• The College will communicate possible pivots or changes in as many places as possible.
• Employees and students are urged to follow these CDC recommended actions:
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines;
• Get tested if you have symptoms;
• If you have symptoms of any contagious illness, the college asks you to stay home;
• Self-health checks are required;
• Masks are welcomed and encouraged, but not required.
• If you test positive:
• Report positive case to covidcase@clackamas.edu;
• Isolate for five (5) days;
• Wear a mask indoors for an additional five (5) days, if returning to campus.

• The Return to Campus Taskforce will communicate to the CCC community that cases are rising and that we may need to pivot quickly to requiring masks indoors or other mitigation efforts.
• Strongly encourage masks indoors.
• Employees and students are urged to follow these CDC recommended actions:
• If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions;
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines;
• Get tested if you have symptoms;
• If you have symptoms of any contagious illness, the college urges you to stay home;
• Self-health checks are required.
• If you test positive:
• Report positive case to covidcase@clackamas.edu;
• Isolate for five (5) days;
• Wear a mask indoors for an additional five (5) days, if returning to campus.
• The Executive Team, Return to Campus Taskforce, or other body identified by the college to manage COVID-19 pandemic concerns, will consult with public health authorities to determine trends, e.g. whether there is a possibility of moving into the "red" risk category.
• The College will follow any local, county, state or federal mandates concerning COVID-19.
• The college community will be updated weekly as to the risk status of the county and other pertinent information.

• The Return to Campus Taskforce will provide weekly updates to the college community, the risk status of the county and other pertinent information.
• Regardless of the time of the term:
• The Executive Team, Return to Campus Taskforce, or other body identified by the college to manage COVID-19 pandemic concerns, will consult with public health authorities to determine trends and recommendations, particularly regarding physical distancing or moving courses into an online or remote format;
• Masks are required indoors;
• Consider physical distance for those environments that are able to do so (e.g. 10 students in a classroom that can accommodate physical distancing);
• Based on consultation with public health Authorities, the Executive Team may require a pivot to a different modality for those that are unable to physically distance.
• Employees and students are urged to follow these CDC recommended actions:
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines;
• Get tested if you have symptoms;
• Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness;
• If you have symptoms of any contagious illness, the college urges you to stay home;
• Self-health checks are required.
• If you test positive:
• Report positive case to covidcase@clackamas.edu;
• Isolate for five (5) days;
• Wear a mask indoors for an additional five (5) days, if returning to campus;

• The College will follow any local, county, state or federal mandates concerning COVID-19.

How long are the restrictions in place?

• As long as we are in a particular assessment level, for instance medium (yellow) or high (red), we follow the guidelines/restrictions of that assessment level.

• When the county moves to a different assessment level, we move to the guidelines in that assessment level.

Effective Friday, July 22:

Face mask requirements have been lifted. Masks are encouraged when indoors at CCC, but not required.

Employees and students are urged to follow these CDC recommended actions:

• If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions.
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
• Get tested if you have symptoms.
• If you have symptoms of any contagious illness, the college urges you to stay home.
• Self-health checks are required.

The following includes general guidance regarding use of face coverings, surgical masks, N95 respirators and clear face shields:

• A cloth face covering is a reusable item made from cloth fabric, two or three layers in thickness. It serves to protect others from exposure to illnesses the wearer may be carrying. Face coverings should be cleaned daily after use. Proper wearing of face-covering includes:
  • Washing your hands before putting on your face covering.
  • Put it over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin.
  • Try to fit it snugly against the sides of your face.
  • Make sure you can breathe easily.
• A disposable surgical mask is a disposable face-covering approved for health care environments. These are generally reserved for health care workers and emergency responders but may be used by other individuals.
• An N95 respirator is a device evaluated, tested and approved to reduce the wearer's exposure to fine particles. An N95 respirator is tight-fitting.
• It is not known if face shields provide any benefit as source control to protect others from the spray of respiratory particles. CDC does not recommend use of face shields for normal everyday activities or as a substitute for cloth face coverings. Some people may choose to use a face shield when sustained close contact with other people is expected. Therefore, unless a face shield is coupled with a face mask, it is not considered an acceptable masking practice on our campus. Face shields must cover the wearer's forehead, extend below the chin and wrap around the sides of the face. Reminder: face shields must be worn in conjunction with a mask.
• Face coverings or masks must cover the nose and mouth and rest snugly above the nose, below the mouth and on the sides of the face. Face coverings and masks that incorporate a valve that is designed to facilitate easy exhalation or mesh masks or other covers with opening, holes, visible gaps are not recommended.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and good hygiene (specifically handwashing) are additional critical elements in the plan to return to campus. These are shared responsibilities that reduce our likelihood of becoming sick while also reducing the chances we might make someone else sick should we be infected and not know it.

