In light of a sharp increase in positive COVID-19 cases being reported in Olmsted County, our own increase in student and employee absences because of cases or contact tracing quarantines, and in an effort to curb further spread, RCTC administration has made the difficult decision to shift all on-campus instruction to online delivery for two weeks beginning November 23. The plan is to resume face-to-face instruction on December 7, 2020. Students are to check their D2L class announcements for assignments and plans for their specific classes.
- November 23-25: RCTC campus buildings are open 6:30 am – 7:00 pm, Monday through Wednesday, but departments and offices will be closed with staff working remotely to serve students. No instruction or support services will be conducted on campus. Support services will be available to students remotely. Sports teams cannot practice, the Sports Center will be closed, food service is closed, and there will be no outside facility rentals. Main campus can be accessed via Door 13/Atrium. Heintz Center can be accessed via Door H8. The GL334 Computer Lab (LTC) is available for students to use.
- November 26-29: The Campus will be closed Thursday through Sunday for the Thanksgiving Holiday
- November 30-December 4: RCTC campus buildings are open 6:30 am – 7:00 pm, Monday through Friday and in-person services will resume with minimal staffing. This includes computer lab and library access being available. Classes will continue online (check D2L for instructions for specific classes). Sports teams still cannot practice, and food service will also remain closed. Main campus can be accessed via Door 13/Atrium, and Heintz Center can be accessed via Door H8.
Face-to-face instruction will resume on December 7, 2020, but students are to monitor their RCTC email for any updates or changes to these plans. Additional information can be found on our COVID-19 website.
This decision was not an easy one to make, but the data and projections have confirmed it is a necessary action. The health and safety of our students and employees remain our number one priority, and we truly believe this temporary shift to online for the next two weeks will drastically reduce the number of people physically on campus, thus assist in reducing the spread of this virus. Please continue to practice social distancing and wear masks to help address the spread of this terrible virus.