IVCC president Jerry Corcoran alerted employees in an Aug. 27 letter that one employee and five students at IVCC had tested positive for coronavirus.  

As of Sep. 17, there are now eight students and two employees who have tested positive. 

The college has been taking precautions in order to protect the health of other IVCC students, faculty, and staff. The college requires students and employees to wear face coverings while in the building as well as to have their temperature taken upon entry.  

Cheryl Roelfsema, IVCC’s Vice President of Business Services and Finance, ensures that thorough cleaning of the college continues daily. Areas that have been frequented by an individual who is known to have tested positive are deep cleaned and closed off for 24 hours.  

This cleaning follows the CDC guidelines. 

If students have tested positive or if they feel that they may have been exposed to an individual who has tested positive, they are expected to contact Vice President of Student Services Mark Grzybowski at [email protected] or 815-224-0393. 

Employees in a similar situation should contact HR Director Leslie Hofer at [email protected] or 815-224-0230.  

Anyone who has been exposed to an individual who has tested positive will be notified by the County Health Department, which assigns an investigator for each positive case, or they may be contacted by IVCC’s Human Resources office. 

If a student tests positive, they must contact the Health Department and make sure to let them know that they are an IVCC student. The college notes that communication is “critical” when it comes to this situation. 

The IVCC website says on their COVID-19 webpage that the college will work with the health department when it comes to notifying individuals who may have been exposed to the virus. These individuals will be notified by phone, and the health department will provide information to an individual regarding when to quarantine and for how long.  

Hofer says, “We continue to update our COVID-19 webpage … which will provide you with a lot of information. We are currently working on gathering all the data as situations continue to arise.” 

According to Grzybowski, the college is currently working on a data dashboard that will be updated every Friday which will notify students regarding any more positive cases on campus. Additionally, a RAVE alert will be sent by text every Friday to all campus stakeholders. 

The IV Leader will continue to provide students and employees with any information regarding the coronavirus as it becomes available. 

In regards to whether the college will cancel on-campus classes or close completely if more positive cases continue to occur, Grzybowski says, “In the worst-case scenario, the college will refer to its Continuity of Operations Plan in order to appropriately shift instruction and services online and take any and all additional necessary steps.” 

Students and faculty must continue to follow the CDC guidelines, such as washing ones hands, staying six feet apart, and wearing a face covering in order to protect themselves as well as others at IVCC.  

Below are available links which provide IVCC COVID-19 information. 

IVCC COVID-19 webpage: 

https://www.ivcc.edu/covid19/covid19e.php 

IV Leader: 

https://ivleader.com/ 

IVCC Safety Precautions: 

https://ivleader.com/news/2020/08/27/covid-19-precautions-on-ivcc-campus/