The following message was emailed to the campus community on May 1, 2020.
Dear Santa Clara University community,
As we begin the month of May with our community dispersed, we look forward with hope and are preparing for the day when our campus can safely re-open. In the meantime, we have started lighting our iconic Mission Santa Clara, the heart of our campus, in blue at nightfall. This is to show our gratitude for all those who are making life safe and livable in these times: medical personnel (like our alum in this story) and healthcare workers; grocery, food service, and delivery personnel; cleaning and landscaping crews; and Campus Safety and other first responders and front-line workers.
A few updates this week:
Revised Shelter-in-Place Order: On April 29, Bay Area health officers extended the shelter-in-place order through May 31, directing all individuals in the County to continue sheltering in their place of residence. The Order is designed to ensure continued social distancing and limit person-to-person contact to reduce the rate of transmission of COVID-19. The revised Order allows a limited number of additional essential businesses and certain lower-risk outdoor activities to resume operations.
Study Abroad Update: On April 27, the Office of the Provost shared an update with important decisions about our study abroad programs. Fall study abroad programs with start dates on or before August 31, 2020, are canceled; study abroad programs with start dates on or after September 1 are still active and have not yet been canceled. Please visit our Study Abroad COVID 19 FAQs for more details about travel conditions, application options, recoverable and unrecoverable fees, and campus resources.
CARES Act: The University has applied for and received funds from the recent federal stimulus package, Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Funding under the Act stipulates that at least 50% of the allocation be used to assist undergraduate and graduate students with unanticipated expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to COVID-19. The application is now available through eCampus and a dedicated CARES Act Relief Fund FAQ page has been created with additional information. The review of applications will begin on May 7.
Resident Student Move-Out Status: Thank you to the 2,100 resident students who responded to the move-out status survey. Students have until midnight tonight to share their status and preferences for retrieval of belongings. The survey can be accessed by logging into eCampus and the Housing portal. We will use this information to finalize move-out options and procedures. When we are able to begin scheduling, all protocols will comply with county guidelines including face covering and social distancing.
Important Information for Off-campus Students: Given the extension of the shelter-in-place order through May 31, we want to reiterate that a return to campus and adjacent neighborhoods is not advisable at this time. We recognize that many students will need to move out of their residence in accordance with their lease and advise that students do not do this in May unless their lease ends this month. We thank all those students who are currently abiding by the shelter-in-place guidance from the County.
A reminder to continue to consult our COVID-19 website and its regularly updated “frequently asked questions” section. You may also email questions to covid19@scu.edu.
Please continue to stay healthy and well wherever you are in the world.
Jeanne Rosenberger
Vice Provost for Student Life
John Ottoboni
Chief Operating Officer