NMC facilities remain open with continued flexibility for telework and online learning

Despite some tightened restrictions due to increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the CNMI, Northern Marianas College facilities will remain open with continued flexibility for teleworking and online learning.

In a message to the NMC community last Sunday, NMC president Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero said that some exceptions would also be made for “a few select face-to-face classroom exam sessions.”

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres ordered on Dec. 5 the closure of non-essential government offices and implementation of temporary restrictions for COVID-19 safety reasons from Dec. 6 to Dec. 19.

Deleon Guerrero said in his message that all college meetings should be conducted online during this period to comply with a requirement to not exceed 50% occupancy in classrooms, offices, and/or common areas.

Deleon Guerrero urged those who will be on campus during this time to follow the college’s COVID-19 mitigation procedures and protocols. These include wearing a face covering, observing and maintaining social distancing, and washing/ sanitizing hands regularly. Deleon Guerrero added that NMC employees and students attending in-person classes “are also reminded to get vaccinated as recently mandated.”

Regarding telework and online learning, Deleon Guerrero said that supervisors are still allowed to authorize employees to telework and/ or instructors with in-person course components to continue with online learning through Dec. 18.

Deleon Guerrero made clear that employees/ instructors must secure supervisor approval before going through with telework/ online learning, and that students must wait on official approval from their instructors that they will continue with online learning.

Deleon Guerrero said that NMC will continue with “routine cleaning activities throughout the next two weeks as necessary” and asked instructors and students to refrain from moving around classroom furniture as they have been strategically placed to ensure social distancing.

Deleon Guerrero said the situation is “dynamic and quickly evolving” and that the information shared may need to be updated quickly. He asked the NMC community to monitor official sources, which include the NMC email and website, NMC’s social media accounts, the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For the latest updates, NMC’s website is marianas.edu, NMC’s Facebook and Instagram can be found @nmc.proa, and NMC’s Twitter can be found @GoProa. If you need any additional information, NMC students are advised to contact their advisors or instructors and NMC employees the Human Resources Office.