In order to keep our community updated on the latest coronavirus (COVID-19) developments, Cerro Coso is providing this webpage. Our goal is to provide you with resources and the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Coming to Campus Form

Student Coming to Campus
for Scheduled classes and Prearranged appointments

Reopening Protocols

Cerro Coso Students:

Fall 2020 is about to begin! We are glad you have chosen to take classes with us and either begin or continue your college education. As you know, it will look different than in previous semesters. Part of that will be the Cerro Coso’s Reopening Protocols for Fall 2020, which have been finalized and are now posted to the college website on the new COVID-19 Resource Page.

As boring as it sounds, I highly encourage you to read the entire document, even if you are planning to take only online or scheduled Zoom classes. Some of it will be unfamiliar to you, all of it will be required at any point you may have a reason or opportunity to come to campus, so give yourself a head start.

The official details--while the primary purpose and importance is the safety and health of our students and employees, these protocols are also required for insurance and liability purposes. These protocols come from the guidelines received from the Statewide Association of Community Colleges (SWACC), who has provided comprehensive guidance related to reopening for California Community Colleges. It has also been aligned with the California Department of Public Health‘s Guidance for Institutions of Higher Educationand reviewed by the Kern County Public Health Services.

Important highlights:

• Until further notice, face coverings are to be worn in all public spaces at the college by all faculty, staff, and students (classrooms, hallways, restrooms, offices visited by the public, etc.) in line with the same requirements state-wide for all workers and members of the public. Masks must be worn appropriately (fully covering the nose and mouth) at all times;
• Until further notice, all students and staff intending to visit a Cerro Coso Community College campus for any reason whatsoever—including classes and scheduled work hours—must complete an on-campus visit form prior to every arrival on campus. These forms let college personnel like Campus Security and Maintenance and Operations know who is on campus in case of emergency. They also require the individual to affirm that they are free of COVID symptoms at the time of their visit and that they agree to abide by the protocols and healthy hygiene practices described in this document;
  • The form for students will be in effect starting Thursday, August 20 until further notice. It can be accessed by a link provided by the class instructor if you are taking a class in-person at any of our campus locations. If you are coming onto campus for some other reason (such as to receive in-person tutoring help), it will be provided by the person or office you have made an appointment with;
• Students who are at a higher risk for severe illness should not take any in-person courses at Cerro Coso during the fall 2020 semester but should continue making progress on their educational goals through courses offered online or through scheduled Zoom. Contact the counseling office at 760-384-6219 or counseling_forms@cerrocoso.eduto discuss your options;
• Student support services such as counseling, advising, financial aid, admissions and records, outreach, and Access programs will continue to occur virtually unless or until restrictions are lifted;
• Learning support services such as library and proctoring will continue to occur virtually unless or until restrictions are lifted;
• Tutoring services will be offered at the Ridgecrest, Lake Isabella, and Tehachapi learning assistance centers in limited amounts on an appointment basis and require face coverings and social distancing. Visit the Cerro Coso LAC website for more information and to request virtual or in-person tutoring help. Students must complete the Student Campus Visit form prior to arrival;
• Need a quiet place to study or work on course assignments? Open lab availability for individual study will be offered at the Ridgecrest, Lake Isabella, Tehachapi, Bishop, and Mammoth LAC’s in limited amounts on an appointment basis and require face coverings and social distancing; Students must complete the Student Campus Visit form prior to arrival;
• Until further notice, any face-to-face meeting between students and a faculty member or other employee will be pre-arranged by appointment only and will take place in the learning assistance center (LAC), one-stop shop, or other public space sufficiently sized to maintain social distancing. There will be no drop in hours for any college service. Please contact the college by phone, email, or web form to discuss how we can serve you best!
• Until further notice, all common spaces will be closed. All tables and chairs have been removed from spaces where individuals may gather, including the student center and the library. There will be an exception for appointment-based use of the LAC’s;
• Parking permits will not be enforced on the Ridgecrest campus for Fall 2020. (Though citations may be issued for illegal parking);
• Barnes & Noble Bookstore at the Ridgecrest campus will remain closed through fall 2020. Bookstore services are being provided virtually to Cerro Coso students through the Cerro Coso Bookstore website;
• Pony Espresso at the Ridgecrest campus will remain closed through fall 2020;
• Students or staff who believe they have been exposed to COVID should contact any of the following:
  • Human Resources
  • Campus Security
  • Your Instructor (students)

