Rochester Community and Technical College
Volume 91 - Issue 1 - September 2020
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When COVID comes to class
Instructors make adjustments to flatten the curve
By Samantha Olson Assignment Editor
By Faith Boyum Managing Editor In effort to safely conduct classes in the COVID era, instructors of hands-on classes have needed to make several modifications. As a result, science classes, vet tech classes and many other courses have undergone changes this semester. “It’s different and it takes creative thinking to bring that hands-on component,” said Dr. Teri Hill, who teaches chemistry classes. Many of the changes she has made to her classes revolve around the labs, which are an important part of learning chemistry. For example, lab sections are smaller than before. There is a sign-up sheet for students who wish to do labs in person, and only 12 students can use the lab space at a time. The rest of the students perform the experiments at home, using the science kit they purchased for the class. Hill has also made some of the labs virtual, and the students watch a video of the experiment being done. In addition, lab sections are more fluid. A student may sign up for a different lab section than they registered for in order to maintain social distancing. Cathy DesLauriers teaches vet tech courses, which also require hands-on experience. Like other instructors, she has limited the size of lab sections and the number of students in a lab room at a given time. Students work within the same groups for each lab. However, since much of the learning is done working with animals, it is not always possible to social distance. This is why they wear personal protective equipment (PPE). So far, it is early in the semester, but it has impacted both instructors and students. “It’s not business as usual,” Hill said.
RCTC president offers words of encouragement
Photo courtesy of RCTC Veterinary Technician Program
RCTC’s Veterinary Technician Program is among a handful of on-campus classes that requires hands-on experience. Both Hill and DesLauriers have found that online learning is not many of their students’ preferred mode of instruction. Some students find the mixture of online and inperson components confusing, too. For Hill, she has found that she has needed to update many of her lab tutorials, since so much of the lab experience is being done virtually. For DesLauriers, online lectures are different because she cannot point out details in pictures or videos she is showing to the class. Students also do not have the opportunity to ask questions as they think of them during lecture, although they do have the opportunity to ask clarifying questions dur-
ing lab time. “Our program is a very hands-on, closecontact program and very detail oriented. Skills are better achieved when practicing with various students versus the same set of students. The students learn better when working with different skill levels,” DesLauriers said. Things may not be entirely back to normal next semester, either. Hill said that in the spring, the setup for science classes is similar to this semester. They are offering more online and hybrid classes than they have in the past, and class sizes will be smaller as well. “Once you uncork the bottle, it doesn’t go back on,” Hill said.
President Boyd, can you give a brief statement of encouragement and positivity to the students about this school year? “My encouragement for student/faculty is a quote from Hall of Fame legendary college basketball coach John Wooden, which states, ‘Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.’ “We must all keep the faith, keep taking one step at a time and to keep moving forward. Online classes may not be the preferred option for some, but again, if it keeps people safe and helps students continue down the path of completing their courses, just do it. “That being said, I am concerned with the lack of interpersonal communication that exists as people are isolated during this pandemic. College is all about community and connections, and there are many resources available to assist those suffering from depression or anxiety. “I encourage our students to check in with their counselor or advisor and reach out to them about available resources. The pandemic impacts all of us. It can be lonely. I get it. My advice is to find ways to still connect with others in a safe, socially distanced manner. We need each other.” Has enrollment at RCTC increased or decreased this year? And by what percent? “RCTC saw its best summer enrollment in four years, with over 1,600 students attending classes during this past summer. RCTC is also leading all Minnesota State Colleges and Universities with a 3% enrollment growth for this fall semester, currently serving over 5, 100 students. “Of particular interest is the number of students preferring to enroll in either completely or blended online learning classes compared to face-to-face. “Although students are signing up for those options, I’m a strong proponent that in some cases, face-to-face must still be an option because people learn at different levels and through different modes of instructions.” ...continued on page 3
RCTC an appealing option for local students By Amaya Travis General Reporter RCTC has many students attending classes, and serves more than 4,000 students. But how many of them are from the local areas? In other words, does RCTC have a high enrollment rate because students chose to stay local and attend RCTC rather than go to another school? According to Alicia Zeone, Director of Admissions, about 60% of students were from Rochester in spring of 2020. But the question still remains, does
RCTC see these high enrollment numbers due to students choosing to remain local? Zeone says the answer to this is both yes and no. While a lot of students are from Rochester, there are also record numbers of Post Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) students, many of whom are from outside the Rochester area. Jazmine Hammel, an RCTC student, states that she typically sees students from Rochester or the surrounding area but has had multiple transfer students in past classes.
