty, or staff on campus. We will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as they become available at svcc.edu/covid19.

For questions, please contact Eric Epps, 815-835-6322, eric.epps@svcc.edu

Sauk Valley Community College Board of Trustees meeting scheduled for Monday, March 23 has been cancelled, out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of our community.

The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 27 at 6:00 p.m. in the SVCC Riverview Conference Room.

For more information, please contact EmmaLea Bittner, emmalea.m.bittner@svcc.edu, 815-835-6303 or visit https://www.svcc.edu/about/board-of-trustees/meetings.html.

The College will restrict access to campus offices and services the week of Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 20 and is implementing a telecommunication work schedule.  Please email or call offices and services through contact information on the SVCC website. If you must come on campus, access to the campus will be restricted to the West Mall entrance.

Due to the rapid global spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our Sauk students, faculty, staff, and community, SVCC campus will transition to a telecommunication campus Monday March 16 – Friday March 20, 2020. Access to the campus will be restricted to the West Mall entrance.

To date, we have not identified any cases of infected Sauk Valley Community College students, faculty, or staff. However, it is the responsibility of college leadership to be take precautionary measures. SVCC continues to closely monitor the spread of coronavirus and is addressing the pandemic in a coordinated campus-wide manner with local and state partners. Keep up-to-date with SVCC’s handling of coronavirus by visiting svcc.edu/covid19

If you experience any symptoms of coronavirus, seek medical care right away. Before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about your recent travel history and your symptoms. For questions, please contact Eric Epps, eric.epps@svcc.edu, 815-835- 6322.

SVCC Extends Spring Break through March 22.

Sauk Valley Community College will extend spring break through March 22. SVCC will migrate course materials online as much as possible during this time.

Due to the rapid global spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), spring break will be extended through March 22. To date, we have not identified any cases of infected Sauk Valley Community College students, faculty or staff. However, it is the responsibility of each individual to be informed and remain vigilant of this public health situation.

Out of an abundance of caution, SVCC is taking the following immediate actions:

• SVCC will extend spring break through March 22. During this additional time, SVCC will migrate course materials online as much as possible. Campus leadership will strategize how to best continue courses on campus, while limiting person-to-person contact.
• Students are expected to regularly check their SVCC email as more details may be released in the coming days. Please take this simple step to support our community at SVCC.
• Campus will remain open for students, faculty, and staff who need to access to internet or student services. Providing continuity of services for our students, faculty, staff, and community is important to SVCC. Staff will continue their regular work schedules during the extended Spring Break period to accommodate students.

SVCC continues to closely monitor the spread of coronavirus, and is addressing the pandemic in a coordinated campus-wide manner with local and state partners. Keep up-to-date with SVCC’s handling of coronavirus by visiting svcc.edu/covid19

If you experience any symptoms of coronavirus, seek medical care right away. Before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about your recent travel history and your symptoms.

For questions, please contact Eric Epps, eric.epps@svcc.edu, 815-835-6322.

Travel Restrictions

Out of district travel is restricted to mission-critical travel only and must be approved by your President's Cabinet member.

International

Following the guidance of the U.S. Department of State and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, SVCC is suspending all college-sponsored international travel. Should international travel be necessary, individuals will be quarantined for two weeks following their arrival to the United States. We encourage anyone considering international travel to closely follow the latest travel advisories and alerts.

I want to encourage everyone to do her or his part in preventing the spread of germs on campus. 

While there is no indication of any COVID-19 cases in the Sauk Valley area, Sauk is actively monitoring the spread of the coronavirus and preparing for the possibility of an outbreak nearby. The Emergency Preparedness Committee began in December to improve our plans for dealing with infectious diseases. We are also working with the Lee County Health Department and other district health departments, and we are receiving regular updates from the Department of Homeland Security, Centers for Disease Control, and the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Given the global concerns about coronavirus, I am sharing information the IDPH has published for colleges and universities throughout the state. The good news is that currently the health risk to the general public from coronavirus remains low, not just in Illinois but throughout the United States. 

The IDPH recommends colleges and universities hold classes and events as usual and follow their routine cleaning and disinfecting procedures; no special measures are necessary. It also says that the best way to protect against coronavirus is by taking the same everyday precautions against getting sick in general. These precautions include the following:

• Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; 
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands;
• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick;
• Staying home when you are sick;
• Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throwing the tissue in the trash; and
• Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

 The full list of IDPH recommendations can be found here. Please be accommodating with students who are out sick during this time.