Because student and staff safety is the highest priority for us, an email account has been created if you have any questions or concerns about COVID-19, the college’s response, or compliance with the protocols: cc_covid19@listserv.cerrocoso.edu

Note that theCerro Coso Fall 2020 Reopening Protocols are a living document. As has been true throughout this event, changes will be made as conditions continue to evolve. We are continuing to work with Mono and Inyo county departments of public health for their feedback. While we are not expecting significant changes, they may have particular items they would like addressed more fully. Please do not hesitate to ask questions and/or for clarification.

Need a laptop for taking classes? We got you! You can request a laptop at: SGCC Laptop Request

In spite of current challenges, we are anticipating an excellent fall semester and are glad to have you here for it!

Update re Fall 2020

Greetings, Cerro Coso Students

This week, California hit its highest daily count of confirmed cases of coronavirus. Numbers are on the rise in Kern, Mono, and Inyo counties. Because the safety of every student, staff, and faculty member is Cerro Coso Community College's highest priority, the college has made the difficult decision to suspend in-person instruction at all campus locations for the fall 2020 semester.

All currently scheduled in-person classes will be transitioned into remote delivery with the exception of a small number of classes supporting essential workforce activities.

If you enrolled in an in-person class for fall 2020, please visit the COVID-19 Course Status page to see the status of your class:

In any of these cases, if you feel that you would now like to move to a different section or add or remove a class, please contact the counseling department to explore your options. Our greatest desire is that you keep making progress toward your educational goal. Talking to a counselor or an educational advisor will help you avoid being derailed by the coronavirus and find class offerings that are a good fit so you can be successful in achieving your outcome.

This decision to transition to mostly remote instruction is meant to provide clear direction for fall class offerings. But we recognize this is a stressful time across the board. Please remember that student resource guides are available (Ridgecrest/Indian Wells Valley Area, Eastern Sierra: Bishop and Mammoth Lakes, East Kern) and have been integrated into Navigate. The guides include resources ranging from mental health to unemployment and financial help. Also, resources such as technology help, including emergency laptop loans, and grocery/toiletry assistance are available. If you have a need and would like to request assistance, contact studentservices@cerrocoso.edu.

Since Bishop and Mammoth and Kern River Valley are closed for the month of July, please call the counseling department at the Ridgecrest (Main) Campus (760) 384-6219 if you attend one of those campuses and need counseling assistance. All students can also reach counseling by email at counseling_forms@cerrocoso.edu.

We also recognize that you may have many questions—questions about classes, about the delivery methods, about student services like financial aid and ACCESS programs, and about learning support services like library, tutoring, and proctoring. To that end, we are planning two student Q and A sessions via Zoom during the week of July 20. Please be on the lookout for announcements of these sessions.

It is truly unfortunate that Cerro Coso cannot serve all of its in-person students in the way it had planned for the fall 2020 semester. But our dedicated faculty and staff look forward to introducing you to some remarkable learning experiences through remote delivery while keeping you, our staff, our faculty, and our communities as safe and healthy as possible in these uncertain times.

CARES Act Funding

If you are Cerro Coso Community College (CCCC) student with expenses related to the disruption of CCCC operations due to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) pandemic, you may qualify for a federal CARES Act grant recently approved by Congress, which provides emergency funding for college students. There are limitations placed by the Department of Education on eligibility for these funds. Please review the eligibility below. Because this eligibility is tied to these federal funds, Cerro Coso does not have flexibility in applying these eligibility requirements.

Please contact Financial Aid by phone (760-384-6221) or email (cc_faid@cerrocoso.edu) for access to the application and for more information.

