Coronavirus Update from President Gentile, March 26

 

Greetings Students and North Shore Community,

As we near the end of our first remote learning week, I hope you have settled into a systematic way to transition in your course work.  Some of you will be resuming a remote option this coming Monday.  Check out the www.northshore.edu/corona web page for updated information on happenings at the college.  Our NSCC Social Media and Marketing students have created great short videos on tips for remote learning success.  They are your colleagues showing you what they have done to adjust in a positive way to coursework changes.

The college has put together some resources that you might find useful during this difficult time. We hope that you are physically well and adjusting to the many changes and challenges happening all at the same time. Hopefully, you have received the emails regarding your classes – if not, contact your faculty member assigned to your course. We realize that this is also a time of many challenges regarding everyday life, like loss of a paycheck, which can result in anxiety and stress. Here are some resources that we hope can help:

Food Insecurity: As you know, the College cafeteria is closed and we are working remotely. Therefore, the food vouchers are not available for those of you who were qualified to use them and the Mobile Markets have been cancelled. We have updated the “Here to Help” webpage to reflect food pantries and other agencies that are still providing food. Please click on http://www.northshore.edu/heretohelp/index.html  to learn about available food resources, free internet from Comcast and other services.

Financial Help: If you are facing financial challenges (for example, paying rent), please go to the “Here to Help” page and complete a “Here to Help” application. The College will review the application and see if you qualify for some financial assistance.

Homelessness: It is a challenge to find affordable housing at any time. However, if you are facing housing insecurity, please contact deanofstudents@northshore.edu and we can try to connect you with resources who might be able to help. Additionally, you can complete the “Here to Help” application and see if you qualify for some assistance to help you.

Emotional & Mental Health: If you are having a challenging time dealing with this very difficult time, or for other reasons, please be aware that our Crisis Counselors are available to work with you in a confidential setting. Please email them at dcampbel@northshore.edu (Debbie Campbell) or ddavis@northshore.edu (Donna Davis) and they will respond to you and schedule meetings via phone or google video chat. Additionally, please visit the Emergency Resources page to get information for tips on dealing with stress and  on other resources in the community to assist you by clicking this link : http://www.northshore.edu/support/center/emergency_resources.html

Accessibility Services Accommodations: Our accessibility services are available remotely. Please contact accessibility@northshore.edu or your accessibility services counselor by email or phone and they will assist you.

Other Concerns: If you have any other concerns such as difficulty accessing a computer for classes, please email deanofstudents@northshore.edu and we will connect with you via email, phone or video chat to problem solve with you.

We continue to work hard to support you and to insure your educational success this semester and on to completion.  Reach out with any questions to covidinfo@northshore.edu

You may have heard that we have had two NSCC employees test positive for the virus over spring break.  I’m glad to report that they are recovering well and due to the few employees on campus there were only a handful of close contacts (no students), as defined by the CDC and local public health care agency protocol. Those close contacts are not showing symptoms at this time.  We send our healing vibes and good wishes to those employees and to all of you who may know someone who is sick or has had a close contact exposure and is now in self-quarantine.  All of us must be sure to follow the frequent hand washing with soap and water, the minimum of 6 ft from others (social distancing), stay home as much as possible, avoid groupings of people, and take care of yourself.    

We will get through this together.                                                

--Patricia A. Gentile, Ed.D.,President

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