Published May 22, 2020
Dodge City Community College (DC3) is committed to providing a safe learning environment for students, employees, and the community—and this is especially true in the midst of the current pandemic. A notable example of this commitment is the creation of the college’s COVID-19 response committee.
“We set up a special COVID-19 response committee in early March that consists of individuals from across campus, including Board of Trustee members Mia Korbelik and Kathy Ramsour,” Kristi Ohlschwager, DC3 Director of Human Resources, said. “As a result of this committee’s tireless work, DC3 has been making swift, proactive decisions regarding the COVID-19 crisis.”
Ohlschwager said the response committee meets weekly and reviews current trends and data provided by the Ford County Health Department, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Kansas Department of Health & Environment (KDHE) to make proactive decisions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 both on campus and in the community.
“Currently, the college is following guidelines from Governor Kelly’s reopening plan that provides progressive reopening procedures—while trying to keep as many employees safe and at home as possible,” she said. “They have put in measures to provide remote access to continue to function as a campus and have also started to plan for students returning to campus as early as July 2020.”
While the DC3 campus remains closed to the public for health and safety reasons, DC3 staff, faculty, and administration are still available to answer questions, to enroll students and to serve the community, she said.
Accommodations have been made to help students enroll over the phone or by email—or even by scheduling meetings via Zoom or other telecommunication methods, she said. For students interested in enrolling, they may contact DC3 at (620) 225-1321 or [email protected].
“On behalf of the COVID-19 response committee, I want to urge Ford County community members to stay safe as we all work together to CONQuer the challenges of these difficult times,” Ohlschwager said. “We are all in this together!” #ConqsCare #WeAreDC3 #ThisIsHowWeConquer
By Lance Ziesch