The San Jose City College Academic Senate said in a May 12 Zoom meeting that the college is prepared to transition to in-person classes in the fall if it is considered safe by health officials.

On May 11, SJCC President Dr. Rowena M. Tomaneng announced in an email that online remote instruction will continue through the end of the fall 2020 semester, which is scheduled to end on Dec. 17, and 20 SJCC students and instructors attended the meeting in order to understand how the upcoming semester will be held.

Many students’ questioned how career education programs and courses that require in-person labs will continue.

“I’ve actually considered taking some time off school because classes are online,” said SJCC student and biology major Katya Madrigal, 19. “I was planning on taking a biology class in the fall, but I know how difficult it would be online, especially the lab. I’m interested to see how this plays out.”

Senators reassured students and staff that if the county of public health, along with state and federal officials, determine that it is safe to return to in-person operation before the fall semester begins, then the college will begin to transition back to in-person classes and services.

“I urge students to stay on their educational pathway so they can prepare to successfully take advantage of the opportunities that will open when we move past this challenging period,” said Tomaneng in an email.

According to Tomaneng, The San Jose-Evergreen Community College District and SJCC campus leaders are collaborating in order to come up with reasonable options for students that decide to enroll in courses embedded with a lab or join any in-person programs.

Although the campus is closed, the senate stated that the college is still providing various items to improve students educational experiences. These items include: loaner laptops and Wi-Fi Hotspots, no tuition or fee costs for first-time full-time college students, zero-cost loaner textbooks, student emergency financial aid grants and scholarships.

Senators that attended the meeting included President Alejandro Lopez, Vice President Judith Bell, Treasurer Heather Jellison and executive member and instructor Jesus Covarrubias.

“I recommend that students take classes that are originally online,” said SJCC student and media arts major Mariya Ostapchuk, 25. “This means that professors created a structure already and will handle online courses just like any regular in-person classes.”