Once received, please follow closely the instructions for completion of the application and complete each section thoroughly. Any incomplete application may result in no award or delays in awarding grant funds. Completion of the application is not a guarantee of receiving funds or receiving the amount requested, but we will do anything we can within the funding regulations to assist you.

Eligibility

Update 5/4/2020 from Heather Ostash

Student Services Update: Commencement

Update 4/28/2020

Upcoming Zoom Meetings regarding Student Services Updates

Update 4/9/2020

Student Services Update

Update 4/7/2020

Resource Guides. 

Update 3/26/2020

Drop Deadline Extended

Update 3/22/2020 - Student Services

Update

pdate 3/17/2020 - Emergency Notification

Emergency Notification

Update 3/17/2020 - Trainings

Training Schedule

Update 3/14/2020

Update: Notice re Classes going online and links to trainings

• Wholly or partially in-person. Consistent with state guidelines and in support of critical infrastructure sectors, the college is continuing to offer in-person instruction in essential workforce activities. These are selected classes in administration of justice, emergency medical technology, health careers, machine tools, and welding only. While a portion of these classes may be delivered in some form of remote instruction, the nature of the coursework requires hands-on training that must take place in person. Please know that Cerro Coso will be abiding by all protocols for offering these classes safely: required facemasks, social distancing, limited sharing of equipment, regular deep cleaning, among others. Students in these classes will be required to play an active role in maintaining a healthy environment, such as wearing a facemask and not coming to class if sick. If you cannot abide by these requirements, you must contact the counseling department to enroll in a different class that keeps you on track for your educational goal.
• Scheduled Zoom. These classes will meet virtually during the same days and times already scheduled so that students can directly interact with the instructor to hear lectures, ask questions, engage in discussions, practice skills, and carry on many of the same classroom activities they are used to in in-person classes, except in a remote environment. Although the Scheduled Zoom class will be supported with an online Canvas shell, students must make time to attend all live Zoom class sessions, as this is when instruction happens in the class. If your in-person class is being transitioned to Scheduled Zoom and you are not sure that you have the technology resources you need to be successful, such as a powerful enough device or reliable internet service, please contact studentservices@cerrocoso.edu to see what the college can do for you.
• Online. These are very likely the classes you think of when you think of “online instruction”: maximally flexible, instruction happening on a week by week or unit by unit basis but at the time of your choosing. There are no required meeting times, either in person or virtually. Coursework is posted to and accessed through a Canvas shell that includes all the class elements: lecture, exercises, assignments, assessments. Regular effective contact is built into the class between instructor and student and among students through such features as discussion forums and journal entries. And some instructors may still use Zoom to provide opportunities to work with them. If your in-person class is being transitioned to Online and you are not sure it is the right learning modality for you, please contact CC-Online to schedule an assessment of your fit for Online learning as well to access tutorials and other help or visit the Online Student page at CC-Online-Student
• Only students who are or could be eligible to participate in programs under Section 484 in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), may receive emergency financial aid grants, including the CARES Act grant funds. If you have filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), you have already demonstrated eligibility to participate in programs under Section 484 the HEA. If you have not filed a FAFSA but are eligible to file a FAFSA, you may receive emergency financial aid grants.  You do not have to have eligibility for any other forms of financial aid to be eligible for these funds, only eligible to apply.
• Applicants must provide an explanation of expenses related to the disruption of Cerro Coso Community College operations due to COVID-19. 
• According to the CARES Act legislation, students who are in a program that is entirely online are not eligible for CARES Act funds.
• At this time, students must be currently registered for a class(es) at Cerro Coso.
• Students must have a high school diploma or GED or have completed high school in an approved homeschool setting. According to the legislation, concurrent enrollment or dual enrollment students are not eligible for these funds.
• Students must be enrolled in a degree or certificate program that is approved for Financial Aid funding to be eligible for these funds.
• Male students must be registered with Selective Service as required by law.

1. May 5, 2020 1-2PM: Register for Meeting
2. May 6, 2020 3:30-4:30PM: Register for Meeting

• Ridgecrest/Indian Wells Valley Area
• Eastern Sierra: Bishop and Mammoth Lakes
• East Kern