Spring Semester COVID-19 Updates

Jan. 31, 2022 

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Student Employees:

I want to provide an update about recent conversations with Ventura County Public Health (VCPH) regarding the Spring 2022 semester. The good news is that based on Ventura County’s downward trend of positive COVID-19 cases, as well as our campus’ low data for positive cases, VCPH has indicated that they are fully supportive of our plan to:

  • Have employees return to work on campus on Monday, Feb. 7; however, managers have flexibility for repopulation of in-person staffing based on the business needs of their area.  A new CSU telecommuting policy adopted this morning by the campus’s President’s Planning & Policy Council will go into effect on Monday, Feb. 7.
  • Employees requiring accommodation to return to campus should discuss with their supervisor or Dean as these circumstances require a formal HR process.
  • Classes will return to their originally scheduled modality on Feb. 7. Students will be directly notified by faculty of any exceptions to this plan for their courses.

The campus continues to remain open, however, some areas may be operating with limited hours or services. Please visit the Campus Services & Resources webpage for updates. Additionally, please review the information below to learn how these updates may impact faculty, staff, student employees, and students.

Town Halls
We held our first Town Hall earlier this morning where we discussed this information in more detail. Additional Town Halls are scheduled this week to provide opportunities for more direct communication and discussion. Please RSVP to attend as noted below:

Employees

  • Feb. 1, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Students

  • Feb. 4, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
  • Feb. 4, 5 to 6 p.m.

The University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs, events and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation, or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the respective area as soon as possible. CSUCI Students: accommodations@csuci.edu. CSUCI Employees: human.resources@csuci.edu

Booster Vaccinations, Exemptions and Testing
Booster eligibility dates will be tracked for all members of the campus community (i.e., length of time since completing initial vaccination protocol), and notification of booster due dates will be sent to employees and students who are out of compliance.

  • The booster vaccination deadline for confidential employees and administrators is Sunday, Feb. 6 at 12 noon.
  • Booster vaccination deadline for students has been extended to Sunday, Feb. 13 by 12 noon.
    • Instructions will be provided to students by the end of this week on how to upload their vaccination certification.
    • Students who do not certify their vaccination status and upload supporting documents by this date will not be permitted on campus. Student assistants will need to upload their verification in two different systems – one as a student and one as an employee as noted above.
    • Students who complete their certification and upload of documents by the deadline will be entered into a drawing where 200 dining cards with a value of $50 each can be used at any on-campus dining venue, will be awarded via a random drawing to students. Drawings will occur on Feb. 4, 5, 6, and 13, and eligible students will be entered into multiple drawings.
    • Students with approved medical or religious exemptions are still required to test weekly prior to attending their first class. Testing must occur on a weekly basis between Friday and Thursday or students will not be permitted on campus

Not Permitted on Campus (NPOC) Process
In preparation for in-person course delivery beginning Feb. 7, the NPOC list will be updated by the evening of Sunday, Feb. 6 and regularly thereafter. Staff who do not have access to this student group and need it for in-person meetings should contact the Dean of Students office.

Please note that the following groups of students are not permitted on campus:

  • Students with qualified vaccination exemptions who have not completed weekly COVID-19 testing are not permitted on campus. These students must test prior to attending their first in-person class or activity.
  • Students who have not certified a vaccination status are not permitted on campus until their certification is submitted and cleared.

In addition, when students must miss class due to being ill with COVID-19, or being directed to isolate or quarantine, faculty will receive a direct email; this is not being accounted for in the NPOC dashboard.

Mask Requirements

  • In alignment with the recommendation from the California Department of Public Health guidelines, CSUCI will continue to require those on campus to wear high-quality masks when indoors (i.e., medical/surgical masks, KN95 or N95 respirators) except when actively eating or drinking. Medical/surgical masks will continue to be available in classrooms and other locations across campus.
  • Employees may also request either KN95 or N95 masks through their PPE coordinator keeping in mind that N95s require training per OSHA regulations.
  • Issues of mask non-compliance should be reported to the appropriate administrator. The campus community is encouraged to remind one another of the importance to wear a mask indoors.

Vaccination Clinics
Vaccination clinics will continue to be held on campus at El Dorado Hall for both the Moderna and Pfizer doses. Previously submitted qualified medical and religious exemptions for individuals remain in effect.

Testing Clinics
On-campus testing clinics will continue to be held on campus beginning Feb 1 and with required advance registration. Free in-home test kits (4 per residential address) can also be ordered from the federal government.

  • A negative COVID-19 test is required:
    • upon entry for all residential students
    • weekly for all employees with qualified exemptions
    • for all students with qualified exemptions prior to attending their first in-person class or activity, and weekly thereafter

Quarantine Information

  • Continue to review an explanatory document provided by CSUCI’s Environmental Health & Safety staff with regards to instances when quarantining may be necessary.
  • Please remember to immediately file a report if you or someone with whom you have had close contact is COVID-19 positive.

Moving Forward
As we move forward, the University will continue to: (1) assess and mitigate risk; (2) manage cases; (3) manage associated disruptions to learning and working at CSUCI as needed; and (4) continue to communicate with Ventura County Public Health and other authorities to proactively plan for what the pandemic/endemic will look like for our campus long-term and to understand and provide the associated resources that will be necessary.

Again, please join our upcoming Town Halls this week so we may answer questions raised. If you are unable to attend the Town Halls, please email csuci.news@csuci.edu and your message will be directed to the appropriate area for a response.

Sincerely,
Richard Yao, Ph.D.
President

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