CDC tips on protecting yourself and others from COVID-19

Your well-being during these very challenging times is of the utmost importance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website provides regular updates and helpful information on COVID-19. View tips on protecting yourself and others, including:

  • Washing your hands often
  • Avoiding close contact
  • Covering your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others
  • Covering coughs and sneezes
  • Cleaning and disinfecting
  • Monitoring your health

Do you know your 90s trivia?

Back to the 90s. LEAGUE. LLCC Foundation 2020Test your knowledge of LEAGUE 90s trivia and you will be entered into a drawing for a prize! Watch for questions, and submit your answer by email to llccfoundation@llcc.edu to win.

The answer to the previous LEAGUE 90s Trivia Question about what game used milk cap discs made of cardboard and slammers was d.) Pogs.

Congratulations to previous winners: Melissa Franzen and Claire Gordon.

Today’s LEAGUE 90s trivia question:

Which of these hair styles was popular in the 1990s?
a. Curtained hair
b. Mop-top
c. Quiff
d. Mohawk

Submit your answer by email to llccfoundation@llcc.edu for a chance to win.

If you have not made your donation to LEAGUE there is still time. Ask for a form when submitting your answer to the LLCC Foundation. Donations benefit our students and programs. If you make a donation to the LEAGUE campaign by June 30, your name will be entered into a drawing for two $150 cash prizes made available thanks to the LLCC Cabinet.

Return to on-campus operations and protocols

With our region entering “Phase 3” in the Restore Illinois plan effective May 28, 2020, LLCC will begin to gradually move back toward on-campus operations for some employees and students beginning Monday, June 1. This gradual approach to re-opening our campuses will prioritize the safety and well being of our employees and students while beginning to restore some campus operations. The Cabinet has been busy developing return to work protocols and identifying what functions and employees will continue to operate remotely and those who will be brought back for on-campus operations. Your supervisor will be in contact with you regarding your work schedule for the week beginning June 1. Some employees will continue to operate remotely, some will move back on campus, and others will alternate a few days per week.

Beginning June 1, those students needing to complete labs or workforce training programs will be allowed to complete their coursework. For those employees returning to their work location, operations will be different than what we are accustomed to.  The following protocols must be adhered to for all employees working on campus beginning Monday, June 1:

Requirement #1 – Social Distancing

Social distancing is a simple yet very effective mechanism to prevent potential infection, that relies on simple distance to avoid infection.

In practice, this means:

  • Staying 6 feet away from others as a normal practice
  • Avoiding entering and exiting buildings (i.e. leaving for the day) in groups
  • Eliminating contact with others, such as handshakes or embracing co-workers, visitors or friends
  • Avoiding touching surfaces touched by others, to the extent feasible
  • Avoiding anyone who appears to be sick, or who is coughing or sneezing

Any meetings of greater than 3 people must be conducted virtually. If a brief gathering is required of more than 3 people (i.e. shift assignment meetings), it must be conducted in a location allowing for social distancing and will not interfere with other activities and person traffic. Office and lab/classroom spaces should be arranged or scheduled to ensure separation of employees and students using proper social distancing. Departments with shared workspaces are encouraged to develop work schedules whereby half of the staff works from home and half the staff works on campus, to the extent possible or staggered work schedules to reduce exposure.

Requirement #2 – Use of Face Masks/Covering

The use of a face mask or covering is REQUIRED at all times for BOTH EMPLOYEES AND STUDENTS when an interaction could occur with another individual. For employees and students who come into frequent contact with the public and social distancing is difficult to maintain, face masks must be worn. Face masks also must be worn by any employee or student who must work with others in confined spaces or may come into contact with contaminated surfaces.

If any employee must leave their workspace (i.e. use the bathroom, go to the mailroom, etc.), a face mask must be worn. Basically, the only time a face mask is not required is when you are sitting in an isolated office without anyone else present.

The college will provide a face mask or covering for employees if needed. Students should wear their own face mask or covering when on campus.

Requirement #3 – Employee and Student Health

Employees reporting on-campus will be required to submit DAILY forms to their supervisor before coming to work attesting to their current health (no fever, feeling well, etc.). The college is in the process of implementing an online application employees will use to verify their daily health within but that will not be in place by June 1, so in the interim a series of questions is being developed by Human Resources that must be answered and emailed to your supervisor daily. Employees or students exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, including but not limited to, fever, coughing and shortness of breath must stay home and report such symptoms to their supervisor. Employees and students are encouraged to monitor their temperatures daily prior to coming to work/class. Knowingly coming to work with these symptoms, putting your co-workers at risk, may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. 

Requirement #4 – Limited Building Access and Exit ways for Open Buildings

Entrances and exits on each building will be limited based on building size and number of entry/exit ways. Buildings designated to be “open” will have a primary entrance and a separate exit(s) identified. For example, the entrance for both Menard Hall and Sangamon Hall will be through A. Lincoln Commons. This will be the only entrance for these two buildings.  Staff and students exiting the building must use the other doors throughout the two buildings to exit. For the Workforce Center, the entrance will be the main entrance into the building and the designated exit is the side doors at the end of the hallway on the side of the building.

