Dear PTC Students,
As we enter the holiday season, I want to update you on PTC’s plans for instruction in the January 2021 quarter.
On-Campus Instruction and Housing Arrangements in January 2021
Many of the colleges and universities throughout our region and the nation are requiring students to stay home between Thanksgiving and the start of the second semester in January. With PTC’s quarter system, our students will continue through the end of this quarter, January 20, 2021, under our current arrangements, barring an outbreak of the virus on campus or recommendations from local government officials.
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have continued to rise in the Pittsburgh region. It is also the onset of flu season. Students are reporting symptoms more frequently and being tested accordingly. For the continued safety of our campus community, we will follow our current strategy of virtual instruction for a majority of courses and programs in the January 2021 quarter, thereby keeping PTC’s building capacity below the CDC-recommended rate of 25%. Only students whose programs require in-person lab instruction and competency evaluation will be brought on campus. These programs are listed below, with a few adjustments for the January quarter:
• Culinary Arts – including certificate, associate, and Baking & Pastry
• Electrician Technology
• Electronics Engineering Technology– all concentrations
• HVAC Technology – certificate and associate
• Medical Assisting
• Multimedia Technologies – Video Production
• Nursing – including LPN-to-ASN Track
• Practical Nursing
• Smart Building Technology
• Surgical Technology
• Therapeutic Massage Practitioner
• Welding – certificate and associate
The above applies to students’ status as of January 26, 2021 and may differ for incoming first-quarter students.
Further details will follow from your academic leadership. Housing will be provided for students who need it. As in July and October, we are asking that anyone able to commute to their scheduled on-campus labs do so to help us limit on-campus residence to those without the option to commute. The Resident Life department will soon contact applicable housing students to verify their needs for the January quarter.
Please know that for those of you who have not been able to return to any on-campus study but would like to, we hear you and you have not been forgotten. Your commitment to your studies in spite of the disruption caused by this pandemic is commendable and will serve you well as you continue to progress toward graduation and into the future. By adapting to the necessary Return to Campus guidelines, you are greatly supporting the containment of the virus’s spread both on our campus and in the greater Pittsburgh region. I sincerely thank you for your contributions.
COVID-19 Prevention Updates
We have been pleased with the overall implementation of our Return to Campus Plan since July, however we can do better and we can do more. Everyone on campus MUST be screened daily, and students MUST report any symptoms immediately to instructors or Residence Life staff. Prevention and precautions MUST be taken seriously by everyone, and students on campus need to be aware that penalties will be enforced for violations of our campus guidelines.
You have the support of PTC. If you’re not feeling well, let us help. We will provide and/or get you the care that you require. We will help you to stay current with your classwork. It starts with you letting us know as soon as you feel less than 100%.
Remember, one infected person, whether feeling symptomatic or not, can infect numerous others who each go on to infect numerous others and so on. Our best chance at preventing the spread is diligence in being screened on a daily basis, reporting symptoms, and avoiding contact with others when feeling under the weather.
Of course, we will continue to monitor the spread of the virus in our region, as well as on our campus, and are prepared to act accordingly. While we all hope it will not be necessary, a return to a fully virtual curriculum will occur if the need arises. Please continue to do your part to keep us moving forward.
Stay well, stay safe, and stay PTC strong.