Frequent hand washing is an equally important element of preventing disease transmission. CCC encourages students, faculty, staff and visitors to perform appropriate hand hygiene upon their arrival to campus every day.

Hands must be washed for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water or by using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (handwashing with alcohol-based hand sanitizer is not recommended before eating, preparing or serving food and after using the restroom). CCC is working to significantly increase the number of touchless hand sanitizer dispensers throughout our campuses.

When students, employees and visitors return to our campuses they will be required to monitor their own health daily by completing the Daily Self-Health check-list before coming to campus.

Daily Self-Health Checklist

Employees and visitors must not come to campus if sick. Employees must immediately report their illness to their supervisor. Students likewise must not come to campus if ill and must report their illness to their instructors.

Students, employees and visitors should stay at their residence if they have one or more of the following: cough, fever or chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing (muscle pain, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, nasal congestion and runny nose are also symptoms often associated with COVID-19, but are non-specific.)

Students, employees and visitors should seek immediate medical attention if they experience trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to awaken, bluish lips or face, other severe symptoms.

Individuals who have a chronic or baseline cough that has worsened or is not well-controlled with medication should stay home.

Any person who starts to feel sick while on campus should immediately go home. Students and employees must notify their instructor or supervisor and immediately go home. Individuals developing or reporting primary COVID-19 symptoms while on campus should move to an outside area away from other people while awaiting transportation home or to a health care facility.

Daily monitoring of one's health and well-being prior to coming to campus can aid in early detection of infectious disease and is an effective measure to prevent community spread of COVID-19. In our ongoing effort to protect the CCC community, we have established a new practice: All students and employees must review a COVID-19 Daily Self-Health Checklist before coming to campus. If you know of a visitor coming to campus, please ask them to also review the COVID-19 Daily Self-Health Checklist.

See the Daily Self-Health Checklist.

Clackamas Community College encourages COVID-19 vaccination for the health of our students, our employees and the community. All Oregonians ages 5 and up are eligible for free vaccination. You can get your vaccine at one of the clinics hosted by Clackamas County Public Health and find a time and location convenient for you. Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine and make an appointment at Clackamas County Public Health.

Do not come to campus if you feel sick. Employees must immediately report their illness to their supervisor. Students likewise must not come to campus if ill and must report their illness to their instructors.

Students, employees and visitors should stay at their residence if they have one or more of the following: cough, fever or chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing (muscle pain, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, nasal congestion and runny nose are also symptoms often associated with COVID-19, but are non-specific.)

Students, employees and visitors should seek immediate medical attention if they experience trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to awaken, bluish lips or face, other severe symptoms.

Individuals who have a chronic or baseline cough that has worsened or is not well-controlled with medication should stay home.

Any person who starts to feel sick while on campus should immediately go home. Students and employees must notify their instructor or supervisor and immediately go home. Individuals developing or reporting primary COVID-19 symptoms while on campus should move to an outside area away from other people while awaiting transportation home or to a health care facility.

Employees who stay home due to illness are encouraged to utilize their sick leave benefits, sick leave benefits provided under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) or Association sick leave donation programs.

