Coronavirus ECC FAQ & Resources

The Arts Center Box Office remains closed; however, the staff is working remotely. The best way to contact the Box Office is by emailing artscenter@elgin.edu. This email address is being monitored regularly.

The Arts Center is offering Remote Box Office Service to ticket buyers of events that have been canceled or rescheduled. To control call volume and ensure that all patrons are communicated with effectively, Arts Center staff are contacting ticket buyers by phone in phases. The current list of canceled/rescheduled performances and the call schedule can be found at elgin.edu/arts.

Please ensure that you check your voicemail messages as the Box Office will call from ECC-issued cell phones rather than its typical Box Office phone number.

For the latest updates on the Arts Center’s schedule of events, including cancellations, postponements, and rescheduled events, visit elgin.edu/arts. The Arts Center is also posting updates to its Facebook page as information becomes available.

Through our Remote Box Office Service, our staff will be offering ticket buyers the options of transferring their tickets to the new date (where applicable), refunding their ticket purchase, or donating their ticket purchase back to the impacted organization.

The cafeteria will be partially open on a limited basis to continue to provide food and drink options to the employees and students that will be on campus. Patrons will not have access to the cafeteria at large but will order at the café. We are working to stay nimble and adjust to the needs of our campus population, while also adhering to best practices and recommendations set by the State and CDC.

Approximately 150 of our 1,100 total employees.

We are offering Virtual Admissions Presentations to adhere to social distancing and to protect the health and safety of our students and their families, group campus tours have been canceled, but individual tours are being considered for prospective students. Sign up now for a Virtual Admissions Presentation.

Although there are no confirmed cases at ECC at this time, we are taking steps to decrease the concentration of students and employees on campus. We have moved into a partial reopening, with only essential staff on campus, and all ECC locations are closed to the public. ECC has a close working relationship with the Kane County Health Department and will conduct all necessary protective actions and measures in the event of a COVID case on campus.

Students can contact the Office of the Assistant Vice-President of Student Services and Development / Dean of Students at deanofstudents@elgin.edu for information regarding classes and absences. Students can also refer to the College's Emergency Management web page for updates from the College on COVID-19.

To limit exposure of COVID-19 through social distancing, ECC is limiting large gatherings at least through the end of August.

ECC utilizes an Infectious and Communicable Disease Administrative Procedure as well as the Emergency Operations Plan to address any communicable disease outbreak or another emergency. We work in conjunction with the various county health departments and the Illinois Department of Public Health when determining what steps are necessary to protect our students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

ECC launched its Campus Re-opening Plan on June 5, 2020. This Plan consists of a four-phase approach to the Near New Normal. On June 5, ECC started its "Partial Reopening" phase. During this phase, only previously identified employees were asked to report to the campus. These employees returned to service the small number of students that came to campus to either complete Spring classes or prepare for Summer.

Employees who are capable of performing their jobs remotely will be asked to continue to work remotely. Your immediate supervisor will determine your schedule during this period. Those employees who are asked to return to campus by their supervisors should do so according to the schedule given to them.

ECC is updating its Business and Academic Continuity Plan as the situation evolves and will speak to decisions to change the schedule of the class. We are committed to ensuring all students can complete the semester and will provide guidance on how any missed classes will be addressed.

Preserving academic integrity is important. Therefore, courses that are moving to an alternative delivery format will no longer be held on campus when it reopens, unless otherwise instructed. We anticipate that the classes will continue to be held remotely through the end of the spring semester.

By moving the majority of our classes to an alternative delivery format, we will reduce the number of individuals meeting on campus while ensuring continuity of instruction. This timeframe may shift and is subject to change depending on the circumstances and needs of the College and our students. We want to remind you that this is a fluid situation that continues to evolve each day.

We have installed Plexiglas barriers as one of many protective measures throughout campus. They have been placed in areas with higher traffic and interaction between individuals. We continue to consider all of our options as it relates to outfitting the campus with additional protective measures over the coming months while working to adhere to the State's reopening guidance as well as guidance from IDPH and the CDC.

We have identified the buildings that are scheduled to be utilized the most and will be communicating those entrances to everyone in the next several days. We are working closely with the Kane County Health Department to adhere to the process of decontaminating that is recommended in the event of a case on campus, which will include recommendations on campus closures.

Yes, for the health and safety of all, we are pleased to offer anyone who comes onto campus with a face mask. We will also be distributing "welcome back kits" on Monday, June 1, to employees and students. These kits also include a reusable cloth mask.

We are considering all of the recommendations from both the CDC and the State of Illinois as it relates to ensuring the safety of employees, students, and visitors coming to campus, including temperature checks and wellness checks.

