Good afternoon.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SCC continues its commitment to its employees’ health and safety. The College has already rolled out two additional leave plans, and both comply and/or exceed the federal requirements of the recently passed Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

1. Reduction in Hours Leave (exceeds FFCRA) is eligible upon request by supervisors for employees who have faced a reduction in their work hours due to the College’s modified operations or the employees’ inability to work remotely/telework.

2. Temporary Emergency Leave (complies with FFCRA) is eligible for all employees who require leave due to a COVID-19 related illness or quarantine order for themselves or family member or to care for the employee’s child. Child is defined by the law as the employee’s son or daughter, or the employee serves as a proxy parent to the child. The leave amount is based on the employees’ average hours worked in a two-week period.

Additionally, the College will offer a third leave option to further comply with FFCRA to support employees:

3. Expanded FMLA leave: Under the FFCRA, an employee qualifies for additional paid leave if the employee is unable to work (or unable to telework) due to a need for leave because the employee:

1. Is subject to a federal, state, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19;
2. Has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine related to COVID-19;
3. Is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and is seeking a medical diagnosis;
4. Is caring for an individual subject to an order described in (1) or self-quarantine as described in (2);
5. Is caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed (or child care provider is unavailable) for reasons related to COVID-19; or
6. Is experiencing any other substantially-similar condition specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretaries of Labor and Treasury.

Full details regarding the federally mandated Expanded FMLA leave is available on Department of Labor website, or simply open the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Full details also can be found on employee eligibility information and length and compensation of the leave information. Expanded FMLA does not apply to non-COVID-19 related FMLA requests or approvals either active/pending or future.

If you have questions or need to apply for Expanded FMLA, please contact Human Resources at hr@southeast.edu.

SCC’s 2020 Spring Semester Graduation Ceremony Cancelled

Commencement is a time of celebration for students and their families. At this time, Southeast Community College, in compliance with a Directed Health Measure ordered by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department as it relates to COVID-19, announces the cancellation of its 2020 Spring Semester Commencement ceremony. The ceremony was originally scheduled for May 6. The DHM, effective through May 6, prohibits gatherings for any reason of more than 10 people in single spaces.

Following is additional important information for SCC students:

• Alternatives to the traditional ceremony are being explored. More information will be shared at a later date.
• Degrees will be awarded and diplomas mailed once all requirements have been completed.

We look forward to planning an event to honor our graduates.

To help protect the health and safety of our College community and help prevent the spread of COVID-19, please adhere to the following:

1. If, during travel, you had close contact with someone with COVID-19, stay home to self-monitor your health and avoid contact with others for up to 14 days after travel. Cases of COVID-19 have been reported in all states, and many areas are experiencing community spread of the disease.
2. If you come in close contact with someone who has returned from a location experiencing widespread COVID-19, you may be required to stay home to self-monitor your health and avoid contact with others for up to 14 days. Crowded travel settings, including airports, may increase chances of getting COVID-19.

As a reminder, you may use SCC’s new temporary Emergency Leave Allowance, which provides employees up to two weeks of paid leave for both full-time and part-time employees to:

1. Quarantine or seek a diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus;
2. Care for a family member for such purposes;
3. Care for a child whose school has closed;
4. Care for a child if the childcare provider is unavailable due to the coronavirus.

Welcome Back!

We hope you have been able to recharge your battery the past two weeks and are ready to resume the 2020 Spring Semester.

SCC faculty and staff have diligently prepared for the transition to a dynamic, interactive and high-quality virtual environment. Following is important information for ALL SCC students, including credit, non-credit, continuing education, ESL, and Adult Education:

1. All classes, labs and services will be delivered virtually beginning Monday, March 30, through the end of the semester.
2. Access your courses in Canvas at https://mycourses.southeast.edu.
3. Read announcements from your instructors on how to get started.
4. For a list of support services and how to access them, go to www.southeast.edu/covid-19. Toward the top of the page under Virtual Learning Extended Through Spring Semester, you’ll see important information for you in various areas.
5. Based on recommendations from health authorities, ALL SCC FACILITIES ARE CLOSED TO STUDENTS AND THE PUBLIC until further notice.
6. The Lincoln Campus daycare remains open.
7. Adult Education/GED/ESL students, please call 402-437-2840 with any questions you have and to learn next steps.
8. A COVID-19 Student Emergency Fund has been established to support SCC students and their families who are, or could soon be, in need of emergency funds as a result of the global health crisis. The Application Process and Selection Criteria are being developed. Check back to www.southeast.edu/covid-19 for updates. Donations are being accepted.