What are some other reasons people may gravitate towards RCTC, though? What makes RCTC special? There are a number of programs, which RCTC offers, such as PSEO, as Zeone and Hammel both mentioned. The diverse selection of university programs and courses are no doubt a big deciding factor for potential students, Zeone said. For Hammel, though, staying local was indeed a perk, but not a big decision maker for her when considering colleges. She stated that she started by going into
the PSEO program. She appreciated the smooth transition of PSEO credits, which is why she chose to continue her education with RCTC. “Thanks to the devoted staff and availability of resources at RCTC, I am close to completing my degree,” said Hammel. Between the many programs, resources and staff, RCTC is a a viable higher education choice. Zeone and Hammel made it clear that students and staff come first, and the staff will continue to implement practices to keep everyone safe.
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Plan ahead by building an emergency fund By Shannon Sullivan Mindful Money Management Auto repairs, doctor bills, new tires, pet emergencies, home repairs and broken appliances are all events that can exhaust emergency savings funds. If we are lucky these events will be evenly spaced out to work with the amount we have in our budget, but often these events happen simultaneously and provide nothing more than frustration and the promise to be more prepared financially for the next unexpected expense. When budgets are already stretched, finding ways to save for emergencies may seem impossible. There are ways you can plan ahead and be prepared without feeling the strain. Here are some ideas to get your emergency savings started:
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When budgets are stretched, there are ways to plan ahead and be prepared. 1. Evaluate what your emergency may be. For example, if you have a vehicle, there will be an auto repair expense in your future. What is your back-up plan if your car won’t start; can you take public transportation or
catch a ride from a friend or family member? Knowing your resources ahead of time will alleviate the stress and anxiety that come when things break down. This also may “buy” you time if you discover that
the repair cost is more than you have at the moment. 2. Know your expenses and what you need to take care of for housing, food, transportation, and health. These are the critical, basic human essential needs. Aim to have the amount to cover these costs in a separate savings account. If you are currently employed, take advantage of payroll direct deposit so the funds can automatically be transferred to this specific account before you even see it. Even saving $15 a pay period can help over time when faced with the cost of a vet bill for your beloved animal. 3. Challenge yourself to decrease spending now and save the difference. For example, can you trim $15 from your grocery budget? How about canceling a paid subscription like Amazon for six months and routing those funds to emergency savings? Small sacrifices now can amount to huge relief when you have the funds to pay for those occurrences that are beyond your control. 4. Use store loyalty points and free apps that give incentives for purchases. There are several popular phone apps that allow you to upload receipts and then find products that are offering monetary rewards for their purchase. Be cautious of scams and never share personal information when registering. Do your research first to make sure the app is legitimate. 5. Start now. Every dollar helps, and while it may seem small and petty in the beginning, when you are facing a repair cost or anything unexpected, every dollar helps. If you are fortunate enough to not face any unexpected expenses, you will see your balances grow steadily. The important step is to not wait. Be prepared and have a backup plan.
RCTC elects new student senators Echo Staff Report
Graphic by Mark Fantonial
Every year, RCTC students elect senators to the student government. This semester, the open positions were spread between students from the Liberal Arts and Sciences, Sciences and Health Professions and Career and Technical Education programs. From the Liberal Arts and Sciences program, the new student senators are: - Sydney Olson - Rowan Young - Gavin Hoffman - Ayub Abdi - Ava Nelson - Amalia Guimaraes - Joseph Laudon - Abigail McMillin - Tess Buescher - Grace Gora - Kes Whalen. From the Science and Health Profession programs, the new senators are: - Maimuna Aden - Austin Reynolds - Hailey Heins-Lange - Ifrah A. Ali - Tim Galvin - Tim Gunter. From the Career and Technical Education programs, the student senators are: - Kevin Rudquist - Nathaniel Friess
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Welcome Day offers opportunity to connect
RCTC president provides tips for students taking online classes
By Amaya Travis General Reporter Due To COVID-19, all Student Life events have occurred virtually. One of them being Welcome Day. Welcome Day allows new students to come together, make friends, and earn a couple of prizes along the way. Being that this is the first time Welcome Day has ever been done online, it makes you wonder, how difficult was it to organize? According to Travis Rutt, RCTC Student Life Coordinator, it wasn’t too difficult to organize. They had other plans, but the way it turned out, it was more of a plan B or C. In the end, the team wanted to focus on showcasing all the important resources and information that are beneficial for new students to know about. Rutt said that some of the changes they made were, “Smaller groups, having presenters present Rutt more than once [and] more breakout groups.” Larger groups were a bit difficult to handle, but there was a good turnout, nonetheless. There were sure to be parts of the Virtual Welcome Day that students thought were better.