Students, employees or visitors who develop or report primary COVID-19 symptoms:

• Should seek medical care and COVID-19 testing from their health provider or local public health authority.
• If the person has a positive COVID-19 test, they  must isolate for at least five days and then wear a mask for an additional five days.
• Students and employees must immediately notify their instructors or supervisor of a positive COVID-19 test. Instructors and supervisors must immediately contact College Safety and report the positive test.
• College Safety will make appropriate notifications to Public Health, CCC Administration and Campus Services. Appropriate action regarding closing of facilities, enhanced cleaning, communication with college community regarding a positive COVID-19 test within 24 hours, etc. will take place following consultation with CCC Administration and Public Health.

Isolate - If you test positive for COVID-19 or show symptoms:

Regardless of vaccination status:

• Stay home and away from others for a minimum of 5 days.
• If you have had no symptoms, or mild symptoms that have resolved after 5 days (including being fever-free for 24 hours), you may leave the house if you wear a mask while around others for another 5 days.

Testing before ending isolation (test on day 5):

• Positive: Continue isolation until 10 days after symptoms started.
• Negative: End isolation and wear a mask around others until day 10.

Students and employees must immediately report a positive case of COVID-19. Students must report a positive case to their instructor. Instructors and employees must report positive cases to covidcase@clackamas.edu. Employees must also notify their supervisors. 

The college will make appropriate notifications to Public Health, CCC administration and Campus Services. Appropriate action regarding closing of facilities, enhanced cleaning, communication with college community regarding a positive COVID-19 test within 24 hours, etc., will take place following consultation with CCC administration and Public Health.

CCC is partnering with Clackamas County Public Health to host a drive-thru COVID-19 testing center on our Harmony campus in Milwaukie. The center is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon. They are offering ID NOW and NAAT rapid tests with results within two hours. Learn more about COVID testing in Clackamas County.

Make an appointment

Free COVID home tests

CCC has free COVID home tests for students, employees and the community, supplied by Clackamas County. The tests are manufactured by iHealth Labs and produce results in 15 minutes. They are approved for use in those ages 2+ and require a painless, shallow swabbing of the nostrils.

Locations and times:

• Oregon City campus: Wacheno Welcome Center, Associate Student Government office, in a basket on the counter. Open 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Thursday.
• Harmony campus: Harmony East Information Desk or with College Safety when the Information Desk is not staffed. Hours vary.
• Wilsonville campus: Available at the front desk, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Student support services are available remotely. See a full list of student services and contact information.

As President Cook affirmed in August, more employees are returning to in-person activities than the previous past two and a half years. This fall term, we remain committed to looking at new and different ways to serve students and support employees as we emerge from the pandemic. We will continue to offer a balance of instructional modalities (e.g. hybrid, in-person, online and remote), pilot a few course sections (math, writing and first-year-experience) in which masks are required for the instructor and students, and explore and support a hybrid workforce.

This email is to remind you of our COVID-19 response plan, let you know of a change in reporting positive cases, and alert you to key resources. 

Response plan

CCC continues to use the CDC Community Assessment Level as its metric for decision-making and response to COVID-19. The assessment levels are phased and identified as low (green), medium (yellow) and high (red). Clackamas County is currently in low/green status. Expectations and communication strategies for each level can be found here. We will notify the college if there is a change in our assessment level.  

Reporting positive cases

To reduce the burden on College Safety as well as ensuring any necessary cleaning protocols are implemented quickly, we changed how positive cases are reported at CCC. If you test positive for COVID-19, you must report it to: covidcase@clackamas.edu. This email account is monitored by multiple employees. Shout out to Kelly Montgomery and Bob Cochran for taking on this additional responsibility. And thank you to College Safety and Tom Sonoff for providing this support the last couple of years.

Resources

The college stocks K95 masks and face shields to be worn over face masks. If you need either of these, contact your supervisor or submit a facility work order, which can be found under “Support Requests” in myClackamas. The college also has a limited number of COVID-19 test kits. These can be found in the Associated Student Government Office in the Wacheno Welcome Center. 

CCC will continue to offer a drive-through testing site at the Harmony campus, and beginning Sept. 19, we will offer a testing site at the Oregon City campus outside of the Wacheno Welcome Center.  Additional information will be available soon. 

