Feb. 14, 2022
Dear Faculty, Staff, and Student Employees:
We have been back in-person for a week now, and I am pleased to see that our campus community continues to follow our safety protocols. This has been a contributing factor for low positive case rates on the campus. As we begin our second week, I would like to provide an update on the following topics:
Positive Cases on Campus
Since in-person classes resumed on Feb. 7, the following positive cases on campus have been reported:
- 8 confirmed positive cases on campus (7 students; 1 employee).
- Contact tracing efforts have revealed no evidence of spread resulting from classroom-involved exposures and affected individuals have been offered additional support as necessary.
- Please remember to immediately file a report if you or someone with whom you have had close contact is COVID-19 positive.
Mask Requirements
While Omicron cases and hospitalizations continue to decline throughout our state and region and recent news indicates indoor mask mandates are being lifted, much like the majority of CSU campuses, we will continue to follow CDC guidelines and will:
- Require everyone to wear high-quality masks while indoors on campus or affiliated locations, except when in an office or space alone. Masks will continue to be provided in classrooms and other locations across campus.
- Eating should not take place inside classrooms. Individuals may consume beverages inside classrooms, but masks must be immediately replaced over the nose and mouth in-between sips. Please be aware that other campus areas will have appropriate signage noting whether eating indoors is allowed.
- Employees may 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.
- We will be working with Environmental Health & Safety and Ventura County Public Health to determine what conditions and data points will be utilized in determining when our indoor mask wearing requirement will be modified.
- Relatedly, Environmental Health & Safety is currently consulting with Ventura County Public Health to update our event protocols (both indoor and outdoor). We will inform the campus community when these updates are finalized.
Booster Requirements
Employees
- Confidential employees and administrators should have uploaded their COVID-19 vaccination certification by Feb. 6 via myCI and can still do so following these instructions.
- Faculty have until Monday, Feb. 28, 2022 to upload their COVID-19 vaccination certification via myCI by following these instructions.
- CSUEU, APC, SUPA, Teamsters, and UAW represented employees may volunteer to upload their COVID-19 vaccination certification upon receiving their booster dose via myCI; however, this is not required until CSU negotiations with the unions are resolved.
Students
The booster vaccination deadline for students was extended to 12 noon, Sunday, Feb. 13. They have been provided several reminders and instructions for how to upload their vaccination certification. As of Monday morning, Feb. 14:
- 83% of updated certifications are from students taking classes on campus, and 17% are from students enrolled online.
Students Not Permitted on Campus (NPOC) Process
The NPOC list was updated this morning and will continue to be regularly updated 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. The following groups of students are not permitted on campus:
- Students who have not certified a vaccination status (or eligible students who have not yet certified a booster) are not permitted on campus until their certification is submitted.
- 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.
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.
Vaccination & Testing Clinics
Upcoming vaccination clinics will be held on Feb. 17 and March 10 on campus at El Dorado Hall for both the Moderna and Pfizer doses. Testing clinics will continue to be held on campus with required advance registration. Free in-home test kits (4 per residential address) can be ordered from the federal government.
Telecommuting
Managers are responsible for ensuring that the operational and business needs of their respective areas will continue to be met and in-person services for our students and employees are provided.
- Staff may discuss with their supervisor the possibility to telecommute based on the new telecommuting policy and the operational and business needs of the area.
- Employees requiring an accommodation to return to campus should discuss with their supervisor or Dean as these circumstances require a formal HR process.
As updates or changes become known, we will continue to communicate this information. Thank you for your continued patience and cooperation to facilitate a safe working and learning environment for our campus community. If you have any questions not addressed here, please email csuci.news@csuci.edu so your questions can be directed to the appropriate area for a response.
Sincerely,
Richard Yao, Ph.D.
President