Chat with the president

By Glen Wicks, staff reporter

On February 3rd, David Hellmich, the president of Sauk Valley Community College, hosted a virtual chat on Google Meet for students to attend and be informed about upcoming plans and events. 

Seven students ended up attending the online meeting to discuss SVCC’s overall future surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Anah Chamberlain, one of the seven students that were present in that meeting, went over all of SVCC’s upcoming activities and meetings. 

After Chamberlain finished reviewing the future events, the president started talking about the tuition and fees for next year as well as the possibility of renovating certain rooms on the second floor of the college in the Dillon Mall. 

He also went into detail about how the staff would come up with a special plan for commencement and pinning on May 14th. In other words, they would try to find a way to allow graduates to walk on stage and have their parents and relatives attend the ceremony without putting them at risk of catching COVID-19. 

Before the meeting came to an end, Hellmich opened up to everyone at the meeting about his overall thoughts on the pandemic and how it had affected the process of being able to learn in person at Sauk. “I know for some students communication like this works really well, and I know for others it doesn’t work well,” commented Hellmich. “I have been really proud of how we collectively have come together to try to make this work.” 

Hellmich continued expressing his opinions by addressing his own experiences with the coronavirus pandemic as a whole. “I’m in my home right now. I have been on campus very little for the past 11 or 10 months which is challenging. It’s also challenging that my parents are in their mid-80s and not in great health, and it’s not safe to see them,” explained Hellmich. 

“The most important thing for us, from the very first moment, has been safety,” continued Hellmich. “Safety has been even more important than educational outcomes.”