In alignment with Clackamas County Public Health, we encourage all who are able to do so, stay current with recommended vaccines and boosters. We still require the recently updated Daily Self-Health Checklist for everyone coming to campus.

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please use the “comment form” on the Return to Campus webpage. 

We are excited to expand the amount of in-person instruction and activities at CCC and appreciate all the support of students and each other as we emerge from the pandemic. 

Due to the decrease in positive COVID-19 cases and reduction in COVID-19 related hospitalizations, the CDC has put Clackamas County back on medium/yellow alert. Following the recommendations of our local health authorities and the CDC, our response is the following:

• Effective Friday, July 22, face mask requirements have been lifted. Masks are encouraged when indoors at CCC, but not required.
• Employees and students are urged to follow these CDC recommended actions:

• If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions.
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
• Get tested if you have symptoms.
• If you have symptoms of any contagious illness, the college urges you to stay home.
• Self-health checks are required.

• If you test positive:
• Report positive case to thomas.sonoff@clackamas.edu or collegesafety@clackamas.edu 
• Isolate for five (5) days
• Wear a mask indoors for an additional five (5) days, if returning to campus.
• The college will follow any local, county, state, or federal mandates concerning COVID-19.
• The college will provide updates to the community of the risk status of the county and other pertinent information as needed.

Due to the increase in positive COVID-19 cases, the CDC has put Clackamas County on red/high alert. Following the recommendations of our local health authorities and the CDC, our response is the following:

• Masks are now required indoors until the county returns to yellow status. We recognize that masks are not required by the government. This is CCC’s response to ensure the health of our community. While this requirement is in place, employees and students are held accountable through institutional policies and the student code of conduct, respectively. 
• Instructors should consider physical distancing in classrooms where feasible.
• The college will provide updates to the community of the risk status of the county and other pertinent information as needed.
• We will consult with public health authorities to determine trends and recommendations, particularly regarding physical distancing or moving courses into an online or remote format.
• Based on consultation with public health authorities, we may require a pivot to a different modality for classes that are unable to physically distance.
• Employees and students are urged to follow these CDC recommended actions:
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.
• Get tested if you have symptoms.
• Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness.
• If you have symptoms of any contagious illness, the college urges you to stay home.
• Self-health checks are still required for those coming to campus.
• If you test positive for COVID:
• Report positive cases to thomas.sonoff@clackamas.edu or collegesafety@clackamas.edu.
• Isolate for five (5) days.
• Wear a mask indoors for an additional five (5) days, if returning to campus (if the county has returned to yellow/medium status during your isolation).

• The college will follow any local, county, state, or federal mandates concerning COVID-19.

Where to get face masks

Disposable face coverings are available by contacting College Safety at 503-594-6650 or by stopping by the College Safety office located in McLoughlin Hall, room 113. You may also obtain face masks at the Associated Student Government office in the Wacheno Welcome Center. Departments on campuses will also have supplies of face coverings available.

We will continue to monitor the CDC website and communicate any changes to our response or any recommendations from our local health authorities. 

If you have any questions or would like additional information, check out the CCC Return to Campus webpage.

Good morning/afternoon,

As we head into summer and fall registration, I want to share an update on our Return to Campus work. Based on what we currently know, we plan to offer the majority of our courses online this summer. This fall, we are planning a gradual return to campus, with more classes being offered in-person and an increase of in-person student services. However, we acknowledge that we may need to adapt based on the number of COVID-19 cases and vaccinations, along with recommendations from the CDC and area health authorities.

The college has a Return to Campus Task Force focusing on topics such as academics, students, employees, facilities/safety, and technology. The purpose of the group is to modify, as needed, the existing Return to Campus Guide as we gradually increase the occupancy of our campus locations. They are also listening and responding to the campus community regarding questions about re-opening and ensuring concerns are being addressed.

I know many of you are anxious to return to the classroom and learn in person with your peers and our instructors. I ask for your continued patience as the health and safety of our students are of the utmost importance to us.

