Natasha Vaughn is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Columbia-Greene Community College will delay the start of its spring semester by one week. The college announced last week it will begin the spring semester on January 25, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Columbia-Greene Community College is exercising extreme caution with respect to the virus,” said college president Carlee Drummer. “The recommendation from SUNY is that classes begin a little bit later than normal in order for the Christmas holiday and New Year’s holidays to have passed and enabled students to get tested for the virus before they return to campus.” Most SUNY schools will start February 1, but Columbia-Greene will start up again this month with limited face-to-face classes and the majority of classes being taught remotely, Drummer said. This will allow the college to end its spring semester and keep its normal schedule for the summer term, which begins May 17, she said. Students enrolled in classes that require hands-on learning, such as clinical nursing, automotive and art courses, will attend those classes on campus, Drummer said. Anyone taking in-person classes must be tested for COVID-19 before they return to campus. Faculty, staff and students are also tested throughout the semester. Drummer said spring break has been canceled and there will not be an in-person commencement this year. Drummer said a SUNY student poll found the majority of Columbia-Greene students indicated that in-person instruction was the preference, but felt they are receiving the same level of education in a virtual setting that they did in the classroom, pre-pandemic. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.