LVC highly encourages residential students to remain on campus during the academic year. The spread of COVID-19 can take place anywhere groups congregate, including within families and households. We strongly advise students against visiting families and friends, leaving campus to attend social events, or visiting other colleges and universities. 

For the 2020–21 academic year, counseling services has been relocated to the second floor, east end of the Vernon and Doris Bishop Library. Students can find clinicians and the 50/50 Peer Helpers in the space directly above Bishop Brews coffee shop. To schedule an appointment, email counselingservices@lvc.edu, call 717-867-6232, or visit during open hours weekdays (in-person and online), 11 a.m.–noon.

Shroyer Health Center will extend service hours and increase clinical staff to respond to health issues and concerns in Fall 2020. Students will be asked to call health services at 717-867-6232 before reporting to Shroyer Hall for instructions regarding appropriate care and response. Our health services care will be informed by CDC, PDH, and American College Health Association guidelines. 

• The College will reconfigure dining spaces to allow for physical distancing in seating configurations. Additional takeout options are being considered.
• All diners must wear face masks or coverings while in a dining space. Wear a mask while moving around the dining facility and remove it only when sitting and eating.
• Self-serve food options are not available in the primary dining hall; dining services staff will prepare and serve meals. Beverage dispensers are cleaned regularly.
• The meal exchange option has been expanded to other venues on campus, and takeout options are available. The main dining hall will serve kosher, vegetarian, and vegan options. 
• Takeout service is encouraged, as is alternative or outdoor seating during peak dining service hours.
• All dining staff must always wear face masks and gloves while working and interacting with the public. 
• Dining services staff must follow infection prevention guidelines, including staying home when ill; practicing physical distancing whenever possible at work; practicing proper hand hygiene; avoiding touching the eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands; cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces throughout the workday; and undergoing temperature checks before shifts.

Commuting students can take advantage of a variety of spaces for studying between classes and activities. Register your vehicle with public safety. You can park in the Green Lots (Summit Street along the railroad tracks) and Mund College Center parking lot. Overflow parking is available in the North parking lots. 

College housing policies require residential students to adhere to personal hygiene, physical distancing, and mitigation practices. These practices may change depending on the circumstances. Most rooms will be double occupancy. Furniture configurations in residence hall rooms/spaces may have changed to optimize physical distancing. All furniture is expected to remain as placed before you arrive. In addition, you may not bring any personal furniture, add additional furniture into your residence hall room/space, or remove furniture from your residence hall room/space.

For students seeking in-person career and internship guidance, the Breen Center has been reconfigured to allow for physical distancing. Sanitizing and cleaning protocols are in place. Online options include virtual appointment platforms, information sessions, workshops, job fairs, and networking events. Off-campus immersive experiences, such as internships, study abroad programming, service-based opportunities, and research projects will continue to be offered when possible. If circumstances require, the center will connect you with alternative experiences. 

Students with disabilities who seek accommodations must initiate the process by submitting a request for accommodations to the LVC Center for Accessibility Resources. Identify your disability, state the requested accommodations, and include supporting documentation. You can initiate the process at the Center for Accessibility Resources or via the College website. Information and resources are available for students, parents, and faculty. The center has been reconfigured to promote physical distancing, and sanitizing and cleaning protocols are in place.

Meetings can occur with the director of accessibility resources in-person or via videoconferencing, whichever is more appropriate for those involved. The testing center has been reconfigured to promote physical distancing. It will be open for use by students with testing accommodations. Contact Erin Hannaford, director of accessibility resources (hannafor@lvc.edu or 717-867-6071). 

The Center for Academic Success provides academic coaching, writing guidance, and tutoring services for all LVC students taking classes in person or online. You can schedule an appointment with an academic coach to work on time management or organization skills, request a tutor, sign up for a study pod for help in a specific class, or request a writing tutor to get help with a paper. All tutors can meet you in a Zoom room for study pods or tutoring, and you can make virtual appointments with your academic coach. The Center for Academic Success and the Breen Center for Graduate Success will hold workshops to help students connect the dots between skills that lead to success in the classroom and the workplace. These workshops will be recorded so that students can reference them whenever needed.