Southeast Community College is committed to the safety and well-being of our students, employees and communities. We are committed to ensuring all students navigate this time with support and compassion.

If you have any questions, please send us an email to covid19@southeast.edu.

Thank you.

The Southeast Community College Educational Foundation has created the SCC COVID-19 Student Emergency Fund to support SCC students and their families who are, or could soon be, in need of emergency funds as a result of the global COVID-19 health crisis. Please consider a monetary gift to this fund so that this crisis does not undermine the education of our students and their futures.

You may make a secure donation online.

or, if you wish, you may send a check, payable to the SCC Educational Foundation, and mail it to:

SCC Educational Foundation
301 S. 68th St. Place
Lincoln, NE 68510

Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you for your patience as the situation and details regarding COVID-19 and its impact continues to unfold and change. Please read the following information pertaining to our continued operations and compensation.

SCC plans to do everything possible to provide employees with job reassignments in the event that the employee’s job is deemed no longer necessary or is subject to a reduction in hours due to the COVID-19 global health crisis.

The College is currently on a Modified Level of Operation, with many employees performing their responsibilities remotely, while a limited number of employees work on-site. If an employee’s job is deemed no longer necessary or is subject to a reduction in hours due to the global health crisis related to COVID-19, SCC will attempt to reassign employees to other responsibilities. If the College is unable to identify an appropriate reassignment, it will provide a one-time leave allocation “Reduction in Hours Leave.” This leave will be available beginning Saturday, March 28, 2020.

• Full-time employees are entitled to a maximum of 80 hours at their regular rate of pay;
• Part-time employees (regular, temporary, student) are entitled to the hours in the amount the employee normally works, on average, in a two- (2) week period at their regular rate of pay at a maximum.
• If the employee reaches the maximum hour limit as outlined above, the employee may choose to use accrued vacation and personal leave for any hours the employee is unable to work.

Please consult with your supervisor to ensure the “Reduction in Hours Leave” is properly recorded and reported to payroll.

Approved March 25, 2020

Also, as outlined below, the following Temporary Emergency Leave Plan was approved last week to address the national health crisis related to COVID-19:

Southeast Community Temporary Emergency Leave Plan

Recognizing the potential for increased time off by employees during the current COVID-19 global health crisis, the College will implement the following temporary Emergency Leave Plan.

The Emergency Leave will provide employees leave to:

• Quarantine or seek a diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus;
• Care for a family member for such purposes;
• Care for a child whose school has closed;
• Care for a child if the childcare provider is unavailable due to the coronavirus.

The one-time temporary Emergency Leave will expire December 31, 2020 and will not be available for carry-over or for uses not related to the current COVID-19 health crisis.

Administrative responsibility for implementing, monitoring and interpreting this temporary leave allowance is assigned to the Vice President for Human Resources, in consultation with the SCC President and the Area Administration Team.

Approved by Administrative Team
March 16, 2020

Questions? Please contact one of the following:
Joy Steckly at jsteckly@southeast.edu
Nancy Colton at ncolton@southeast.edu
Sarah Kramer at skramer@southeast.edu

Southeast Community College is committed to the safety and well-being of our students, employees and communities. The College will continue to provide the highest quality educational experience as it transitions to a virtual environment during this evolving COVID-19 situation.

To ensure you are aware of the latest updates, please visit our dedicated COVID-19 website: https://www.southeast.edu/covid-19/.

Thank you.

Students:

Thank you for your patience as the situation and details regarding COVID-19 and its impact continues to unfold and change.

Based on new recommendations from state and local health authorities, all SCC facilities will be closed to students and the public, and all services, classes, and labs will be delivered virtually.

To ensure you are prepared to continue the 2020 Spring Semester on March 30, please review the following items and please contact your instructor if you have questions.

Important Information for ALL SCC Students, including Credit, Non-Credit, Continuing Education, ESL, and Adult Education:

1. ALL Southeast Community College facilities will be closed to students and the general public effective at 5 p.m. Monday, March 23, until further notice.
2. The Lincoln Campus daycare remains open as of Monday, March 23, 2020.
3. ALL student services will be conducted virtually.
4. Adult Education/GED/ESL students, please call 402-437-2840 with questions and to learn next steps.
5. Classes and labs resume Monday, March 30, in an online/virtual format.
6. Access your courses in Canvas.
7. Read announcement(s) from your instructor on how to get started.
8. More details will be shared prior to March 30.

Southeast Community College is committed to the safety and well-being of our students, employees and communities. The College will continue to provide the highest quality educational experience as it transitions to a virtual environment during this evolving COVID-19 situation.

