Due to the recent inclement weather in the Bellevue area, Bellevue College was completely closed for six days, and partially closed for three days, starting on Feb. 4, 2019, the first day of the snow closures.
Some activities and events were cancelled or rescheduled due to the recent weather. The BC Scholarship and Resources Workshop event scheduled on Tuesday, Feb. 5 from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. by BC Foundation was cancelled due to the campus closure, and the manager of BC Foundation, Lauren Hardin mentioned in an email she sent on Feb. 5 that BC Foundation would do their best to reschedule the event and get students updated.
Although the BC Internship fair scheduled by BC’s Center for Career Connection on Friday, Feb. 8 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. was cancelled because of the weather, Associate Director of the Center for Career Connection Chiew Jones recommended students to view the list of internships online at www.bellevuecollege.edu/internships/internships-for-2019.
Many BC faculty members adjusted their course syllabi, and some remotely taught the classes. Robert Main, adjunct professor who is teaching a programming class, said “I like to teach in person, and I use Canvas as a communication tool and [a place] to collect projects and grade them. When we do not have classes, it is pretty devastating.” To accommodate the students, Main modified and rescheduled the class assignments and tests. “I hope the weather did not impact my students too much. This is the first quarter of the [C++] programming language, and I am hoping people can adjust to it.” Main suggested students read the textbook, so they can ask questions about anything they do not quite understand. “Students should look at the study guides to prepare for their exams, and have questions to ask in class,” added Main.
Alexa Serrato, a math professor who is teaching a calculus class, said, “I found myself having more time to think about what questions I want to put on my tests [due to the snow closures], and to be able to create new assignments. I created a new revised schedule, and I did have to move some test days.” Serrato saw some decreasing grades on the recent test and thought it might have occurred because they missed the additional perspective that they get in class when they work with other students. “I emailed my students that they should read the book. I think when they are in class, I can offer them one perspective, and the book can offer them another perspective, and when they do group work with others, they can get even more perspectives.” Serrato suggested students to read their textbooks as well.
A campus resident, Tejas Rao said, “Snow did not impact my life at all. For food, QFC is in a 2-minute walking distance. As soon as I found out it was going to snow, I went there and bought food for two weeks.” “We had a few events in the residence hall. We made snowmans, and we had a movie day in the lobby. It was not hard for me to catch up [with my courses] because my instructors adjusted the class syllabus,” continued Rao.
Students and employees of Bellevue College are advised to sign up for the BC Alerts online at www.bellevuecollege.edu/alerts. BC Alerts helps Bellevue College students and employees get immediate text alerts on their cell phone when classes are cancelled, campus is closed or in the case of an emergency. BC Alerts is a licensed service Bellevue College pays for to offer the quickest and most reliable communications possible. This system is used during campus emergencies that pose a safety concern for the community.
According to Associate Vice President of Human Resources Suzette Yaezenko, student and employee safety is Bellevue College’s number one priority. The president and vice president of Administrative Services work together with the Public Safety department to determine if the campus is safe based on current local weather conditions, and the ability to maintain campus roadways, parking lots, walkways and buildings. Once the decision is made to close the campus, notifications are made immediately and sent as early as 4 a.m., when possible.
Yaezenko included in an email sent to the Bellevue campus community that during campus closures, only employees designated as “essential” and performing an “essential” service for the operational function of the college are to remain at work. For non-essential personnel, it is the expectation of the college that faculty, staff and students do not work during suspended operations due to safety concerns.