Citing the easing of federal and state COVID-19 restrictions, Butler County Community College is planning to require more non-instructional staff to work on its campuses beginning in June.

BC3 President Nick Neupauer told the college's board of trustees Thursday that he is putting together plans to require more non-instructional staff to work on campus over the summer when there are fewer students and instructors on campuses than there are during fall and spring semesters.

He said the June 16 trustees meeting could be the board's first face-to-face since the pandemic began.

“We're very confident we're getting out of this. I think we fared very well because we made some good decisions,” Neupauer said.

BC3 suspended face-to-face instruction and restricted campus access to essential employees only on March 11, 2020.

Since then, the college's campus protocols changed to adhere to the state's COVID-19 phases. The college is currently operating in the green phase at all campuses. The campuses are open, but gatherings are limited to 25 people indoors and 250 outdoors. Visitors must adhere to social distancing guidelines and other current statewide orders. In-person instruction is limited to 75% maximum occupancy.

When the fall semester begins, 83% of classes will be held face-to-face.

Currently, the college has an occupancy limit for non-instructional staff that is below the state-mandated limit.

The plan being developed will have them return to campus over the summer, when most summer classes will be taught online and few students and instructors will be on campus, Neupauer said.

Non-instructional staff includes administrators, secretarial staff, professional and technical employees and campus police.

Trustee Ken DeFurio, president and CEO of Butler Health System, said he was glad staff will return to campus and recommended that everybody get vaccinated against the coronavirus. He offered to have BHS administer vaccinations on campus if needed.

“Vaccine means safety. It just does,” DeFurio said.

Wednesday's commencement ceremony for the Class of 2021 that was held outdoors due to COVID-19 went smoothly, and he is considering having future commencements outdoors.

“It was absolutely fantastic on a picture perfect day,” Neupauer said.

Commencement was held with a series of mini ceremonies for groups of graduates. The ceremonies ran from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

It was a long day that took much longer to plan, Neupauer said.

Trustee Glenn Miller, chairman of the facilities committee, commended staff for planning and conducting commencement.

“The college and the community came together to make it a great event,” Miller said.

In other business, the trustees approved a seven-year contract with Ellucian for computer software for student admissions, finance and scheduling. The contract includes a 1.8% annual cost increase. The contract cost increases from $190,348 this year to $214,363 in 2027-28.

The trustees also adopted a resolution to hire DPH Architecture Inc. of Canfield, Ohio, for an amount not to exceed $27,500, to design the replacement of multiple exterior stair, ramp and sidewalk areas outside of several existing buildings on the main campus.