“We are open,” said campus director Carleen Jones of South Louisiana Community College- Coreil Campus Carleen Jones.
Jones said her school is finishing its summer welding program while still abiding by social distancing directives. “Half come in the morning, and the other half comes in the evening,” she said.
Similar guidelines will still be in effect for the fall program which will begin sometime in September or October.
Jones’ biggest concern does not come with the social distancing guidelines; it comes with the low number of applicants for the welding program. As she said, “It was kind of weird that we didn’t get a lot of applicants for welding. I was wondering if people are thinking we are not open or we are not taking applications, but we are open. We are hoping we can reach our volume and fill those seats quickly.”
What has filled already is the college’s practical nursing program. Jones said, “Even though we still have the pandemic, we still have people interested in nursing.”
Practical nursing and other nursing program students will follow the same social distancing guidelines as the welding students. “There will be some strict guidelines,” Jones said. “Our practical nursing students are going to go a hybrid. They’re going to do half online and then do their clinical work face-to-face. We’re going to limit the number of students at a time.”
All other programs will be offered strictly online.
Students wishing to apply in person and anybody else needing to enter the building will need to also follow strict guidelines.
“We are taking safety precautions,” Jones said. “People have to wear masks to come in the building. Security is checking everybody, and they have to sign in and do a test check as well as sanitize their hands before they can come into the admissions office.”
Jones and the rest of the staff are assisting students from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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Tony Marks
Editor