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Seeking certainty and support during uncertain times

Tips and Resources from the Behavioral Education Success Team at St. Clair County Community College

As we all deal with the strangeness of the COVID-19 pandemic, all SC4 students, faculty and staff find themselves in uncharted waters. It is a time of uncertainty. However, there is one thing that is very certain: Our commitment to students. Together, we continue to work to maximize student success.

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Comments about SC4 during the COVID-19 situation

SC4 is an amazing place to learn and work. Even in the face of an event unlike anything we’ve ever experienced, there’s been so much positivity and support from students, faculty and staff. Here’s just a sample of positive comments that might bring a smile to your face today:

  • “Thank you for being so dedicated to your students. During this time of uncharted waters for all of us, I wanted you to know that you are appreciated for all the work you are doing behind the scenes to create progressive and positive changes for the success of each of us on our academic journey.” – SC4 Student
  • “Thanks for sending that email to all students. Great info!!” – SC4 Faculty
  • “I just did my first student appointment using Microsoft Teams and it worked great! The student was super nice and understanding of the technical difficulties at first; once we got that figured out, it worked great.” – SC4 Staff
  • “I wanted to take a second to tell you how much I appreciate the updates, the constant flow of information, the smooth and cooperative work we are accomplishing. This is why I love SC4 so much. We are a family. When times are tough, we come together and work it out. We have done some truly amazing things in a week.” – SC4 Faculty
  • “I really want to learn, it this been my favorite class so far in my degree. Thank you to the IT Team for making it possible to keep going!” – SC4 Student
  • “Thanks for sending this out… so important! I requested each of my students contact me and let me know how they were preparing and tell me how they were doing. Surprisingly 86 out of 90 responded within 12 hours and I reached out to the other four and they all answered quickly. By and large they are thanking us for the work we are doing to help them finish the semester. Thanks for all your encouraging e-mails – I feel SC4 has our back!” – SC4 Faculty
  • “The student expressed her appreciation for all of us still working hard to help our students be ready for the next semester. I thought that was nice to hear; through this “rough” transition of working from home students are understanding that it isn’t easy and are appreciative of our help!” – SC4 Staff
  • “Change is necessary right now. The additional workload that you have encountered through this shows your dedication to the success of our college and its student body. I for one trust your guidance and feel less worried knowing you have my back. Thank you! See you all on the flip side of this craziness.” – SC4 Student
  • “Many thanks to our academic leads and secretaries, IT and Help desks, for all you’re doing to make this situation as ‘easy’ as it can be given the circumstances!” – SC4 Faculty
  • “Got it! Had to configure my drivers. Thanks for the heads up. Good class today!” – SC4 Student
  • “Nothing is too big for SC4! We’ve got this!” – SC4 Faculty

It’s inspiring to see how the entire SC4 community is working together and making progress. Thanks again for your efforts.

SC4 donates safety equipment to St. Clair County Emergency Management Response Team

Donations to the St. Clair County Emergency Management Response Team

In an effort to assist health care and emergency response workers in the community facing critical shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), St. Clair County Community College faculty and staff reviewed supplies to determine items on hand that may be useful to the county’s health care and emergency response workers.

They donated and delivered more than 125 gowns and Tyvek suits, 170 boxes of gloves, 700 masks and various other protective equipment to the St. Clair County Emergency Management Response Team for distribution.

“The donations from the college were very helpful,” said Justin Westmiller, emergency management director of St. Clair County. “We kept some of it, but most was given to hospitals, EMS and fire departments.”

If you are looking to donate supplies or other resources to help emergency and health care workers, the Emergency Management Response Team is accepting donations at three locations.

“If anyone wants to donate, there are three locations,” said Westmiller. “at the main entrances of Marysville High School, Port Huron Northern and Port Huron High School.”

TRIO student keeps a focus on big goals

Nelson Thorn has big goals, but it hasn’t always been easy to keep moving toward them. Loss of close relatives and the financial burdens of being an independent student have meant that he’s had to keep focused on what he wants to accomplish in life. Fortunately, SC4’s TRIO program has been there to help, along with many other sources of support and encouragement on campus.

Initially, Thorn was attracted to the flexibility SC4’s nursing programs offered to students.

“I chose SC4 because of the programs, class sizes, resources, and student involvement,” he said. “And with the addition of the student housing, I had a place to call home for my first year. (Manager of college housing) Nathanial Shrapnell helped me tremendously.”

When personal difficulties happened, Thorn turned to SC4 campus resources for help.

“One of the hardest barriers to face was losing a few relatives. The staff and my professors helped me to stay in school and keep up my grade point average. And then I applied to the TRIO program.”

“TRIO gave me more personalized, hands-on help. I was struggling with deciding a major and planning my transfer pathway, and TRIO supported me in my academic success,” Thorn said. “I was also interested in the events TRIO holds for its students, including college tours, concerts, plays, and volunteer experiences.”

Thorn has plenty of people to thank for his success as a student at SC4, starting with TRIO staff support Amy Hengehold and director Jessica Brown and especially his TRIO advisor Shawne Jowett.

“I don’t know if I would be graduating without her help!” he said. Others who have been particularly inspirational are his first academic advisor Stacy Healy, SC4’s coordinator of student activities and services Sherry Artman, director of behavioral intervention and support services David Goetze, and Testing Center staff members Kim Heering and Kelly Lindsay.

“They have been unconditionally supportive and have been mentors to me, from just talking with me and allowing me to express myself to helping me find additional support and resources,” Thorn explained. “And special thanks to my friends who have become family and have been my rock for the past two years.”

Thorn plans to transfer to the University of Michigan to pursue bachelor’s degrees in psychology and business administration, with a concentration in entrepreneurship. He’d also like to complete a master’s degree before he turns 30.

He recommends TRIO to anyone who’s eligible for the program. “With longer advising appointments, support services, and tutoring, any college student would find TRIO beneficial.”