While LVC students are not required to have an internship before graduation, specific majors require internships as part of the degree path. You must receive approval from your faculty supervisor and academic department before beginning an internship. Follow College and employer policies and wear appropriate PPE while at the internship site. There must also be a designated employer supervisor the faculty member can contact as needed. If you want a virtual internship or workplaces shift to remote status, contact the Breen Center for Graduate Success. If your internship site does not follow appropriate protocols to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, you must leave the site and contact the Breen Center or your faculty advisor.

Students with clinical education or student teaching experiences must follow LVC, academic department, and clinical/educational site guidelines. You can only participate after receiving proper permission, training, and initial guidance (either by written or video instruction) before starting your experience. Training includes general considerations for using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) at the site. If you change locations mid-term or participate at multiple sites, you must meet each site’s guidelines and protocols. If your clinical education or student teaching site does not follow appropriate protocols to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, you must leave your site and contact your faculty advisor.

These guidelines apply to Neidig-Garber facilities. Please consult with professors for Arnold Health Professions Pavilion lab guidelines.

• Physical distancing of six feet or more is required.
• The maximum capacity for each space is marked at the lab entrance.
• Teaching labs, research labs, stockrooms, and instrument labs are locked when not in use.

Students:

• You will receive initial guidance (either by written or video instruction) before entering a lab. Training includes general considerations for the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) before entering the area and best practices for working there. 
• You may enter a lab if you have been trained and approved to do so. You must notify your research mentor or department chair each time before you enter a lab.
• Do not use a lab outside of your scheduled time.
• If you need to use multiple spaces during one lab session (research lab and instrument room or stockroom), notify your research mentor and department chair to avoid conflicts with other users. 
• Restrict your work to your assigned primary space.
• Always wear appropriate PPE. 
• Wipe down lab instruments, supplies, reagent bottles, or any other lab equipment with a sanitizing cleaner before and after use. 
• Avoid cross-contamination and wipe down all common surfaces such as door handles, bench surfaces, and hood sashes. 
• In the event of a chemical spill or other emergency, leave the lab immediately and notify a research mentor or department chair.

The music department has adapted music instruction, practices, and performances to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The department will hold performances online when possible and private lessons in-person or online as appropriate. Masking, physical distancing, sanitizing, and cleaning protocols are in place. 

All employees must follow the workplace expectations and guidelines emphasized in LVC’s Guidance and Expectations for Working on Campus During COVID-19, Employee Exposure to COVID-19 Response, and Pandemic and Communicable Disease Policy found in ADP.

Faculty members who need accommodations to teach online because of their underlying health conditions, because they live or care for someone in a high-risk COVID-19 category, or because of another circumstance should contact Rachel Brunner, benefits and HRIS specialist (brunner@lvc.edu; 717-867-6414). Human Resources will coordinate with Provost Cowart to evaluate accommodation requests. 

Employees seeking accommodations should contact Rachel Brunner.  Given the fluid circumstances of the pandemic, instructors must request accommodations on a semester-by-semester basis. If your circumstances change mid-semester, contact Rachel Brunner.

As per the College’s vacation policy, all accrued carryover vacation hours, from fiscal year 2020 were set to expire Sept. 1, 2020. 

Due to the pandemic and disruption in previously scheduled vacation, the College will permit employees to carry over up to 10 vacation days through Dec. 31, 2020. Please note that this special carryover vacation (up to 10 days) will not be paid out if an employee should leave their position prior Dec. 31, 2020.

Dear Campus Community,

I hope this update finds you and your family safe and well. I write to share some key updates on Lebanon Valley College’s planning for an in-person, on-time start to the Fall 2020 semester. I am closely coordinating with President-elect James MacLaren, the president’s staff, the Critical Incident and Emergency Management Team, and several Provost-led faculty task forces to develop a playbook to guide our efforts.

