September 1, 2020

Greetings,

Thank you for choosing Kalamazoo Valley Community College.  We look forward to the start of the fall semester on Tuesday, Sept. 8. I am writing to assure you that the college continues to prioritize the safety of faculty, staff, our students and the communities we serve.  

I have been very clear about our expectations for the use of face coverings, safe social distancing, hand washing, sanitation, daily health screenings and other required protocols to help minimize the spread of the virus on our campuses.

If you are joining us for face-to-face classes, you can feel confident that the college is doing everything it can to help make attending classes here safe. You will receive a bag of supplies when you return to campus. The bag includes a face mask, hand sanitizer and a no-touch tool. Please complete the Health Screening assessment each day before you attend on-campus classes. The assessment can also be found at www.kvcc.edu/coronavirus. Additional information about returning to on-campus classes can be found below. We remain in collaboration with state and local governmental and public health leaders to ensure that the college remains in compliance with Executive Orders and all recommended public health protocols. If conditions change, the college will pivot to remain in compliance with all guidelines for health and safety.

For those who plan to attend classes virtually, the entire college has mobilized to make your experience here rewarding. Student services are available, by appointment, both virtually and in person.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 (Coronavirus) has become a part of our lives. This affects us all.  However, we look confidently to the future and your success! Creating a safe and healthy environment at the college is a shared responsibility. Practicing public health safety recommendations every day, both on and off campus, will help to keep us all safer, all the time. 
 
Sincerely,

L. Marshall Washington, Ph.D.
President

Safety Protocols for Fall Return

Welcome to Campus!
 
Personal accountability is key to keeping our campuses healthy and welcoming. We must be responsible for ourselves and for one another. Faculty, students and staff all play a part in helping to ensure that everyone who visits our buildings has peace of mind.

Across all campuses, the college is increasing the cleaning of high-traffic areas and high-touch surfaces such as handrails, benches, tables, handles and restrooms. At a minimum of once per day, all surfaces are being wiped and disinfected using products that have been confirmed to kill the COVID family of viruses.

While not a comprehensive listing, the following are just some of the ways we are working together to create safe campus environments. This is an on-going process and we welcome your suggestions.

Classrooms and Labs
Cleaning kiosks are available in or near all classrooms and labs. Faculty, students, staff and administrators play a key role in ensuring our academic spaces are cleaned as needed throughout the day. Facilities Services will be disinfecting all classrooms and labs used on a daily basis.

Signage
Consistent campus signage has been developed covering aspects regarding required face covering use, cleaning practices, social distancing and traffic flow. Additionally, daily health screening questionnaires are posted at all entry points. Signage is strategically placed to ensure that necessary information is clearly communicated.  


Hand Sanitizer
Freestanding sanitation stations, hand sanitizer pumps and wall-mounted sanitizer dispensers have been made available in more than 100 locations and will be maintained by Facilities Services.

Cleaning Kiosks & Caddies
Cleaning kiosks are available in numerous campus areas to provide the tools for cleaning any space at the time it is needed. Each kiosk includes gloves, paper towels, disinfectant spray and instructions for use. In areas with specific needs, cleaning caddies with customized to the area cleaning supplies are provided.

Air Quality
Facilities Services has worked to enhance air ventilation systems for optimum performance. More than 600 air handling unit filters have been upgraded to hospital-grade MERV14 filters. Additionally, we have increased the number of times the air is turned over in the building per hour, exceeding CDC recommendations. This process also involves the bringing in of fresh outside air at a higher rate.

All radiant heat systems have been deep cleaned for improved air quality. Return air vents have been deep cleaned in all areas including classrooms, labs, office spaces, public areas, hallways and restrooms.

Restrooms
Facilities Services is replacing all manual restroom fixtures, eliminating drying systems and converting to electronic touchless fixtures. This effort helps to eliminate the transmission of bacteria and viruses on common touchpoints. Proper social distancing protocols have been incorporated into the overall layout of restrooms.

Facilities Services is monitoring and cleaning restrooms regularly. If you would like to have a restroom cleaned before your use we recommend using the resources at the cleaning kiosk, spraying down the provided paper towels with the cleaning product and bringing it into the space with you.

Touchless Bottle Filling Stations
Facilities Services is actively altering drinking fountains in all buildings to only touchless drinking water dispensers. Filters in these dispensers for filling personal water bottles have been replaced.

We look forward to working with you to ensure our campuses stay healthy and safe.

If you have questions, please email Director of Facilities and Construction Management Dannie Alexander at facilities@kvcc.edu.
 

CLEP Discount Available
Need to take a CLEP test? This fall, you can get 50% off a second CLEP exam if you take an exam now through November 30, 2020.

To get the discount:

• You must first complete a CLEP exam prior to registering for your next exam.
• During registration, enter the promo code GOCLEP at checkout to receive 50% off one exam.
• Code can only be used one time on one CLEP exam for each student.
• Code is valid from now through November 30, 2020

Valley Food Share is an initiative designed to meet the immediate food needs of Kalamazoo Valley students. Through the program, currently enrolled students can pick up a bag, or a "share" which includes food grown locally and sourced through our own Food Innovation Center as well as nonperishable items from Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, to take home. The college has provided students with shares once a week for the last year.

Valley Food Share distribution is currently a drive-thru service alternating between the Food Innovation Center and the Texas Township Campus. If you are interested in picking up a share on Thursday, September 10 between 2-4 p.m. from the Texas Township Campus, please fill out this form which will let you select a pick-up time. If you come by car, we ask that you remain in your vehicle and the share will be placed in your trunk by college employees. If you come on foot or on a bicycle, please wear a face mask.

If you have any questions, please email foodshare@kvcc.edu

How to Succeed in a Remote Learning Environment
Many students are struggling to adapt to remote learning. Check out this short video on how to succeed in an online class.

Go to www.kvcc.edu/laptop to complete an application.

Monitor your college email frequently to learn if you have been approved and to receive instructions about how and when to pick up your loaner laptop.

New to Kalamazoo Valley? Get Your Valley ID Card Now
    
As a new student, you need to get a Valley ID card. A Valley ID card is needed to use many student services, including parking validation, testing and door access at our downtown campuses.

We are happy to produce your student ID card virtually using the Student Information Center. Here's what you need to do:

• Take a clear, front-facing, head and shoulders photo of yourself
• Upload your photo and required information here (you'll need to log in to your MyValley account)

Once we verify your ID, we'll link your photo to class rosters and send your ID in the mail. It may take up to two weeks for you to receive your Valley ID in the mail, so upload your photo today.

You must be signed up for classes for the fall semester and tuition must be paid before you will receive your ID.

Valley CARES Application Now Available
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented both Kalamazoo Valley and our students with unprecedented challenges. In consideration of this, the college created the Valley CARES Emergency Assistance Fund. The Valley CARES Emergency Assistance Fund provides limited emergency financial support to students who have experienced unexpected technology expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus.

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