As conditions change, we will continue to update and modify the www.clackamas.edu/return-to-campus page and the www.clackamas.edu/student-resources page.

Be well,

Dr. Tim Cook

Clackamas Community College President

Hi students,

As spring term begins, we want you to know what to expect for in-person classes and activities:

• CCC welcomes and encourages masks but no longer requires them.
• Physical distancing will continue inside some classes. These are determined by instructors, and each classroom will be set up accordingly. However, no physical distancing requirement will exist in public spaces or offices.
• If you test positive for COVID-19, you must report this to your instructor(s). Clackamas County Public Health requires us to notify them of all positive cases. Additionally you will be required to isolate for 5 days and then wear a mask for additional 5 days if you are on campus.

Clackamas continues to support a healthy environment for all students and employees. If you don’t feel well, please don’t come to school. Work with your instructor(s) to make up any lost instruction. 

Additionally, we are supporting a vaccine clinic Tuesday, March 29, and Wednesday, March 30, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Gregory Forum on the Oregon City campus Vaccines and boosters continue to be the best way to successfully fight this virus. We also provide free masks and testing kits to all students. These can be picked up at all three campus locations (Wilsonville, Harmony East, and Oregon City in the Wacheno Welcome Center).

We are excited to announce that the Wacheno Welcome Center is now open Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you need assistance with advising, financial aid, registration, or other services, come to the Welcome Desk and we can help. Virtual services are also still available. 

This summer and fall we plan to significantly increase the number of in-person classes.

We hope you have a great spring term!

Tara Sprehe, Co-Chair, Return to Campus Task Force
David Plotkin, Co-Chair, Return to Campus Task Force

Greetings Colleagues,

As we near the end of yet another term that has been challenging and exhausting for many of us, we want to make sure you are kept current with changes related to COVID-19. As anticipated, we continue to see the number of cases per week per 100,000 drop significantly in Clackamas County. As of March 6, the number has dropped below 50 (46 per 100,000), which was a benchmark provided to us by Clackamas County Public Health for consideration when reducing or eliminating restrictions around COVID-19.

Effective March 19, the college now welcomes and encourages masks indoors on our campuses, but does not require them, in alignment with the state’s change in mask mandate. There is an exception to this policy, however: Employees and students who have tested positive must isolate for 5 days and then wear a mask for an additional 5 days. Clackamas County Public Health will continue to require us to report positive cases. Positive cases can be reported to thomas.sonoff@clackamas.edu or collegesafety@clackamas.edu. 

We are also modifying our physical distancing policy:  

In spring term 2022, beginning March 28, we will maintain distancing requirements as they were approved in classroom return to campus applications, but outside of classrooms, in public spaces (both indoors and outside), we are eliminating the physical distancing requirement. 

We will also continue to require return to campus applications for any classes, events, or activities occurring in spring term. If you are planning an event or activity indoors, we  recommend you limit the number of participants when possible. While we are intentionally not setting guidance here, we are asking everyone to think carefully about indoor events. When you submit an application, you can still indicate a 3 foot of 6 foot distance requirement per class or event.   

We know there have been requests for field trips for spring term and these will be approved. Because vans leaving campus are considered public transportation, which is covered under the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), we will continue to require masks and physical distancing in vans used for field trips.

The Return to Campus Task Force and the Executive Team continue to consult with Clackamas County Public Health, the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, and our peer community colleges around the state. We also continue to monitor metrics around cases, hospitalizations, and other information concerning Oregon and Clackamas County, using the Oregon Health Authority’s data. 

We are cautiously optimistic we are moving out of the pandemic, but we have all experienced sudden changes because of new variants of the COVID-19 virus. We will adapt our policies and procedures, including reinstating mandatory mask-wearing and other requirements If necessary based on consultation with public health authorities.   

We hope you are able to find some time over spring break for rest and respite. We recognize that many must also work during the break. We look forward to starting our spring term and hope it is one without disruption.

