Fresh Take On College

WITH SO MANY UNCERTAINTIES, LOCAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ARE OFFERING ADVICE FOR INCOMING STUDENTS

Local Colleges Have A Plan

BY ROBERT KENNETH WRIGHT

On March 23, 2020, Governor John Bel Edwards’s stay-home order went into effect at 5:00 PM. That declaration changed life in Louisiana, leaving many anxious and concerned about the future. One group of Louisianians in particular was concerned….high school graduates. For them, this meant a premature end to their high school experience. No prom. No signing of memory books. No graduation. No goodbyes and farewells. It also meant that going to college was questionable.
Since the March declaration, the world they knew has changed, and the challenges have compounded with unpredictable weather and a tornado that left many in Ouachita Parish without electricity and gas for a week. Despite all of the events going on around them, many high school students continued Google Classroom and Zoom conferences designed by their teachers in order to complete their requirements for graduation. Many have worked hard, and families have made sacrifices so their students could finish up high school and head to college.
Three local colleges are ready for them and have laid out a plan for them to enroll and be successful in their first semester despite the uncertainty surrounding the fall season. The question remains…will school be online or face-to-face?

Online or Face-to-Face?

Seth Hall, Executive Director of Enrollment Management at Delta Community College, said that incoming freshmen should apply as they would normally for the fall semester.
“Even now for the summer, the classes we have posted for summer registration are all online courses. Some of them were offered face-to-face, but because of the order (Governor’s), we converted them to online. But at Delta, you don’t have to be listed as online or face-to-face to take courses,” Hall said.
Delta, like many other colleges and universities throughout the state, converted their normal face-to-face classes to online classes in order for students to complete their work. He said that although he is optimistic about the fall semester beginning normally, the college is planning to continue the online platform, if it is not given the order to open for students in face-to-face classes.

Unlike the four-year universities in the state, Delta does not have on-campus living. So students would not have the challenge of finding living accommodations, if they are forced to continue a full online program in the fall.
“We’ve got a Subway, but we don’t offer meal plans. So, anyone planning to come to Delta would have to seek out their own housing with their family or in their own apartment,” Hall said.
Tree George, Director of Admissions at Louisiana Tech University, said that when students enroll at Tech, there is normally not a differentiation between an online or classroom matriculation.
“They will simply apply for the sake of admission. Their admission will be determined by their GPA, ACT and the courses they took in high school. As to whether they are online or not, Tech is not an online university. Our goal is, although it’s dictated by forces outside of us, that we will be back to our normal in-person regular campus this fall when these students start,” George said.
Students in their current term at Tech are taking online classes because of the COVID-19 stay-home order. George said Tech did like other universities in converting their classes to online.
“Tech, along with the other nine UL System schools made that transition. From the middle of March, we’ve been teaching everything online. So, that capability does exist. We will teach the first summer session online and then, depending on the course of the virus and what the Governor says we can or can’t do, that the second summer session, which takes place in July, we will be in a position to come together again,” he said.
At the University of Louisiana Monroe, the Director of Admissions advises that students should plan to attend classes as they would any other time.
“Students should apply which way they choose to attend. If a student intends to attend on campus, then he or she should apply for an on-campus program. However, if someone prefers to work online, they should apply for the online program,” said Dr. Robyn Jordan.
ULM was one of the colleges in the UL System that converted to online classes following the stay-home order from Governor Edwards. However, Jordan said that by August, she expects students to be back in class.
“Considering the data regarding the virus that has been presented statewide and nationally, as of right now, we fully intend to hold face-to-face courses in the fall,” Jordan said.
She added that her office will also waive application fees through May 1st.

