Coronavirus (COVID-19)

COVID-19 is the disease caused by a virus strain that began spreading in people in December 2019. The virus is contagious and potentially fatal. It is suspected that it is transmitted through coughing and sneezing of infected individuals. At the present time, there is no vaccine, cure, or specific treatment. Learn more about the coronavirus at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.

Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death for confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure. If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider for medical advice. Learn more at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html.

• Practice social distancing.
• Avoid close contact with sick people.
• While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. If a cough or sneeze sneaks up on you and no tissue is available, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like the flu.

If you are sick with influenza symptoms, it is recommended you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone. You must take the time to recover and not spread illnesses to others. In the event of absences, please work directly with your instructor or supervisor. 

Social distancing means minimizing any congregating of large groups, canceling non-essential meetings or events, and maintaining a distance of six feet from others. View the Social Distancing Guidelines at Work from the Society for Human Resource Management for more information.

At this time, there are no suspected or reported cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in our college community. For more information about outbreaks in the State of Wisconsin, please visit https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/outbreaks/index.htm.

If there is a confirmed case of coronavirus involving a Blackhawk student, faculty, or staff member, the College does not intend to close campus locations. The College will follow the guidance of county and state public health officials. The College will continue to follow strict safety and cleaning protocols to keep the Blackhawk community safe.

Blackhawk is continuing to monitor what is happening around our nation and region regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19). All updates will be sent via email to Blackhawk students and employees. In addition, updates will be shared on our website (www.blackhawk.edu) and made available on our Coronavirus (COVID-19) web page (www.blackhawk.edu/coronavirus). Students and employees are also encouraged to sign-up for SAFE Alerts. 

• Issue a SAFE Alert message (emergency notification system for BTC students, faculty, and staff)
• Post information on our website (www.blackhawk.edu)
• Post information on Facebook (www.facebook.com/blackhawktech)
• Send notifications to the local media, but cannot guarantee coverage or listing. Please note: BTC is listed as Blackhawk Technical College, not Blackhawk Schools or Black Hawk Schools.

• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html  
• https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/disease/covid-19.htm
• https://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/2019-novel-coronavirus

The Rock County Coronavirus Response Hub provides information, maps, and resources about the coronavirus response in Rock County. For more information, please visit https://coronavirus-response-rockcountylio.hub.arcgis.com/. 

The Department of Children and Families (DCF) has been approved to use $51 million to support Wisconsin’s early care and education community. The funding comes as part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

Child care providers are vital contributors to reopening Wisconsin’s economy. In order to ensure parents are able to return to work, Wisconsin needs child care programs to safely remain open or reopen, be staffed, and able to care for children, ages 0-13.

DCF is supporting the growing demand for child care access by supporting payment programs for open or temporarily closed child care programs during March 12 – May 25, 2020. There are three payment programs and three application periods as detailed below. Read more about the Child Care Counts: COVID-19 Emergency Payment Program and apply on the department’s website.

• Program 1: Funding to Care for Essential Workforce Families
• Program 2: Incentive Pay
• Program 3: Support for Temporarily Closed Child Care Programs

• For Period 1 (March 12 – April 11, 2020)
  • Applications open on May 18 and close on May 29, 2020
  • Payment letters will be issued by June 8, 2020
• For Period 2 (April 12 – May 11, 2020)
  • Applications open on June 8 and close on June 19, 2020
  • Payment letters will be issued by June 29, 2020
• For Period 3 (May 12 – May 25, 2020, two-week period)
  • Applications open on June 29 and close on July 10, 2020
  •  Payment letters will be issued by July 20, 2020

• Central Campus: park in Parking Lot K outside door 2-18
• Monroe Campus: park in the lot outside door MO-3.
• Hedberg Public Library: use password "community" and park in the covered parking lot for the strong connection. Learn more at https://www.hedbergpubliclibrary.org//covid19.html. 