Tara and David

Dear CCC Community,

Effective Saturday, March 19, masks will be optional on campus. This means we welcome, support and encourage mask wearing, but it will no longer be required. Masks are an important way to fight all illnesses, including COVID-19, the flu, and colds. If you don’t feel well, please don’t come to school. If you are ill and feel you must come to school, please wear a mask.

CCC is a school that is welcoming and inclusive of all individuals and will not tolerate shaming anyone who chooses to wear a mask or chooses not to wear a mask. Many of our students and employees are caring for kids with compromised immune systems, aging parents, or they themselves are more vulnerable to COVID-19. We thank you in advance for respecting the choice of your fellow students and instructors.

We will continue to update you as we finalize physical distancing requirements and plans for upcoming terms.

We wish you the very best as finals week approaches and look forward to seeing you spring term.

Tara Sprehe, Co-Chair, Return to Campus Task Force

David Plotkin, Co-Chair, Return to Campus Task Force

 

With the announcement from the Oregon Health Authority that Oregon’s mandate for wearing masks indoors will be dropped no later than March 31, the CCC Return to Campus Task Force will carefully evaluate whether mask use remains necessary at the college and for how long.

Until there is an official change from both the state and CCC, masks are still required in all indoor spaces on CCC campuses and outdoors if individuals are unable to maintain 6 feet of distance.

We will continue to update the college community as recommendations and decisions are made. For more information on the college’s return to campus, visit www.clackamas.edu. 

Tara Sprehe, Co-Chair, Return to Campus Task Force
David Plotkin, Co-Chair, Return to Campus Task Force

This term has been a challenging one for many of you. Disruption of our in-person activities and instruction in response to the omicron surge has led to frustrations for many, and we recognize the continued exhaustion we all face as we enter the third year of the pandemic’s impact on you, your instructors, and CCC staff.

Here are a few reminders and resources for you:

Reminders:

• Don’t come to campus if you are sick. This is true whether you have a severe cold, COVID-19, or the flu. Work with your instructor(s) to make sure you don’t miss assignments.
  • Remember to complete the Daily Self-Health Checklist prior to coming to campus.
• All students must wear face masks at all times while in all buildings and all outside areas where physical distancing is difficult to maintain. If you cannot wear a face mask due to personal health conditions, contact the Disability Resource Center.

• Please practice kindness, patience, and flexibility with your fellow students, your instructors, and CCC staff. We are all in this together.

• The best way to fight this pandemic is through vaccines. If you are able, get vaccinated and boosted. 

• At this time, CCC is NOT mandating vaccinations. This is true for students as well as employees. Unless the state of Oregon tells us we must mandate vaccines, you are not required to get vaccinated to attend classes in person or visit our campuses.

Resources:

• This webpage is your best source for the most current CCC response to COVID-19.
• If you live in Clackamas County and need financial assistance due to the impact of COVID-19, call the Clackamas County Public Health mainline at 503-655-8411. If you live outside Clackamas County, contact your local county public health division.
  • For more resources, visit our Student Resources webpage.

CCC remains committed to your education and experience. We hope you continue to be healthy.

Tara Sprehe, Dean of Academic Foundations and Connections
David Plotkin, Vice-President, Instruction and Student Services
Co-Chairs, Return to Campus Task Force

Two weeks ago, we made the tough decision to move most of our classes and student services to remote and online through Jan. 28 to help slow the spread of the omicron COVID-19 variant. In that message, I wrote we would make a decision today (Jan. 24) to either resume in-person offerings on Jan. 31 or extend online classes and services.

After meeting with leadership this morning, we determined we need more input and data to inform this decision. Tomorrow afternoon, the Oregon Health Authority COVID case dashboard should be updated with new numbers, which will show if cases are increasing or starting to decrease. We are also contacting Clackamas County Public Health to ask if they have newer information regarding COVID rates, and if they have recommendations for us on how to proceed.

I know many of you are anxious to return to your classrooms and workspaces and were looking for an announcement today, but we may not have a decision until tomorrow or Wednesday. Thank you for your continued patience.

