Dear Allan Hancock College Students,
During this unsettling time, we want you to know your faculty and staff at Allan Hancock College care about your safety and well-being.
With classes switching to remote delivery, you are adapting to new ways of learning. We know that many of you (and your families) are now facing real and immediate financial challenges through no fault of your own.
The loss of time to gather with family, friends and the community will certainly increase our anxiety.
It would be tempting to drop out, withdraw and not finish the Spring 2020 semester — with the idea that you will pick up your studies when things return to routine. And that impulse is very understandable.
We write this letter to provide a simple message: Don’t do it.
Now more than ever, stay in school. Complete this semester and remain on track for earning your degree or certificate.
You’ve already invested a lot in this semester and are well on the path to a life-changing achievement, one that sets you up for the best opportunities in the future.
Even if you aren’t graduating this year, you are on your way to a degree or certificate that will put you in a better position to weather the next crisis.
The faculty and staff of Allan Hancock College are committed to supporting you — all services are available online and by phone. We have implemented and enhanced many resources, including:
» An emergency fund that provides financial help, with support of the Allan Hancock College Foundation, through the Office of the Vice President of Student Services and an expanded Food Share Because We Care
» Special programs such as the AIM to Dream Center, Veteran Success Center and MESA/STEM Center, Student Health Services, tutoring and library services will continue to provide services remotely
» Student Support services such as Counseling, EOPS, CalWORKs, NextUp/Foster Youth and CARE have set up remote access to assist students
» Cranium Café’s “one stop shop” allows you to schedule appointments with nearly anyone on campus — including Community Education (ESL, Basic Skills and Citizenship) — via phone, email, live chat or video chat; Access Cranium Café through your myHancock portal
Our message to you is to stay on your academic paths.
In the short term, the routine of attending class (remotely) and studying will provide a welcome distraction. The long-term rewards for completing will last a lifetime, long after the coronavirus pandemic fades.
On behalf of your Bulldog community, we’re here to help.
Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D.
Allan Hancock College superintendent/president
Trevor Passage, M.l.LS.
Academic Senate president