In addition to designated entrances and exits, in order to minimize contact we have signage marked throughout identifying a direction in each hallway for foot traffic. I understand that this may mean that you may not be able to take the most direct route to wherever you may be going but we ask that you comply with these directional markings to minimize contact with others. In spaces where one-way directional foot traffic is not feasible, signage has been established on each side of the hallway so one side goes in one direction and the other side the opposite direction to maintain as much distance as possible.

Requirement #5 – Attendance Logs

A daily attendance log of all workers, students, and visitors (if any) must be kept and retained for at least four weeks. The log must include the name, phone number, and email address of all workers and visitors.  These logs must be kept and maintained in each work area, lab and classroom that is open. Employees or students are not allowed to bring their children or other guests/family members on to campus during this time. We understand child care may be a challenge for some employees during this time, but this is an element that we simply cannot control.

We understand these protocols are not ideal; however, they represent the new reality during this time. Please understand that we are putting these measures in place to prioritize the well being of our employees and students, while gradually returning to on campus operations. Please be flexible because as we get into this, protocols may have to be added or altered. This is new for all of us, but if we all comply, we will have a successful transition back to campus. Thank you all for everything you have done to help LLCC endure one of the most unexpected and challenging events any of us could imagine. Our employees really pulled together to make the most out of a really tough situation. It will be nice to see some limited activity back on our campuses soon!

In the news

President Charlotte Warren, Ph.D., was interviewed May 26 by WICS for an upcoming segment that will air May 30 between commencement ceremonies for District 186 high schools.

Sheridan Lane, director, culinary program and operations, is the author of today’s Epicuriosity 101 column in the State Journal-Register, “Fresh summer shindig.”

Benefit open enrollment ends June 4

This is a friendly reminder that benefit open enrollment ends June 4. If you have already received the open enrollment checklist email, logged in and completed all of your open enrollment tasks, thank you! For those who have not, please continue reading.

All employees must complete the open enrollment checklist. Not all benefits will automatically rollover, so it is important that you follow the open enrollment checklist. You will log in to the system to access the checklist using the link provided in the email described in the Open Enrollment Process section of the information on the open enrollment process for benefit options. If you have not received that email, please check your Junk, Clutter or Other message boxes. Several employees have contacted LLCC Human Resources because they could not access their open enrollment checklist due to user access issues. For those employees who have not yet completed their open enrollment, please, at a minimum, confirm that you can access the website and see your My Tasks list. Fixing user access issues requires us to reach out to our vendor, and the fix can take a couple of days, which will delay your ability to complete your open enrollment. If you experience issues with accessing the website, please email Kirsten.Taylor@llcc.edu.

Thank you in advance for your completion of these items. If you have any questions, please let us know. We are here to assist.

Posted in HR |

Notice regarding end-of-month deposits

End-of-month depositsThe deadline to submit your deposits to LLCC Finance is Thursday, May 28, before noon. Please hand the deposit to Nichole Coffey or Karie Longhta as monies should not be left unattended. You can drop these off on Thursday between 8 a.m. and noon.

As a reminder, if you have taken in funds, it is necessary to submit them and corresponding deposit slips to the finance department on a weekly basis.

If you have questions, please contact LLCC Student Accounts at 217-786-2480. Thank you!

Registration open for summer 2020 online College for Kids programs

College for KidsLLCC’s College for Kids programs will be offered online for summer 2020. Registration is open through June 15.

“We are excited to continue our tradition of providing quality youth enrichment activities and look forward to sharing innovative online experiences to help youth learn and thrive this summer,” said Jessica Ingold, youth programs coordinator. “Our lineup of programming accommodates those who prefer real-time experiences in addition to those who want to take control and learn on their own time.”

An expanded menu of popular Black Rocket S.T.E.A.M. Camps is now available for ages 8-14. These courses offer real-time experiences with instructors and other area students Monday-Friday from 8:30-11:30 a.m. or 12:30-3:30 p.m.

Youth culinary experiences are available for ages 8 and over. Students can choose up to three classes each from the categories of Bakeshop, Junior Chef and Pastry Arts. Ingredient kits will be provided to complete the recipes that are demonstrated in the accompanying instructional video.

Other online College for Kids classes are available in the following categories: Get Crafty, Science Studio, Language and Artistry, and Teen Time. Each course includes instructional videos and accompanying supply kits.

Culinary kits will be available for pickup at the Springfield campus. All other College for Kids supply kits can be picked up from the Springfield campus or one of LLCC’s Outreach Centers in Litchfield, Taylorville, Beardstown or Jacksonville.

Visit www.llcc.edu/youth-programs for more information on classes, pricing and registration.