Preparing for a Longer
Stay-Home Order
Despite the local schools’ optimism about the fall, being prepared for the worst-case scenario is important for incoming freshmen. If classes will be delivered through an online platform, it is paramount that students have access to a computer and adequate internet service. That is the sentiment shared by all three schools.
“They (students) have to be able to have access to how these classes are being taught. Most of them are being taught on Zoom, which is an online classroom where everyone can participate in the lecture. The professor can share screens and the students can look at what he or she is doing. It’s our university platform,” George said.
Hall said that students could take many of their tests and participate in online learning using their cell phones.
“Technically, you could do it from your phone, but it becomes a bit challenging. You would need a good device and access to internet,” he said.
Because the testing platform is technically demanding, Hall said that it is best they have a laptop or desktop computer, for at Delta, students take tests while being video monitored.
“It requires you to have a video on your computer. We use this to ensure that no one is cheating. We are, however, doing our best to provide services to students who don’t have laptops or don’t have cameras,” he said.
ULM’s Dr. Jordan said that proper preparations should be a priority for students when engaging in online learning.
“A student should have access to a laptop or computer and internet. Students should also practice time management, create a weekly schedule to follow, and set reminders for themselves,” she said.
Jordan thinks that distractions play a key factor in whether students are successful at online learning.
“Students should eliminate distractions and set up their workspaces away from the television where Netflix might be tempting,” she said.

Accommodations for ACT Testing
The final two ACT test dates for the 2019-2020 school term were April and June 2020. Since these tests have to be taken at an on-site location, many graduates who hadn’t taken the exam before were not able to do so because of the stay-home order. However, the schools are planning to make accommodations for students who missed the last two test dates.
George said that most students will have already applied and have been accepted. However, the few who haven’t done so will be accommodated.
“Those last two tests (ACT) will impact a small percentage of students. It will mostly be students who have a math or English subscore issue. There is good news though. Our main workaround, if they don’t have the subscore is a placement test called Accuplacer. It’s a single subject placement exam that usually community colleges use for the proper level of English or Mmath. We can use it via the Board of Regents to substitute for an ACT math or English subscore that is not at the minimum,” George said.
At Delta Community College, taking the ACT is not a requirement. Hall said students should be at ease, if they missed the last opportunities in April and June.
“We are an open-admissions school. So even if you don’t take the ACT, you’re admissible to Delta. The only catch is that if you don’t have a score or if your score is low, then you’ll be placed in a remedial class to start. They can still enroll for the fall,” Hall said.
Hall echoed the sentiments of George in that Delta Community College also uses Accuplacer to acquire the proper levels of students when the apply.
“Depending on what you (student) score on the single subject tests, you could place yourself into a higher remedial or even college level English or math. Right now, students can actually take those courses remotely,” Hall said.
Jordan said that accommodations will be made for students who had difficulty with ACT testing.
“We do not want the inability to take the ACT to hinder the students from attending the University of Louisiana Monroe and will make accommodations based on guidance from our Board of Regents,” she said.

Everything Will Work Out
The optimism is high at Delta, Louisiana Tech, and ULM. The admissions officials say that students should look forward to their college experience despite the ongoing social situations.
“Students should apply for admission to Delta Community College as usual. We have a free application and are open admissions. Even if you have done poorly on coursework, we will make accommodations for you. For the fall, we will offer as many courses as possible, whether they would be face-to-face or online,” Hall said.
Hall added that orientations at Delta are being completed via internet in place of the regular summer face-to-face meetings.
Jordan said that for ULM students, they should come prepared for college and be ready to engage in the courses.
“ULM has a fall Convocation every year in conjunction with the Week of Welcome. That will be full of events for our new students and those returning to campus. We also plan to be celebrating a new President’s investiture during that time, so there will be plenty of opportunities for incoming students to make new memories,” she advised.
At Tech, George said that everyone is facing the same unknown, but students should get ready for fall semester.
“Because this landscape has changed in the last month, we’re going to take operational flexibility as far as admissions. We’re going to do things that make it as easy as possible for these students to transition,” he said.
According to George, Tech will be allowing freshmen to submit their own transcript as a result of school closures. He said that many counselors did not have access to the official transcripts, so the students may submit them.
“We’ve never done that before. We are also going to be generous with fee waivers for application. We will be waiving it for anyone that asks at this point. We will work with them on a one-on-one case basis and do everything in our power to be as absolutely accommodating as we can,” assured George.
As the 2019-2020 school year comes to a close with students completing assignments and final examinations online, many will remember the experience and will likely carry over those skills into their collegiate matriculation. Whether it be through online learning or with face-to-face classes beginning this fall, the Coronavirus Pandemic has left a lasting mark on the high school experience of the Class of 2020. It will be their story in years to come of how a viral epidemic stormed the entire planet, tornadoes ripped through their town, loved ones died, their schools closed, they didn’t celebrate prom or a traditional graduation….but they persevered and finished their course. Beating all of those odds, getting into college should be a walk in the park for these champions.