By Samantha Olson Assignment Editor
Photo courtesy of Student Life
The “Make Your Mark” sidewalk chalking event was one of a handful of events available to students during RCTC’s Welcome Week 2020. But sitting at a computer for two hours straight doesn’t really compare to the level of human interaction there is when it’s done in person. Will RCTC hold Welcome Day in the virtual format, again? “There will always be parts of it that can
be done online,” said Rutt, but he reiterated that nothing can truly replace that level of human interaction you get from the inperson event. Check out Twitter @RCTC_SL, Instagram @RCTC_SL and Snapchat @RCTC_ SL to see photos from Student Life events.
What tips do you have for students when it comes to succeeding in their online classes? “My master’s degree was completed completely online, so I’m a fan of online learning,” President Boyd said. Here are his six tips for online success: 1. Read the syllabus, and use a calendar to mark all important assignment due dates. Also, time management is so important, so make time in your busy schedules to complete everything on time! Most assignments take longer to complete than you think, so make the time. 2. Over-communicate with your instructor (or trusted classmate) about things that aren’t clear. 3. Use the Internet (i.e. Google) to help you gain clarity on things you don’t understand. Don’t plagiarize, but use the tool as a resource for doing research or to help you better understand the material so you will be successful. 4. Leverage your network, and partner with other students outside of class; I always found a team approach was very helpful. 5. Actively participate in the class (i.e. discussion questions, research projects). 6. And finally, pass the class. If you keep moving forward, no matter what the obstacles, you will be a WINNER!!
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Mental health in the COVID-19 era
September 2020 Volume 91, Issue 1 AH-402 507-438-6932 RCTCecho@gmail.com www.rctc.edu/echo Managing Editor Faith Boyum Assignment Editor Samantha Olson
Reporters
Amaya Travis Ilwad Salex Mark Fantonial Connor Vlasaty
By Breanna Shen Guest Writer A woman sits alone, staring down at a large bottle of pills in her hands. Except for the clock ticking past midnight, everything is dark and silent, and a crushing isolation weighs heavily in the air. Fixated on ending her life, she slowly takes out the first pill and swallows it. But a sudden terror grips her. She fumbles for her phone, dialing for help. As the COVID-19 era took hold during Shen the past few months, crisis helplines in the U.S. have seen a surge in the number of people overwhelmed with isolation, depression, and suicidal thoughts. COVID-19 has dealt the world a multi-whammy in physical, economic and mental health. In a neuroscience lecture I attended a few weeks ago (virtually, of course), I learned
about CovidLife. It is a large study of over 18,000 volunteers on the social effects of COVID-19 lockdown, led by Dr. David Porteous at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. The results are troubling. Life satisfaction and optimism for employment dropped. Sleep quality decreased, and isolation, anxiety and depression rose. These mental health shocks have hit younger adults, including many of us college students, most acutely among all age groups. The effects may already be visible in our own circles -- friends losing their restaurant jobs, losing touch with peers, and having difficulty falling asleep. This fall, as many of us transition to online classes and partake in virtual work, virtual meetings and virtual volunteering, it’s important that we give an extra thought to boosting our mental health. Identify that ideal self-care routine and work-life balance. There are a few strategies that many people have found helpful. One is reaching out to a support system of family, friends, therapist, or, if all else fails, a crisis helpline to simply
FINISH
Photographer Kristin Mork Editorial Assistant Tim Galvin
Faculty Adviser Marissa Gentling We want to hear from our readers. Send your comments, story ideas or upcoming events to: The Echo is a free publication written by RCTC students who are dedicated to freedom of press, while reporting on issues affecting the student body, faculty, administration and staff. Letters to the editor are subject to editing for content and length, and opinions expressed within The Echo do not necessarily reflect the views of Rochester Community and Technical College’s administration, faculty, staff or student body.
talk things out with a supportive listener. Then, for college students, a great strategy to manage our stress levels is to keep a routine and set an agenda for our academic and work responsibilities. Finally, there are endless possibilities for regular self-care: walking, painting, listening to music, reading a book, taking a bath, journaling, etc. The scene at the beginning of this article plays out many times across the world every day. Some of those people in distress are able to find crucial support and to recover, but others are less fortunate and struggle to cope. Therefore, I think it’s important to take preventative measures to protect mental health. In the era of COVID-19, this is more essential than ever. Just as we wear masks for our physical health, we should similarly strengthen our mental health in concern for our emotional wellbeing. Breanna Shen is a guest writer and former Arts and Entertainment editor for The Echo.