To ensure you are aware of the latest updates, please visit our dedicated COVID-19 webpage.

Questions? Please send an email to sosterthun@southeast.edu.

Faculty/Staff

Thank you for your patience as the situation and details regarding COVID-19 and its impact continues to unfold and change.

Based on new recommendations from state and local health authorities, all SCC facilities will be closed to students and the public, and all services, classes, and labs will be delivered virtually.

Important information for all SCC employees:

1. ALL Southeast Community College facilities will be closed to students and the general public effective at 5 p.m. Monday, March 23, until further notice.
2. The Lincoln Campus daycare remains open at this time.
3. All employees should arrange to work from home (remotely) unless their job duties are such that they must be present. Please communicate with your supervisor in advance if you have questions regarding working remotely or whether you should report to your SCC workplace.
4. Employees who must be at their SCC workplace are allowed into facilities at this time.
5. ALL student services will be conducted virtually.
6. More details will be shared prior to March 30.

Southeast Community College is committed to the safety and well-being of our students, employees and communities. The College will continue to provide the highest quality educational experience as it transitions to a virtual environment during this evolving COVID-19 situation.

To ensure you are aware of the latest updates, please visit our dedicated COVID-19 webpage.

Questions? Please send an email to sosterthun@southeast.edu.

• All non-credit classes are cancelled through April 30.
• Continuing Education and non-credit classes will resume May 1.

See past updates

Southeast Community College is taking sensible steps to keep the College and its 15-county service area protected as status of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) changes. Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on meetings and travel, SCC is suspending use of its facilities to external community groups now through April 30.

This suspension applies to all College campuses and locations and its timeframe impacts:

• Community-hosted meetings or events at SCC facilities.
• College-hosted meetings or events involving community guests at SCC facilities.
• New facility-use requests and reservations until further notice.

As Dr. Illich announced yesterday, the College has created a new Emergency Leave Benefit that provides two weeks of paid leave for both full-time and part-time employees. The leave applies to employees who may need to be in quarantine or receiving treatment for coronavirus, care for a family member, care for a child whose school has closed, or care for a child if the childcare provider is unavailable due to the coronavirus. The new leave policy is effective immediately and will be available in WebAdvisor tomorrow, March 18, 2020, to begin submitting request for use.

Below are instructions on how to submit a request for Emergency Leave. Additional guidance will be provided soon to part-time employees on how to record leave in Webtime Entry.

1. Full- and Part-time employees will submit Emergency Leave through WebAdvisor on The Hub Employees/Employee Profile/Leave Requests.
2. The employee will select Emergency Leave and complete the required fields* for each date(s) for leave to be applied.
3. Note: Part-time employees’ available balance will initially be set at 40 hours. A one-time adjustment will be made to each employee’s available emergency leave balance to reflect the actual average hours worked over a two-week period. This one-time adjustment will be made as soon as possible.

Bruce Tangeman
Vice President for Human Resources
Southeast Community College
Lincoln, NE.
402-323-3408

Temporary Emergency Leave Plan

Recognizing the potential for increased time off by employees during the current COVID 19 national health crisis, the College will implement the following temporary Emergency Leave Allowance.

The Emergency Leave will provide employees leave to:

• Quarantine or seek a diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus;
• Care for a family member for such purposes;
• Care for a child whose school has closed;
• Care for a child if the childcare provider is unavailable due to the coronavirus.

The Emergency Leave Allowance is defined below:

• Full-time employees are entitled to a maximum of 80 hours;
• Part-time employees (regular, temporary, student) are entitled to hours in the amount the employee normally works, on average, in a two (2) week period

The one-time temporary Emergency Leave will expire December 31, 2020 and will not be available for carry-over or for uses not related to the current COVID-19 health crisis.

Administrative responsibility for implementing, monitoring and interpreting this temporary leave allowance is assigned to the Vice President for Human Resources, in consultation with the SCC President and the Area Administration Team.

Approved by Administrative Team
Effective - March 16, 2020

Following is information regarding the next couple of weeks:

March 16-20:

1. All classes have been cancelled with the following possible exceptions:
   1. Dual-credit classes, online and face-to-face, taught by high school instructors, as long as the high school remains open.
   2. Online dual-credit classes taught by SCC instructors.
   3. Clinicals, practicums, co-ops, and Professional Truck Driver Training may be held dependent upon site availability and faculty and administrator approval. Please contact your instructor for additional information.
2. All SCC locations will be open and services available.
3. Faculty will use this time to prepare as much instruction as possible for an online format beginning March 30.

