In an email to students, staff, and faculty San Bernardino Valley College President Diana Z. Rodriguez highlighted the progress campus has made in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and transitioning instruction to online learning. The announcement detailed the collaborative efforts to ensure collective health and well-being, while offering support and resources to campus and community members in need.
The communication offered additional insight on changes that have been implemented to reduce in-person interaction while offering extended services and resources in the wake 0f a global pandemic:
We know you have received a lot of messages from us lately related to COVID-19. As we all adjust (temporarily) to online learning and remote working, there is so much information to share and so many questions to be answered.
We are so proud of how each of you has risen to the occasion, and done your part to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
In the last couple of weeks, we have taken the following actions together to ensure our collective health and well-being:
1. Declared a State of Emergency and activated the Districtwide Task Force on Coronavirus to ensure a swift and coordinated response to keep students, faculty and staff safe and healthy.
2. Reduced in-person interaction on campus by asking students and non-essential employees to remain off campus until further notice.
3. Temporarily transitioned most in-person classes to online.
4. Temporarily moved most in-person staff operations to remote working.
5. Observed limited hours of operation, physical distancing and enhanced sanitation practices at our libraries.
6. Partnered with the Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County to provide our students with food assistance through our campus food pantries.
7. Ordered about 1,900 face masks.
8. Installed new hand sanitizer stations in common areas.
9. Purchased 2,500 Chromebooks to help students without a computer at home continue their academic progress.
10. Purchased 80 Wi-Fi hotspots to help students and employees without reliable internet access at home stay connected.
11. Provided video relay service to support students with hearing disabilities.
12. Temporarily transitioned public board of trustees meetings to online.
13. Repurposed laptops to facilitate remote working.
14. Postponed all campus events and public gatherings.
15. Restricted all non-essential business travel.
16. Postponed hiring of non-essential personnel.
17. Working hand-in-hand with local leaders of the California School Employees Association and California Teachers Association to continue our educational mission during this virus pandemic.
We have supported our local community by:
1. Manufacturing 3D printed medical-grade face shields from our SBVC MakerSpace lab to donate to local hospitals.
2. Partnering with the City of Yucaipa to host a Drive-Thru Testing Center at Crafton Hills College on Saturday, April 11.
3. Teaming up with the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools and Riverside County Office of Education to expand distance learning opportunities for K-12 students with PBS educational programming on Empire KVCR TV Channel 24. Learn more at www.kvcr.org/education.
4. Launching a new radio segment, Inland Edition on Empire KVCR 91.9 FM, to inform Inland Empire residents of community resources available to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guidance on Face Masks
Effective April 8, San Bernardino County’s Acting Public Health Officer has ordered all residents to wear a face-covering when leaving home. Face coverings include homemade cloth ear loop covers, bandannas, handkerchiefs, neck gaiters, and other coverings that secure to the ears or the back of your head. This order reflects similar directives given by officials in Riverside County, Orange County, and the City of Los Angeles in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. Due to the nationwide shortage of N95 masks, those masks should be reserved for use by medical personnel. Please note that the wearing of face masks should not be considered a substitute for other prudent practices such as social distancing (staying at least 6 feet away from others) and staying at home. For more information on the San Bernardino County order, please visit the County Newsroom. For the latest County updates, please visit the County’s COVID-19 website at www.sbcovid19.com.
Need Food Assistance?
Many local food banks are staying open to provide assistance to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity during this time. To find your local food pantry, you can visit the Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino website. You are encouraged to call ahead to verify operating hours.
The food pantries at Crafton Hills College and San Bernardino Valley College are also open to registered students. The C.O.A.C.H. Cupboard at Crafton Hills College is operating out of the Student Life Office (CCR-150) and is open Mondays and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Please present your student ID. The Valley 360 Resource Center is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Both campus food pantries will be operating until the end of the semester, May 22. For more information, please visit the respective campus websites: www.craftonhills.edu and www.valleycollege.edu.
Showers for Homeless Individuals
Beginning on Monday, April 13, the YMCA in Redlands will be offering shower services to the homeless population. Showers will be available on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The Redlands YMCA is located at 500 E. Citrus Avenue. For more information, please call the YMCA at (909) 798–9622.
The update from President Rodriguez was a joint message with Jose F. Torres, Interim Chancellor of the San Bernardino Community College District; and Dr. Kevin Horan, President of Crafton Hills College. Together, they said, “To our students, faculty and staff, thank you for your patience, resilience, and doing your part to help slow the spread of COVID-19. We will continue providing you with updates and guidance to help you stay healthy and safe.”
