[Wctcca] Is your Counseling Center keeping the mask mandate for Spring Quarter or not?

Wed Mar 23 10:03:29 PDT 2022

Good morning!

As of 3/12, masks are optional for everyone at Bellingham Technical College. For us counselors, if we were meeting in person with a student and if our preference was to wear a mask and have student wear a mask, we can ask them to (and have free surgical masks for them), but we cannot refuse services if they choose not to. We can offer alternatives if we wanted, including meeting in a larger room for more social distancing, or virtual meetings by Zoom or phone. School supplied signage for us to post our preference if we wanted.

Personally, both of us counselors here feel comfortable going by student preference: if a student shows up wearing a mask and wants us to mask, we do; if not, we don't. But we are 100% supported to make our own choice, within the reasonable parameters listed above.

This is likely the plan for Spring Q, but we will pivot if we have to.

Respectfully,

[image004.jpg at 01D7901D]<https://www.btc.edu/>Nyssa Howell, M.Ed, LMHC (she, her)
Counselor, Student Services
Bellingham Technical College<http://www.btc.edu/>
3028 Lindbergh Ave. | Bellingham, WA 98225
Phone: 360.752.8441 | Office: CS106
Appointments: https://www.btc.edu/CurrentStudents/Counseling/Index.html

BTC provides student-centered, high-quality professional technical education for today's needs and tomorrow's opportunities.

From: WCTCCA <wctcca-bounces at lists.ctc.edu> On Behalf Of Belle Nishioka via WCTCCA
Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2022 4:25 PM
To: wctcca at lists.ctc.edu; Koepping, Gloria <gkoepping at highline.edu>
Subject: Re: [Wctcca] Is your Counseling Center keeping the mask mandate for Spring Quarter or not?

Hi Gloria,

That's a good question! I'm not sure what our Counseling Center will do past May 1st, but yesterday, we received this message below from the VP of Admin Services. At Bellevue College, masks will be required through May 1st -- and I appreciate this policy, despite the new regulations in Washington, as there is still so much unknown, including what it will be like to return to campus part-time come spring quarter.

I'm happy to share what decisions are made in mid-April.

Take good care, All!

Belle

________________________________
From: Dennis Curran <dennis.curran at bellevuecollege.edu<mailto:dennis.curran at bellevuecollege.edu>>
Sent: Monday, March 21, 2022 10:05 AM
To: All BC-Official <allbcofficial at bellevuecollege.edu<mailto:allbcofficial at bellevuecollege.edu>>
Subject: Spring Mask Guidance for Bellevue College

Greetings,

Before we head into spring break, the President's Cabinet, with the support of the Flu Team, wanted to provide an update on the Bellevue College masking requirement.  All employees, students and visitors must wear a mask while indoors through May 1st, 2022.  We recognize the requirement to wear a mask until May 1st is stricter than the current Washington state guidance. Since many people in our community travel during spring break, then return to campus, we felt it best for the safety of our community to continue wearing masks indoors through May 1st.

Over the next couple of weeks, the Flu Team will consider several metrics (e.g. transmission rate, number of new cases, etc.) to determine our campus masking requirements beyond May 1st.  Metrics will be based on CDC and Department of Health guidance.  Expect another message to come out in mid-April describing the metrics to be used and the thresholds that will drive decisions.

Thanks for continuing to look out for the health and safety of our community!

Dennis Curran

Vice President of Administrative Services

425.564.2446

Belle M. Nishioka, MA, LMHC (pronouns: she/her)

Licensed Mental Health Counselor/Full Professor

Credentialed Multicultural Mental Health Specialist

Counseling Center, Bellevue College

Room U201-D (NEW!)

(425) 564-5747 (appointments/front desk)

(425) 564-2152 (office phone)

www.bellevuecollege.edu/counseling/<http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/counseling/>

Connect with a BC Mental Health Counselor or View Mental Health Resources<https://www.bellevuecollege.edu/counseling/>

Please contact the Counseling Center's front desk during regular business hours, Monday through Fridays, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., to schedule a meeting with me.  For 24-hour assistance, please contact the King County Crisis Line at (206) 461-3222, or in cases of emergencies, call 911 or Bellevue College Public Safety at (425) 564-2400.

________________________________
From: WCTCCA <wctcca-bounces at lists.ctc.edu<mailto:wctcca-bounces at lists.ctc.edu>> on behalf of Koepping, Gloria via WCTCCA <wctcca at lists.ctc.edu<mailto:wctcca at lists.ctc.edu>>
Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2022 3:26 PM
To: wctcca at lists.ctc.edu<mailto:wctcca at lists.ctc.edu> <wctcca at lists.ctc.edu<mailto:wctcca at lists.ctc.edu>>
Subject: [Wctcca] Is your Counseling Center keeping the mask mandate for Spring Quarter or not?

CAUTION: This email originated from outside Bellevue College. Do not click links or open attachments unless you validate the sender and know the content is safe. If you are unsure, contact the Service Desk at x4357 (425-564-4357) or email servicedesk at bellevuecollege.edu<mailto:servicedesk at bellevuecollege.edu>.

Our health director can't tell us if we can keep the mask mandate or not for Spring Quarter.  She asked me to check with other schools, so what are you all doing?

The confusion is that the state plan says health care providers in an outpatient clinic or agency can and should still require masks, but we are not a licensed agency, we just have licensed counselors and psychologists in our counseling center at the college.

What are you doing and why?

Thanks, Gloria at Highline College
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