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RCTC cancels sports for fall semester By Mark Fantonial General Reporter
dent, this is not the type of problem that can easily be ignored. 2019 football linebacker, Josh Miser, who is in the nursing program, is facing this hurdle with his fellow teammates. “It’s really heartbreaking. It sucks enough one way to take a time off for a season as an individual player,” Miser said. Students like Miser use the platform to obtain a career in their football background and establish a reputation that will encourage big universities to recruit them to their team. He feels that he could have worked for a championship if he had this year and an additional two years. “We don’t play this year, but I get three (years) somewhere else, which is
Students are all set to come back for another semester at RCTC, and everything has changed. Since the pandemic occurred, the entire fall semester itinerary was thrown off board and replaced with a mixture of remote learning and activities and select inperson instruction. The major change that affected the athletes is the cancellation of the fall sports this semester. That means no games will be held within the campus. Students and sport aficionados cannot assert their school spirit via pep Photo courtesy of Joseph Kollar rallies, either. The RCTC athletics department has canceled all fall 2020 sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. PicAccording to the Mintured: A football game at RCTC’s football stadium prior to the pandemic. nesota College Athletic Conference (MCAC), the Yellowjacket athletes are using this spare With this method, student athletes can presidents of MCAC nice. time to train themselves in order to keep stay productive, but as a team, it can be decided to cancel all fall sport games like “But all the guys in the team agree that themselves from feeling burnt out. difficult for them to keep in touch and confootball, soccer and volleyball. They did we should have an extra year here (RCTC) Players from different sports take turns tinue the camaraderie they built after years not find the decision easy, but sacrifices had and an extra year at the big time school we using the court with a limited number of of being on the team. to be made in order to keep their athletes go after,” Miser said. people in the room. From the perspective of a varsity stusafe from the COVID-19 virus.
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Arts & Entertainment 7 Rochester Community and Technical College | The Echo
COVID-19 impacts RCTC theater Student Life By Ilwad Salex General Reporter Theater classes have always been interactive and required the students to be hands-on. However, this year ended up being a bit different due to the pandemic. It’s a no-brainer that classes of all sorts have had to change some things in order to adjust to the new regulations being put in place. Yet, it’s still something many people struggle with getting used to with the new territory. This is especially true when it comes to activities in classes that require them being face-to-face in order to be the most effective. Jerry Casper, the director of theater at RCTC, has found that teaching acting Photo courtesy of Ben Hain classes in this new environment is more The RCTC theater department faces additional challeges during the COof challenge than before. VID-19 pandemic. Pictured: A scene from RCTC’s 2019 production of “Wind Distance or lack of distance affects in the Willows.” both the performers and the audience, is a human element missing,” he said. less this way. and at the moment, people are socially It is also difficult for students because The unique precautions being taken distanced, which changes the format of wearing a mask muffles their voices, here also accurately represent the rest of acting classes. and they have to use some creativity and the classes on campus. “Now, I am focusing more on rhythm, COVID has forced everyone to adtiming and creative movement that MUST imagination to act effectively in the socially distanced space. just to the new reality. It’s not only the be distanced. The students wear face shields instead students who are trying to adjust, it's the “It changes the basic concept of ensemfaculty, too. ble and movement. It still works, but there of face masks since it affects their voices
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clubs do ‘the best they can with what they have’ By Ilwad Salex General Reporter RCTC has a variety of options of student clubs everyone can join. They host Welcome Week every year, events and are even involved in Student Success Day. The clubs range from Art Club to LGBTQ+ Alliance to the Ecology Club. There are so many different options that there really is something for everyone. Student Life is also involved in things like the Fitness Center, the RCTC Art Gallery, and the school newspaper, The Echo. Rutt However, COVID has changed up almost everything in the school, and the pandemic has affected Student Life. “The big thing is room capacity, with there being limits on the amount of people in the same space,” said Travis Rutt, the Student Life Coordinator. Last year, Student Life was able to host campus-wide events, but there is now a capacity limit. Some clubs are impacted by COVID and others to a lesser degree. Nearly 95% of the club advisors are faculty, which means this might overwhelm their schedules. “But overall, everyone has been trying the best they can with what they have,” Rutt said.
Join the club! RCTC offers a number of clubs for students to get involved with. Any students who are currently enrolled at RCTC can join an RCTC club or start one of their own. Some of the benefits include: - Building long-lasting friendships - Establishing a connection - Making a difference - Gaining new skills Questions?
uwlax.edu | 608.785.8939 Admissions Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Contact the Department of Student Life at studentlife@rctc.edu or 507285-7206.
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