I’ve noted in the past that the successful and rapid pivot this spring demonstrated LVC at its best. The same is true of the planning underway. Administrators and faculty are working very hard researching, developing, and crystalizing complex plans that have many intertwined consequences that must be thought through.

We are basing our plans on a defined set of guiding principles and gating conditions placing the well-being of our campus community as the highest priority and emphasizing academic quality, equity, financial sustainability, and compliance with federal and state guidelines. We are closely following guidance from the PA Department of Education to build the playbook.

Fall Calendar and Academic Experience
The academic calendar will be adjusted to limit the number of times large numbers of students travel to and from campus. The semester will start one week early, with undergraduate and graduate classes beginning Monday, Aug. 24. There will be no Fall Break. On-campus learning will end by Thanksgiving break and instruction will continue online through Dec. 4. Finals are Dec. 7–11. Class times, locations, and schedules will be adjusted to allow for physical distancing. These changes will be communicated when finalized. We plan to accommodate students who may need to remain on campus after Thanksgiving for clinicals or athletics.

All classes will be delivered in-person and online at the same time to accommodate students with underlying conditions or those who become ill. Faculty are developing online learning components so they can give students support and attention. Clear course outcomes will be articulated, and support services will be emphasized perhaps now more than ever. Additionally, faculty will use Canvas and other LVC-supported technology whenever possible to streamline electronic course delivery.

Residential Life
We will decrease the density in our residential facilities for the fall. Currently, we plan on double occupancy with strict hygiene and physical distancing practices in place. The College has temporarily extended the Housing Exemption process to allow current residential students the opportunity to live off-campus in the local community and expanded the commuting radius to allow current residential students who live beyond 30 miles of campus the opportunity to commute for the 2020–21 academic year. A staggered move-in and modified orientation schedule will be developed. Plans for these will be communicated soon.

Health Protocols
The College is identifying a healthcare partner or partners who can advise and assist us with temperature-taking, testing, tracing, and managing suspected or confirmed cases should they occur on campus. More information will be shared when the partnership has been finalized. Protocols for dining, masking, physical distancing, and pedestrian flow are being developed, and there will be an educational campaign to promote these habits and hygiene practices. Learning spaces will be reconfigured so that desks and podiums can be organized to support physical distancing. Facility services already uses the proper cleaning products to disinfect spaces and is acquiring hand sanitizer stations to place throughout campus. We are bringing employees back to campus to prepare for the return of students through a phased process guided by new pandemic and employee policies that employees can find in ADP.

If there are any positive COVID-19 cases in the campus community, an alert will be issued to employees and students via email and text through the College’s emergency alert system (Omnilert) and posted to the LVC website and social media. Even in instances when the risk is low, we want to ensure all members of our community have the information they need to make decisions about their well-being.

Future Communications
Virtual town halls will be held throughout the summer for returning and new students, faculty, staff, trustees, leadership council members, and prospective students to hear directly from campus leadership and have their questions answered.

Additionally, faculty, staff, students, families, and trustees will regularly receive an LVC Forward e-newsletter with information about the latest decisions and developments. All updates and alerts will be posted to a new LVC Forward blog on the LVC website as well. This searchable space will serve as a hub for all information related to our return to campus and strategic initiatives that unfold as part of the process.

The College will continue to adapt and add detail to the plans as we receive additional guidance from the federal government, the PA Department of Health and Department of Education, the NCAA and MAC Conference, and any healthcare partners. The remaining unknowns and uncertainties require us all to remain flexible and agile so that we can quickly adjust to new circumstances as needed.

My tenure at the College concludes at the end of this month. Dorry and I are so grateful to have been a part of this community, which delivers one of the finest educational experiences in the nation. You can be confident that LVC is welcoming a leader who has proven experience in managing a crisis. Dr. MacLaren was instrumental in Tulane University’s recovery after Hurricane Katrina. He and his wife, Gina, will arrive in Annville very soon. With his leadership and the enduring dedication and resilience of all, LVC will emerge from this global crisis stronger than ever.

Warmly, 
President Thayne 

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