• March 12, 2020

    Dear BCCC Students,

    This afternoon, Governor Hogan announced the first communal transmission of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Maryland. Maryland Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Salmon, directed all public schools (K-12) to close from Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 27. The College will continue to review the Governor’s directives to determine additional actions that BCCC will incorporate. Further, the College is monitoring what is taking place at area colleges and universities.

    While there are no confirmed cases associated with Baltimore City Community College or the City of Baltimore, the situation in Maryland and around the region is changing rapidly and we are taking proactive measures as summarized.

    • Classes will be cancelled on Monday, March 16 and Tuesday, March 17 to allow faculty to prepare for transitioning to online teaching.
    • Beginning Wednesday, March 18 through Saturday, March 28, all courses will be taught online via the Canvas learning management system.
    • Classes will resume on Campus on Monday, March 30. This date will be reassessed and may be extended.
    • All offices will remain open and available to serve students.

    Canvas

    Canvas is the online course platform at Baltimore City Community College. Every course at Baltimore City Community College has a Canvas course site. Canvas is designed to give you instruction and support for learning online and allows you to access study materials, communicate with your instructors, and submit assignments. While we understand that many of you have not taken an online or hybrid course, there will be support to help you transition to this mode of learning. Please visit this Student Resource Guide for more information. For questions about using Canvas, contact the E-Learning Department at online@bccc.edu or call 410-462-7625.

    Clinicals and Internships

    • The majority of clinicals and internships remain as scheduled. To date, only three offsite clinicals have cancelled and affected students have been notified.

    Student Life and Engagement

    • Effective immediately, all meetings and events of student clubs and organizations scheduled through April 30 are cancelled. We will do our best to reschedule and will reassess at the appropriate time.
    • While students are able to come on campus during this time, classes will only be available online.

    Travel Guidance

    • Effective immediately, all College related out-of-state and international travel is suspended until further notice.
    • Disclose to the Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. Stanley Singleton at ssingleton@bccc.edu, any personal out-of-state and international travel plans that you may have through the end of May.
    • All BCCC study abroad programs have been cancelled.

    Support Services

    • In anticipation of an increased call volume, Admissions, Registration and Records, Financial Aid, Bursar and Student Accounts offices are expanding phone line capacity.
    • The Help Desk will have extended hours and will be available to assist with questions related to online learning.

    Facilities

    • The Childcare Center will remain open and a communication will be sent to parents.
    • The cafeteria will remain open on a limited basis.
    • Beginning Friday, March 13 through Sunday, March 15 our Housekeeping team will deep clean student services and academic areas, disinfecting classroom desks, computers, chairs, floors, hallways, bathrooms, receptacles and other high-touch surfaces.
    • Hand sanitizer dispensers have been installed around campus.

    Stay Informed

    The Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Stanley Singleton, will be meeting on Friday, March 13 with the Student Government leadership to answer other questions. I know that the change to an online and remote learning format will create a tremendous challenge for some students. Please believe that the faculty and staff will be working even more closely with all of you to ensure that you have a successful semester. Other offices at the College will remain open to serve your needs. At this time, computer, science and health science labs will also be open for those of you who may need to utilize the resource.

    These actions have not been made lightly and students at BCCC will always be our first priority. I will continue to provide updates to you throughout this challenging period.

    Stay well and safe!

    Regards,

    Debra McCurdy, PhD
    President