CCC President Tim Cook

As the number of COVID-19 cases have skyrocketed in the last month, CCC is concerned about the health of our students, employees, and the community. Because of these concerns, beginning Wednesday, Jan. 12, we will be scaling back our in-person classes and student services through Friday, Jan. 28. I know this is disruptive for many of you, but the sheer volume of COVID cases is straining our health care system, and we are putting people at risk.

What does this mean for you? We will hold classes and services as scheduled today and Tuesday (Jan. 10 and 11) and then on Wednesday, Jan. 12, we will convert to the following schedule:

• Almost all in-person lecture classes will move to remote or online.
• Labs that can be conducted remotely or online will do so.
• Labs that cannot be conducted virtually will hold the lecture part online with limited in-person labs.
• There will be very few on-campus events, activities, or meetings.

• Career technical classes (e.g., welding, automotive, etc.) that cannot be held virtually will remain in person.

The most important thing you can do is wait to hear directly from your instructor to know whether your class(es) will be in-person or not. If you do not hear from your instructor by Tuesday, please contact them directly.

CCC will continue to provide support if you need it. Please talk with your instructors and also check out the Student Resources page, which has great information on accessing Wifi and the internet, checking out laptops and Chromebooks, and other valuable resources. You can also find a list of student support services along with their hours and contact information on this page.

We recognize that for many of you, online learning is challenging. Our hope is to limit this return to online for only a few weeks. If you feel you need to drop your in-person class(es), contact your academic advisor. The college is committed to reducing any financial or academic impact this change may have on you.

CCC will continue to monitor COVID rates and trends and determine by Jan. 24 if we need to extend this schedule or if we can resume more in-person classes and services.

Since the onset of this pandemic, the health of our community has been our first priority. I am hoping this is just a short step back that will get us in a healthier and safer position in the next month. I thank you for your continued patience, adaptability, and perseverance through this.

You can find more information about the college’s response to COVID on our Return to Campus webpage.

Kind regards,

President Tim Cook

It is hard to believe that we are quickly heading into winter term. We have been getting a lot of questions as to what winter term will look like for CCC, so here is an update with what we know at this time.

We are approving more and more in-person classes, which is great news. Many employees will continue their current work environment, whether that is on campus, remote, or a combination of both.  

Wacheno Welcome Center

It is our hope that we can open the Wacheno Welcome Center on the Oregon City campus with limited hours and limited staffing for winter term, while still providing virtual services to our students. We will also work to provide in-person student services at the Wilsonville and Harmony campuses.

Six-foot distancing

We have also heard requests to relax our physical distancing requirement of 6 feet in classrooms. Our intention is to maintain 6-foot physical distancing for the majority of classes, and only approve exceptions where there is evidence that students cannot access the classes they need. There will be information added in course descriptions if there is an exception to our standard 6-foot distancing policy for the in-person class.

Federal vaccination mandate

At this time, CCC is not requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for employees or students.

Spring term

The COVID-19 pandemic has lasted far longer than any of us anticipated. We are seeing projections that by March, we will have far fewer new cases and hospitalizations. So while we continue our gradual and prudent approach to offering in-person classes in winter term, there are indications that in spring term we will be able to have many more in-person services, classes, and activities.  

Our guiding principle during this pandemic has been to provide a working and learning environment that promotes wellness and to fulfill our mission of education, keeping in mind those who are negatively impacted by circumstances and conditions. We are doing our best to connect with community members and look at data to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on those who are most vulnerable. We rely on public health authorities, such as the Oregon Health Authority and Clackamas County public health, to provide us guidance about meeting our mission and keeping our college community well.  

As always, you can find information on the Return to Campus page and the Student Resources page. 

President Tim Cook

Dear CCC community,

Due to the worsening conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic in the last month, at this time the college will not be loosening its current face mask and social distancing guidelines.

This decision is based on the recent Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendation that masks continue to be worn in counties with "substantial" or "high" COVID-19 transmission rates and Oregon Health Authority's (OHA) recommendation that masks continue to be worn indoors throughout Oregon. As of today, Clackamas County has a "high" transmission rate. Visit the CDC's data tracker to stay updated on transmission rates.

