Fall classes begin at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

After months of planning by the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College staff and administration, students were finally welcomed back to campus today.

In years past, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College campus in Jackson County would be a bustling scene of students trying to find their classes on the first day of the fall semester. This year, however, Dean of Student Services Michelle Sekul noticed the difference the COVID-19 pandemic had on the first day of classes. “I usually can’t find a parking space on the first day. So that was a little different this morning, being able to pull in and park.”

Despite the pandemic, the start of class is still an exciting event for sophomore Maya Coleman. “I’m excited just to get, honestly, back into class. I’m a very, I like to learn, as silly as that sounds. And so getting back into the classroom is something that I’ve been looking forward to.”

A few of the safety measures being taken on campus include sanitization stations at each entrance to all buildings as well as the mandatory use of masks everywhere on campus.

In case students didn’t feel ready or comfortable to get back on campus for the first day of classes, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is also offering classes that begin in September, October, and November. Students don’t even have to get back on campus if they don’t feel safe. All traditionally in-person classes will be taught in-person as well as online. “If a student signs up for a face-to-face class and on any given day they don’t feel comfortable coming to class or they can’t because they’re sick, then they can flip to an online environment and stay engaged and continue learning.”

These policies are part of MGCCC’s High Flex class scheduling. The program limited class sizes as well as prepared overflow spaces for when more students show up for an in-person class than a classroom can accommodate with social distancing.