With proper physical distancing measures in place, approximately 120 lab classes and 900 students between two locations (Elgin and Burlington) will take place over the summer months utilizing a staggered approach. These courses have been carefully selected and will be carried out safely and effectively. Each class will have no more than 10 students. Additionally, a robust sanitization and decontamination process of classrooms and all areas leading to and from classrooms has been implemented, among many other control methods. Labs courses include health professions programs such as surgical technology, radiography; dental assisting; physical therapy assistant; massage therapy; clinical lab technology, and histotechnology. Labs within the Sustainability, Business, and Career Technologies Division include automotive, truck driving, computer information systems, culinary; heating and air conditioning; industrial manufacturing technology; industrial maintenance technology; pastry, and welding. In addition to Basic Operations Firefighter training for students (in Burlington), art students will also return to campus to complete labs in 2D art, 3D art, darkroom photography, and motion graphics/special effects.

Elgin Community College continues to accept applications from international students for Fall 2020. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, if you are unable to secure your F-1 visa or travel to the U.S. to begin your studies in Fall 2020, you still have options to pursue your education at ECC. You can elect to:

1. Begin your studies remotely/online in Fall 2020 from your home country and then travel to the U.S. for Spring 2021 (January) semester; OR
2. Defer your attendance to Spring 2021 when you can secure an F-1 visa and travel to the U.S.

We are here to assist you every step of the way and help you begin your studies at ECC as it relates to your unique situation. Please email internationaladmissions@elgin.edu with any questions about international student admissions.

Students on a study abroad program in spring 2020 were able to return to the U.S. without incident and continue their studies remotely in the U.S. International students studying at ECC have been encouraged to remain in the U.S. during the summer semester. The majority of students have decided to stay in the U.S. during this time. Only a few students are elected to return home for the summer, and we will work with them to return to the U.S. to begin studies in fall 2020.

Employees will use sick leave or other leave time for pay continuation while off work during self-isolation.

During the state’s stay-at-home order, employees and students will not have access to campus, except for employees providing critical functions. Supervisors will notify these employees. Employees will, however, be permitted to work remotely during this time, as determined by their supervisors and based on the needs of the College.

Employees will be given a welcome back kit with a mask and instructions on how to use the mask. HR will provide, through SafeColleges, general information on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Additional communication will be disseminated as employees, staff, and students return to campus on the safe use and proper care of PPE.

Although ECC does not have a work from home policy, it has been the practice that work from home opportunities are department and job-specific. You should make that request through your manager, and your manager should notify HR of these work from home schedules. As a reminder, a work from home arrangement should be beneficial to ECC.

Please feel free to contact Anthony Ray, Chief Human Resources Officer, at 224-242-6663 or staffliaison@elgin.edu.

Employees should report this travel in accordance with Administrative Procedure 3.601.

The College has the ability to ask for a doctor's note prior to returning to work. If you are required to provide a doctor's note, this note should be given to the Benefits department in HR.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend practicing preventive measures:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.
• Throw used tissues in the trash.
• Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.

For more information on preventing the spread, see Preventing COVID-19 Spread in Communities.

Our custodial staff clean and sanitize the College on a regular and consistent schedule that meets the health department's standards and complies with state and county regulations. The College uses a variety of products for cleaning and sanitizing. We adjust our products and procedures to adhere to the latest recommendations provided by industry standards, Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and local county health departments.

Update: A deep cleaning of campus bathrooms, surfaces, floors, and other areas was conducted prior to spring break, in addition to maintaining CDC-recommended cleaning protocols on a daily basis. Thank you to our custodians for their dedication and commitment to ECC at this time.

Some lab instruction will occur over the summer for students to complete their spring courses. Operations & Maintenance will be responsible for the cleaning of each lab classroom; however, disinfecting wipes will be distributed around campus for use, and all are encouraged to wipe down their space if needed. O&M will have the summer lab schedule and will schedule custodians accordingly. Faculty/Students may not directly see evidence of the daily disinfecting of the classroom, but they will see routine cleaning (e.g., wastebasket disposal and floor-sweeping) daily. Classrooms/labs used for the summer labs will be cleaned and disinfected daily.

The campus will be cleaned more frequently throughout the day. In high-traffic areas, there will be a two-hour rotation of cleaning and disinfecting. The college has purchased new equipment and cleaning materials to disinfect the entire campus. Additionally, employees will be provided disinfecting wipes to use on surfaces while on campus. 

In addition to an enhanced cleaning schedule, the College has made PPE available to individual departments who will hand out appropriate gloves, masks, face shields, personal hand sanitizer bottles, sanitizing wipes, and tissues in classrooms and throughout campus. Additional hand sanitizer stations are available around the College in high traffic areas, such as main entrances and corridors. Individual ECC departments can order PPE for use in their area using this PDF form (sign in required).

Classrooms and labs will be cleaned and disinfected daily after sessions are held and not occupied until the next meeting. Departments do not need to notify Operations and Maintenance to clean a classroom occupied for the summer lab schedule. If there is a specific need or request for cleaning beyond routine, daily cleaning, and disinfecting, please submit an O&M work order (sign in required).

The college is reviewing the travel policy and will provide an update as new information becomes available based on recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as other reliable sources.