March 23-27:

1. Spring Break. No classes will be held with the following possible exceptions:
   1. Clinicals, practicums, co-ops, and Professional Truck Driver Training may be held dependent upon site availability and faculty and administrator approval. Please contact your instructor for additional information.
2. All SCC locations will be open and services available.

March 30:

1. Classes resume, most in an online format.
2. Classes with labs may have a modified schedule. Please contact your instructor for additional information regarding your labs.

Dear Students,
As announced in yesterday’s communication to all students, Southeast Community College has cancelled all classes the week of March 16-20. This is a precautionary measure to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus to susceptible individuals in our community, to ensure the health and well-being of our students and employees, and to help reduce the strain on our public health system.

During the week of March 16-20, faculty and staff will use the time to convert face-to-face courses to an online format where possible. Faculty and staff will also develop a plan for the continuation of technical and lab-based courses and to finalize a plan for continued campus services. This communication provides you with the additional details we promised yesterday as we work together to meet your educational needs during this challenging time in our communities.

As we know, this is a rapidly changing situation, and we will be making decisions based on the current information we have which has the potential for changing daily, even hourly. We will continue to provide all students with consistent and transparent communication as partners in our response and ask that you continue to stay in contact with SCC, your instructors, advisors, and others who support you in your educational endeavors.

All students, faculty and staff returning from international travel must contact Human Resources to begin the screening process prior to the return to campus.

Instruction:

SCC will use the week of March 16-20 to help faculty continue to prepare to convert their face-to-face courses to an online format and to identify potential opportunities for technical programs. There are two potential exceptions in regard to cancellations of classes:

• Dual-credit classes taught by high school instructors will continue.
• In addition, clinicals, practicums, co-ops and Professional Truck Driver Training could be held during the weeks of March 16-20 and March 23-27 dependent upon site availability and faculty and administrator approval.

Residence Life (Beatrice & Milford Campuses):

• We will continue to provide service to all students living in on-campus housing, including dining (with the originally planned exception of March 21-29 Spring Break).
• For students choosing to leave on-campus housing and not return after spring break, please be certain to check out with the Residence Life Manager before leaving.
• Residence life activities may be revised, curtailed, or canceled to ensure the safety and well-being of all students and ensuring no gatherings of more than 25 people.
• Residence Life and Safety and Security staff will remain on campus as usual and provide consistent service and communication to our residents.

Campus Services:

• All campus services will be open and available to students at all SCC locations. Like classes, some services may be available remotely, and there may be times staff are reduced and/or rotated on site to ensure consistency with social distancing strategies within our facilities.
• At this time, we will maintain the same hours of service, but there may be times when they could vary. We will provide updates as needed if services or hours change.
• Wellness centers will remain open but with stricter rules such as the number of people in the space at one time, personal hygiene expectations, strict adherence to cleaning of equipment, etc. This information will be posted in the centers.
• The campus libraries will remain open however, some services and hours may be limited or accessible remotely.
• Students needing access to Wi-Fi and/or computers to complete their classwork online are welcome to come to campus to use computer labs. We will provide additional cleaning products to allow you to clean equipment both before and after use.
• Student advising will continue but may be done remotely. More information on accessing advising services will be announced.
• Keeping social distancing in mind for the health and well-being of all students, for those who remain in the residence halls, we may begin taking appropriate measures to look at how we might separate students, with less than four to a room, depending upon space.
• Counseling services remain available on the Beatrice, Lincoln and Milford campuses. More details will be forthcoming on specific hours of availability.
• Safety and Security Staff will still be present on campus.
• The decision to hold other scheduled on-campus events will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, depending on whether it has a group of 25 or more. The final decision to proceed, postpone, or cancel will be made by the appropriate Vice President or Campus Director.

The goal of switching to remote/reduced contact learning is to do everything possible to not disadvantage our students. Due to the rapidly changing nature of this situation, campus leaders are continually evaluating conditions at our respective locations. Updates will be regularly provided on the SCC website dedicated to COVID-19 and through email and SCC Regroup. If you have not signed up for Regroup, please do so by going to The Hub and selecting “Regroup” from the Apps/Bookmarks section along the right side of the screen. Please continue to stay informed personally and take care of yourselves and one another during this time. Follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and follow personal hygiene practices. If you become ill, please contact your physician and follow their directions. Additional resources to help manage response to this pandemic are provided below:

• 7 science-based strategies to cope with coronavirus anxiety (The Conversation website)—suggestions based on psychological science to help with anxiety
• Tips for Managing Stress and Worries (The Jed Foundation)

Southeast Community College is committed to continue to offer the highest quality education programs and services. Thank you for your continued patience as we resiliently work together to address this global pandemic and ensure our campuses and our communities remain safe.