We will work to align our Return to Campus guidelines with the new OHA and CDC recommendations. We are also paying close attention to the levels of transmission and hospitalizations in our county.

Last month we sent a survey to the CCC community asking for your input on the proposed recommendations. Nearly 500 students responded, and 70% supported the recommendations. Also, 310 employees responded, with 67% supporting the recommendations. However, a lot has changed since we sent out the survey. COVID cases are now surging throughout the country and hospitalizations and deaths are on the rise.

Though we were hopeful the college could move forward in loosening our restrictions, we also want to keep the college community as safe as possible. So, we are going to take more time to digest all the input from the survey responses, watch the level of transmission rates, and get guidance from local health authorities.

Until further notice, we are still requiring facemasks and social distancing while indoors on all three CCC campuses. When outdoors, you do not need to wear a mask if you are able to maintain 6 feet of distance from others.

Also, to ensure we are notifying the college community and properly cleaning facilities in a timely manner, it is critical we are promptly notified of COVID-19 cases. All positive cases and any suspected exposures are to be reported immediately to an instructor, a supervisor or College Safety (503-594-6650).

We appreciate your continued patience and understanding as we navigate an ever-changing situation. Balancing the health of our community with our desire to return to a "new normal" is a challenge. The input provided by so many of you helps ensure we create the right recommendations to implement when it is safe to do so.

Dr. Tim Cook
CCC President

Dear CCC Community,

On Monday, July 12, the college's Executive Team received and reviewed a list of recommendations from the Return to Campus Task Force on how we should respond to the governor lifting COVID-19 mandates.

The recommendations are:

• The college has reaffirmed its decision to not mandate vaccinations for students or employees.
• The college has and will continue to communicate to employees that questions to students or fellow employees about their vaccination status are not appropriate.
• The college will no longer mandate social distancing or mask-wearing for employees and students that have been vaccinated. However, those who are vaccinated may still wear a mask if they choose to do so.
• The college will ask those who are not vaccinated to continue to practice social distancing when possible and to wear a mask on campus.
• There will no longer be COVID-19 room capacity limitations.

After much discussion and consideration, the Executive Team decided they would like more input on these recommendations from the college community. Over the next two weeks, members of the task force will be meeting with association leaders and students. Additionally, we would like your feedback through this survey. Please respond by July 29 as the Executive Team will review all input on August 2.

As a reminder, there is no expectation for all employees to return to campus fall term. Those who have been working on campus (e.g., College Safety and Campus Services) will continue to do so, as well as those who have applied for and have been approved to work/teach on campus.

As we are being thoughtful and deliberate in reopening our campuses, we do not want to rush these decisions. As such, it is likely any changes will take place in mid-August at the earliest. We thank you for your continued patience and support.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to either of us, or submit a question or comment on the Return to Campus webpage.

David Plotkin and Tara Sprehe

Co-chairs, Return to Campus Task Force

Dear CCC community,

Late last week, Governor Brown announced the lifting of COVID-19 mandates when the state reaches a 70% vaccination rate or June 30, whichever came first. This means the removal of mask mandates, social distancing requirements, and capacity limits, with a few federal restrictions. While this is hopeful news for the state, we need some time to learn what this means for CCC.

Currently, the college is enforcing wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, and limiting room capacities, as per our Return to Campus Plan. The college’s Return to Campus Task Force has been discussing the merits and challenges of continuing to enforce the current Return to Campus guidelines and whether changes need to be made. 

The college is working with our local health authority to review CDC recommendations, with the goal of determining the best course to ensure the safety of our students and employees.  A determination will be made during the week of July 5 regarding changes to requirements in our current Return to Campus guidelines.  

Clackamas Community College is striving to be deliberate, thoughtful, and reflective while making informed recommendations and decisions as we carefully start to re-open and bring more people back to our classrooms and our campuses.

David Plotkin and Tara Sprehe

Co-chairs, Return to Campus Task Force