College During Covid How HutchCC handled a worldwide pandemic
Sydney Henke, Reporter & Designer
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aving a mask everywhere you go, social distancing, smaller gatherings, and much more. The coronavirus has changed a lot of things and the regulations have become a new normal for everyone. On March 12, Governor Laura Kelly declared a state of emergency in Kansas. Three days later, Hutchinson Community College students received an email that spring break would start a week early. On March 16, face-to-face classes were suspended and moved to
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remote instruction. This was due to Covid-19 and how uncertain this virus was, the world was in a panic and no one knew what calls to make. “The coronavirus pandemic was something truly novel for us. We have never had to shut down our campus for a pandemic, nor would we have ever dreamed of this scenario. So the sheer unexpected nature of this, coupled with the fact, that there is no playbook on how to handle this, we were building the plane while it was in the air,” Dana Hinshaw, Director of Residence Life
and Student Activities, said. HutchCC had big choices to make in order to protect their students and faculty. Students officially returned to campus on Aug. 12 for face-to-face classes at the beginning of the fall semester. A lot of changes were made including socially-distanced classrooms and required masks in all campus buildings. Rather than having finals before Christmas break they will be done after Thanksgiving, meaning the fall semester ends on Nov. 30. In a student survey, 47 percent of
Dragon’s Tale • College During Covid
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