Following is a message from SCC President Dr. Paul Illich:

As you know, the College has been carefully monitoring and responding to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation over the last several days. Based on input and recommendations from local health authorities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other institutions of higher education, Southeast Community College is canceling all classes the week of March 16-20. This decision is consistent with the recommended practice of social distancing and the College’s commitment to the health and well-being of its students and employees. Although the College will not be having classes, all College locations will remain open, and services will be available for students. During this week, faculty will prepare to convert their face-to-face courses to an online format. For technical/lab courses, faculty will use this time to identify how to continue to offer face-to-face lab opportunities. All other College employees will continue to perform their respective responsibilities.

The College will be providing additional details to faculty, staff and students in the next few days in regard to how the various divisions will deliver services in alignment with safe practices, including social distancing. I greatly appreciate your patience and support during this rapidly developing situation. The College will continue to provide frequent, reflective and transparent communication. I want to thank you all for helping each other during this challenging time. If you have any concerns or questions, please reach out to your supervisor for more information. As always, thank you for everything you do for SCC.

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Blue Cross/Blue Shield will provide additional coverage at no cost for services such as Telehealth and testing. For complete details go to NebraskaBlue.com/Coronavirus.

Following is information related to SCC employee travel:

• As COVID-19 remains a rapidly changing situation, please consider if you are comfortable traveling to a region that may be experiencing an outbreak of the virus, and consider the cost to the College should you choose to cancel your travel.
• If you choose to cancel your College-related travel, immediately communicate this change with your supervisor and inform Lisa St. Louis or Stacey Barnard-Dorn to ensure all costs can be recuperated to the greatest extent possible.
• Please consider the health risk and logistical challenges that may be encountered, including that regulatory agencies may require self-isolation for 14 days after traveling to or through an affected area. Customs agents are reporting international travelers arriving from affected countries to state departments of health for this purpose.

Domestic Travel

Exercise caution and check for the latest information available for your specific destination. While the CDC does not recommend canceling or postponing travel to destinations with Level 1 travel notices (this currently includes domestic travel in the U.S.) because the risk of transmission is considered low, some areas are reporting increasing levels of local transmission. The CDC site for states reporting cases of COVID-19 to CDC can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html.

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:

• Employees who have been pre-approved for College-related travel, and if travel reservations have been made and confirmed, are required to review their travel plans with their supervisor.
• All new College-related travel requests, regardless of destination, must be approved by one of the following administrators:
  • Faculty and Instructional Staff: Dennis Headrick and/or Bruce Exstrom
  • Student Organizations and Clubs: Bev Cummins
  • Staff: Amy Jorgens
  • Athletic Staff: Bob Morgan
• A completed P-17 Professional Leave Form also must be approved.
• As per College Policy, all SCC travel arrangements should be made through the Purchasing Department travel contact. Please contact Lisa St. Louis or Stacey Barnard-Dorn to assist with travel reservations.

College-Related International Travel

All College-affiliated international travel will be allowed to countries with a CDC Coronavirus risk level of 1. More information can be found at https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices.

Personal International Travel

Also, in alignment with our requirements and recommendations for College-related travel, SCC strongly discourages personal international travel, especially to countries with a CDC risk level for coronavirus of 2 or higher.

• Any international travel, or travel to any CDC Level 2 warning area within the United States, must be reported to the Human Resources Office before returning to work.
• To ensure the health and safety of SCC students and employees, all such travelers will be subject to appropriate screening and health monitoring prior to returning to work.

The College’s Incident Command Structure will continue to evaluate travel recommendations and expectations as conditions regarding the COVID-19 evolve.

Please read the following related to communication on a go-forward basis:

• Coronavirus updates will be provided Mondays and Thursdays, or more frequently as needed, until further notice.
• Primary delivery methods will include email, Regroup, The Hub, Canvas, and the public website, depending on the message.
• Depending on the message, communication will be made to students, employees and the general public. In some cases, parents may also will be contacted.

Please read the following related to cleaning SCC locations:

• Cleaning of multiple surfaces with disinfectant products approved for use against COVID-19, including products from brands such as Clorox and Lysol, is taking place.
• Flyers containing facts about COVID-19 are on display.

Please address any questions you may have to Stu Osterthun at sosterthun@southeast.edu.