Dear Faculty Colleagues:
Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have declared that our two highest priorities are to (1) protect the health and safety of our faculty, staff and students, and (2) offer a rigorous, transformational education in the long tradition of Jesuit education. With these priorities in mind, we write to provide an update on plans for the start of the winter term in quarter-based programs and the spring semester for the School of Law and Jesuit School of Theology. A communication to students was sent earlier today. You can access it here.
Based on advice from our Public Health and COVID-19 Operations teams in response to the increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Santa Clara County, Santa Clara University will make the following adjustments to the start of the Winter 2022 term:
Teaching Modality: We wish to offer faculty as much flexibility as possible in planning their return to the classroom. Faculty are encouraged to teach online for the first two weeks of the term (January 3-14). If faculty choose to teach in-person during that period, they must also accommodate any student who requests to access the course content remotely. In addition, faculty should be prepared to pivot to fully online/remote instruction in the event of a shelter-in-place order, and accommodate students who test positive for COVID-19 or need to isolate at any point during the academic term. Please communicate with your students as soon as possible about your plans for weeks one and two.
Return To Campus: Students are encouraged to return to campus by January 3. Campus services such as dining and campus recreation will be open in modified format for the first two weeks of the term; some co-curricular activities will be offered as well. Students may delay their return to campus through week two. When students arrive back on campus, they are required to participate in entry testing twice in the first week of their return. Students living on campus will be required to test each week thereafter. All faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to test upon returning to campus.
As mentioned in our December 20 communication, there are a number of protocols related to vaccination boosters, testing, mask wearing, dining, and public events. The entire campus community will need to be steadfast in its commitment to our prevention measures to ensure we can continue to offer high quality educational experiences. As always, we will be working with our exceptional public health team to monitor local events and make adjustments as needed. We are grateful for your flexibility and your care as we work to keep everyone in our community and their families healthy.
Respectfully,
Kate Morris
Acting Provost
Ed Ryan
Acting Provost