Dear GCC Community,

I hope this note finds you in good health, and with a sense of optimism even in the midst of this pandemic. For those who may be impacted, we hold you in our thoughts and prayers. We are grateful for the professionals in healthcare and other fields who make sacrifices to keep us healthy.

During this time of unprecedented challenge, we know that communication and clarity provide needed support to the whole community. I write this letter in that spirit.

In these challenging times, we are reminded of the humanity that still exists and the bonds that unite us as a community. Here’s how we are responding to these new challenges to date:

  1. Like most other institutions, GCC transitioned to remote instruction and learning. This migration was not without its challenges. With concern for our most vulnerable and economically challenged students, we ordered laptops and hotspots for those that rely on GCC for access to the internet and our computer labs. We also had staff with similar challenges. Our teams worked around the clock to ensure our smooth transition. It was an all-hands-on-deck effort.
  2. We were also able to negotiate the ability to continue paying our federal Work Study student employees who could no longer work, but relied on their campus jobs and income to meet their basic needs.
  3. While we have been steadfast in supporting our students’ academic, technological, and emotional needs, we have not lost sight of the greater community of which we are a part. Once the plans for the College were implemented, we asked how we could help. This is what we have done so far, following the direction of our mandate as this community’s college:
  • We donated the food from our cafeteria to the Franklin Area Survival Center
  • We went through the supplies of all of our Healthcare programs, Science labs, and Facilities closets to identify all that we could distribute to local hospitals, nursing homes, the jail, and the Greenfield Emergency Operations Center
  • In collaboration with our local hospital, we have agreed to serve as a Telehealth site to accommodate remote, real time connection to health care providers should that be needed
  • A number of our employees have been making face masks for nurses and doctors
  • At a modest level, to support both our students and local restaurants, we bought gift cards for our students whose struggle with food insecurity is now even greater
  • We are in conversation with the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts to determine how we might amplify their efforts, even if in a small way, to support our neighbors who are impacted by the COVID-19 crisis

We thank you for your support of GCC and hope that we can continue to count on our collective support of students and community. The economic downturn is already adversely impacting our students, especially those with children. We want to help them through completion because a college credential is necessary now more than ever to sustain oneself and one’s family. I thank you for your heart and generosity.

If you would like information on how you can help, please contact the GCC Foundation at 413-775-1600 or foundation@gcc.mass.edu

With deep appreciation,

Yves Salomon-Fernández, Ph.D.

President

Greenfield Community College