• FCC agreement stating that providers will waive late fees, not cutoff service for lack of payment, and open hot-spots.
• Comcast COVID-19 response: offers free WiFi for 2 months to low-income families plus all Xfinity hot-spots are free to the public during this time.
• Charter Free Internet offer for 2 months
• AT&T COVID-19 response: offers open hot-spots, unlimited data to existing customers, and $10/month plans to low-income families.
• Verizon COVID-19 response: no special offers, but following the FCC agreement. Students and employees can reach out directly to Verizon.
• Sprint COVID-19 response: follows FCC agreement, provides unlimited data to existing customers, and, starting Tuesday, 3/17/2020, will allow all handsets to enable hot-spots for 60 days at no extra charge (expect others will follow).
• T-Mobile COVID-19 response: follows FCC agreement, plus unlimited data to existing customers, and, coming soon, will allow all handsets to enable hot-spots for 60 days at no extra charge (expect others will follow).

Find more Internet Resources for Wisconsin Residents during the Public Health Emergency through the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.

Because Central Campus is closed to the public, we had to rethink the way we do our food pantry. Any Blackhawk student in need can email btcstudentcupboard@blackhawk.edu to request a prepacked bag of food. The Student Cupboard team will follow up to arrange a time for you to pick up your food. You do not need to be a current confirmed user of the Student Cupboard to receive a bag.

• View resources in Rock County at https://rockcountyresources.org/resource-categories/food/.
• View resources in Green County at http://www.swcap.org/pdf/SWComActionFoodPan1.pdf.

Did you know we provide free, online tutoring services? It’s true – Tutoring Services are available remotely via NetTutor. If you have any questions about NetTutor, or any other tutoring needs, please contact testingcenter@blackhawk.edu.

1. Login into MyBTC
2. Select Blackboard Courses (under Quick Links)
3. Click on the tools menu within your course
4. Click on "24_7 Online Tutoring" from the left
5. Follow the NetTutor prompts to upload your papers for review or receive tutoring help for specified listed courses

• Academic Advising: Advisors and others are still available by email, phone, and Zoom. You can easily schedule an appointment with your Academic Advisor through Starfish (available through your MyBTC login). Once you are on Starfish, you can set up or update appointments with your advisor, connect to your advisor via email, and locate your advisor’s phone number. Your advisor should appear as one of your “Connections” in the “My Success Network” tab.
• Counseling Services: We're here to help you manage stress and anxiety, get linked to community resources, and apply for emergency funding. Counseling services are free and available for all current students. For more information, please contact Laura Becker, School Counselor and Case Manager, at (608) 757-7642 or counseling@blackhawk.edu.
• Technology Resources: Our Information Technology Team has you covered. There are training videos and resources available in the Student Technology Services Yuja Library (available through MyBTC). The trainings are designed to help you set-up and access Zoom meetings with your instructors and other college staff, including your advisor. You can even use Zoom to collaborate with other students and conduct meetings and study groups.

1. How will COVID-19 impact my financial aid?
2. I need to withdraw from my spring semester classes due to COVID-19. How will this impact my financial aid?
3. I previously declined my loan, but now I need those funds. How do I change this?
4. Can my financial aid be reviewed or adjusted based on changes to my circumstances due to COVID-19? 
5. How do I turn in my financial aid forms if the office is closed?
6. Are there scholarships available to help offset the cost of tuition & fees?
7. If the college is closed, how can I get help from financial aid staff?
8. I need short-term, emergency assistance. Does Blackhawk have any emergency grants for students?
9. I am going to take classes in the summer. How do I get financial aid?
10. When should I apply for financial aid for the 2020-2021 academic year?

Read the "Ten Frequently Asked Questions about Financial Aid during a Pandemic" to get the answers to these questions. 

Blackhawk is closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and is actively planning for the reopening of the college. The college has announced a staged plan to reopen. The detailed 7-Stage plan can be found here.

Effective Monday, June 22, Blackhawk will enter Stage 5 – reopening its campuses to students and employees. Facemasks will continue to be required inside all college buildings; including in all classrooms and labs. Entrance to college buildings will no longer require health screenings. College services will continue to be provided online and limited services will be open on-campus. Student Support Services and IT Help Desk (Central Campus) will be available in-person with social distancing protocols.

• 211 Wisconsin: When you need help and don't know where to turn, 211 is your one-stop connection to the local services you need, like utility assistance, housing, food, elder care, crisis intervention, alcohol and other drug recovery and much more. To learn more, visit https://211wisconsin.communityos.org/.
• Aunt Bertha: Search for free or reduced cost services like medical care, food, job training, and more. To get started, visit https://www.auntbertha.com/.