Author: Mark Rummel

Updates to classes and services effective Wednesday, Nov. 18

With the spread of COVID-19 increasing in the county and throughout the state, St. Clair County Community College continues to follow our campus guidelines and procedures in conjunction with guidance from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and advice from the St. Clair County Health Department.

Effective Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020, most remaining classes that were being held on-campus will be completed using online or remote learning technology. The exceptions are healthcare-related courses, which are allowed to continue in-person under current guidelines.

This change only affects about 11 percent of fall class sections and does not affect any class that was already fully online or being delivered in a remote manner. Students will be contacted by their instructors with information on how the final weeks of their class will be handled.

In order to continue to limit the spread of the virus in our community, effective Wednesday, November 18, all campus buildings will be closed to the public. Faculty, staff, and students who need to be on-campus may do so, but all student services, including academic advising, admissions, financial aid, enrollment services, testing, student accounts, the SC4 Library, and Achievement Center services, will be provided remotely. Many of these services have been available remotely all semester, so this change should also affect only a small number of students.

Students with questions about their classes should contact their instructors directly. Other questions may be directed to the college’s main phone number, (810) 984-3881, or by using the chat service available on our website, sc4.edu.

TRIO Student of the Month: Jenna Linton

Jenna Linton likes being independent, but also appreciates having extra support when she needs it. A competitive runner, Linton chose SC4 both because she had the opportunity to continue her cross-country career at the college level and because Port Huron wasn’t close to her hometown.

“I wanted to live and see another part of Michigan,” she explained. “I knew I could live by myself. Moving away from home and into the dorm was a challenge. I’m pretty good at managing schoolwork with my running and my friends, but I had to learn other life skills. I have to make sure I prepare enough food for the next week or two, and I had to learn how to manage my spending and saving better.”

Linton wears hearing aids in both ears, which helps with the challenge of hearing and understanding people. It can be hard to catch everything in a conversation, and she’s had to stick up for herself and ask for help when she needed it. She’s found success in working with her SC4 professors to ensure she gets the best education possible. She also applied for the TRIO Student Support Services program at SC4, because she’s always been a student who needs a little extra help along the way.

“TRIO has been helpful by checking with me to see how I’m doing, both educationally and personally,” Linton said. “They’ve also helped me set realistic school and personal goals. We talk about my classes and my plan to get my work done on time. We set goals for writing papers and how I can get a better grade by including other writing skills. Having a tutor available for my harder subjects gives me less stress to worry about.”

Linton enthusiastically recommends the TRIO program to other students. “They are an amazing support program with a lot of resources to help students succeed. The TRIO classroom in the Achievement Center is also a major resource, with computers to work on, a quiet place to study, and staff available to help you with anything you need.”

She’s thankful for all the help she’s received in her time at SC4, especially from her professors who have had to adapt to the challenges of the pandemic while still teaching effectively.

“This semester has been difficult with school being online,” Linton said. “The professors have been working non-stop to provide us with resources we need to succeed. I’m extremely thankful that my professors are working through this learning curve with me and even laughing through the hard times that have made SC4 a little bit better.”

Linton is planning to transfer to Northern Michigan University in Marquette to major in Elementary Special Education. She plans to keep running at NMU, either on their club team or just on her own to stay healthy and in shape. She wants to hike and explore, too, because there are plenty of trails and other outdoor activities to participate in. Eventually, she’d like to move to Montana to teach and start her family.

For her perseverance and dedication to improving herself through education, Jenna Linton is the November TRIO Student of the month.

Video Virtual Series with PTM Corp.

SC4’s Bonnie DiNardo, director of community and alumni relations, speaks with John Tucker from PTM Corporation about job opportunities available at their location.

PTM Corporation has been producing metal stampings since 1972 and is a full-service, metal stamping supplier with expert engineers, state-of-the-art CAD systems and world-class tooling facilities.

PTM is a world-class partner for all prototype and production needs. PTM specializes in design assistance, prototyping, four slide and progressive die design/building and short/long term production requirements.

PTM has many positions available at their facility for interested students and alumni. Watch the interview and then check out SC4’s Career Coach for available job opening.

The SC4 Community and Alumni Relations team is hosting a new virtual series with area employers about available opportunities for our students, alumni and community.

Learn more about Future for Frontliners state scholarship program

SC4 invites the community to attend a presentation on the Future for Frontliners Program. The presentation is offered through SC4’s Admissions and Recruitment Office and will take place via Zoom at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18.

Future for Frontliners is a state scholarship program for Michiganders without college degrees who worked in essential industries during the state COVID-19 shutdown in spring 2020, between April 1 and June 30.

This scholarship provides those frontline workers with tuition-free access to a local community college to pursue an associate degree or a certificate, either full-time or part-time while they work.

The event will provide information on the Future for Frontliners Program, an overview of the application qualifications and process and FAQs. SC4 admissions and financial aid staff will be available for questions.

To reserve your spot and receive Zoom login information, email recruitment@sc4.edu by Tuesday, Nov. 17.