Spring 2021 Outlook

Much of the following is from a Dec. 15, 2020, letter to students. Read the full letter. 

Start Date
Classes will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, and it is our intention to begin the semester with a mix of classes taught in person and real-time, virtual remote, in a hybrid format, and online. Our ability to do this will depend on several factors, which are outlined below.  

Moving to Lewiston/Arriving to Campus
What you do in the days leading up to the beginning of the spring semester matters. The risk of contracting the virus and bringing it to campus can be significantly mitigated if you avoid large gatherings, practice social distancing, engage in frequent handwashing, and wear face coverings in public places during the 14 days prior to arriving to campus. Within 72-hours of your arrival to campus, if you have symptoms of illness including fever or chills, a persistent dry cough, loss of taste or smell, OR if you have had close contact with someone who has a confirmed case of COVID-19, please inform us ahead of your arrival so that we can work with you on an appropriate quarantine strategy and accommodations in classes.

Residence Life/Campus Life
For those who live in campus housing, a COVID-19 test will be available on Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. Testing costs will be billed to your insurance and no additional cost for the test will be passed on to you. Test results should be available within 48 hours of taking the test. Those who live on campus and test positive will isolate for 10 days in designated rooms in the residence halls. For those who need to temporarily isolate, meals will be delivered and professors will permit students to participate in classes remotely. Additional details will be sent to all residence hall students. We are planning to have a robust menu of student activities this spring. All are being planned such that social distancing and other precautionary measures can be implemented. We have also added a number of virtual events, which have considerable appeal to many students.

Classes and Classrooms
To allow for social distancing in the classrooms themselves, we have moved many of our classes to larger spaces on campus. In other cases, lecture classes and labs will be taught with a modified method whereby part of the class is in a classroom with the professor while the other part of the class participates in real time via distance technology. While each faculty member will have his/her own rotation schedule and will explain how this will work via email before classes begin, students are expected to attend classes as scheduled and/or specified by their instructors unless they are feeling unwell. Faculty members will utilize best instructional practices for the discipline they are teaching. 

Calendar Adjustments
Instead of taking Monday, Feb. 15, as a holiday, the day will be ‘traded’ for a day off on Wednesday, March 10. Classes will be held on Monday, Feb. 15, and all offices will be open for business. Also note that Spring Break is scheduled for April 26-30. Most classes will likely shift to remote delivery after Spring break. We will finalize this determination later in the semester based on regional and state data.  Services, including Residence Halls and Food Services, will continue to be available.

Technology/Canvas
You are encouraged to bring a laptop or other computer with a webcam and microphone. Internet connectivity on campus is widely available. If you do not have a laptop or other computer, there are some available for checkout. Access to the internet and to the aforementioned technology is essential for most classes at LC State. Canvas is the learning management system we use to host and deliver our online classes. Nearly every class you’ll take at LC State, regardless of the primary delivery method used for the class, will have content available in Canvas. You will want to login to Canvas and get familiar with it before the semester begins. There are some specific guidelines offered to help you make Canvas work optimally. They can be found on our e-Learning Services website.

Face Coverings
Wearing face coverings has been found to mitigate virus transmission; therefore, in an effort to promote the safety and well-being of our campus community, LC State will continue to require students, faculty, and staff to wear face coverings in campus buildings and classrooms. Face coverings, social distancing and cleaning protocols and ventilation will help us keep campus buildings and spaces as safe as possible. Face coverings are not required for those who have medically-based reasons for not wearing them or if people are socially distanced (6 feet or greater) while outside. There are several offices on campus that will provide you with a complimentary face covering if you forget to bring one to campus.

Health and Hygiene
You will notice several signs on and in campus buildings outlining health tips and safety protocols. Be sure to read them and take the messages to heart. At the entrance of each building, there are hand sanitizer stations, please use them. We also expect the entire campus community to be vigilant about handwashing and staying home if they have signs or symptoms of illness.

Library/Tutoring Centers
The LC State Library along with myriad tutoring/academic assistance centers have been designated as “clean zones.” These spaces will have adjusted use capacities. Of course, the Library will also be available for access to books, journals, and other traditional library resources.

Remote Learning Spaces
Rooms within the Library, Mechanical-Technical (MTB), Spalding Hall, and Sacajawea (SAC) Hall buildings have been reserved during spring 2021 semester for student remote class participation and advising appointments. You will need your own computer and headphones. Face covering, distancing, COVID-19 room capacities, and cleaning protocols are to be observed. More information can be found here: Remote Learning Spaces.

Communication
Now more than ever it is important to follow your LCMail messages, course bulletins posted in Canvas, and monitor the college’s website. Your course instructors will correspond with you as the semester draws near about specific instructions related to your classes and other information you’ll need to be successful in your spring classes. We’ll continue to provide updates about protocols on our coronavirus website as well.

Commencement
At this time, LC State is planning for an in-person Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 14, with separate events held outside at Harris Field throughout the day for CTE, Professional Studies, and Liberal Arts & Sciences graduates. All 2020 and 2021 graduates will be invited to participate in these live events. No Coeur d’Alene commencement ceremony will be held. Details to be finalized and communicated as we move into the spring semester.