Santa Clara University

Dear Members of the Santa Clara University Community,

I’m sure you’ve been following the news about the swine influenza and have heard that the World Health Organization has raised its pandemic alert level. Although no cases of swine flu have been reported at Santa Clara University, we are addressing the possibility of a flu outbreak with caution and are actively monitoring all reports and information. As always, the safety and well being of all members of the University community — students, staff, and faculty — are our primary concern.

While there is currently no cause for alarm, the university will work closely with the Santa Clara County Health Department to keep us appraised of the latest developments. The university’s Emergency Operations Committee (EOC) is meeting regularly to discuss steps the university would take to inform and protect members of our community should the situation escalate.

Updated information regarding swine flu and links to informative flu-related sites are posted on the University’s Web site. Please share this information with your families and take a moment to become familiar with some of the basic facts provided at the Cowell Health Center site www.scu.edu/cshc. In particular, know what you can do to protect yourself. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people, so simple measures can be of great help.

If you are a university student experiencing flu symptoms, please call the Cowell Health Center (tel. 554-4501).

Lastly, please remember to sign up for Connect-Ed, the university’s emergency alert system if you haven’t already done so. To enroll in SCU Campus Alert, login to ecampus and select "HR Self-Service" from "My Menu", then click the "SCU Campus Alert Information" link.  It is this system that will be used to communicate with the campus community if an emergency situation occurs.