Student Move-Out Expedited, Exams Suspended
March 17, 2020
From: SDSU President Adela de la Torre, Provost Salvador Hector Ochoa, Christy Samarkos, Interim Vice President for Student Affairs
Dear SDSU Community,
As we have shared over recent weeks, the situation with the coronavirus (COVID-19) is very dynamic. We receive new data, notices about travel restrictions, updated guidance and other information multiple times each day. With important guidance frequently delivered by local and national authorities, we must be swift to respond.
To bring you up to date:
Six Bay Area counties just announced shelter-at-home orders for all residents beginning March 17, and lasting until at least April 7. Additional counties and cities have indicated their desire to follow. Further, today, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer issued an order that all non-essential city employees will work from home, and that additional city-wide decisions would be announced in the coming days.
As a campus, we will continue to receive more information from authorities, and will need to be responsive. We will continue our practice of sharing updates broadly and as soon as they are available.
The new directions below represent a summary of additional actions taken today.
On-Campus Student Housing, Exams
Given the number of cities adopting shelter-in-place orders, SDSU moved this morning to accelerate its timeline for move-out so that students may return home safely and quickly. It is requested that the majority of move-out occur by tomorrow, Wednesday, March 18, at 7 p.m. Exceptions exist for students in need, detailed below.
As a result, all SDSU faculty are encouraged to make special accommodations regarding all course activities this week, and to suspend all exams this week. Many classes have already paused until March 23; this decision applies to those courses that opted out of the pause. Students in SDSU on-campus housing may contact New Student and Parent Programs at 619-594-1509 for assistance, and are encouraged to fill out the Campus Departure Survey
The university will continue to offer housing to students who cannot return home due to travel bans and restrictions, closures or shelter-in-place orders in other cities; who are ill; and who do not have a permanent home.
The Office of Housing Administration & Residential Education has already directly communicated with students living in on-campus housing and, along with the Division of Student Affairs, is assisting our students to help provide as much ease in the process as possible. We recognize the difficulty of this time, and have extraordinary gratitude for those who have come together to return our students safely home.
Student Employees
We have a number of students who are part of our workforce, and we thank them for the ongoing support they are offering during this time. Students who are currently employed and have seen disruption due to COVID-19 actions will continue to be paid across the CSU through April 6.
Campus Facilities and Parking
Access to campus recreation and library facilities will now be restricted for use, and university buildings are no longer open to the public to ensure that social distancing guidelines can be followed. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention directs that people should avoid gatherings with more than 10 people.
Also, effective 6 p.m. tomorrow evening, March 18, SDSU will lock all buildings. Those faculty and staff with key and card access will continue to have access. Those who do not have keys must contact their deans or director to request access 24-hours in advance. As many faculty and staff are in the process of obtaining needed office supplies and equipment to work from home. SDSU Parking & Transportation Services is authorizing faculty and staff to temporarily park in special permit (SP) spaces to help ease this process.
Mail Services
Delivery services will halt until further notice, and offices are asked not to submit new delivery orders at this time. If you have a delivery forthcoming, please visit the LS Mailroom Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m., for mail pickup until further notice.
In Closing
Some of our community may not be fully aware of the immense scale and quality of efforts led by our students, faculty and staff in response to COVID-19. Some of the work you, yourself, are doing to support the success of our students may not be well known. We thank each one of you for your support during this time.
Our SDSU community is full of solutions-minded individuals who have stepped up and stood out to take the greatest care of our community, and communities beyond our campus, moving instruction, tutoring, counseling services, team meetings, training sessions and other important offerings into virtual spaces.
More information regarding other SDSU-specific COVID-19 decisions and updates are available on the university’s public-facing site.
Adela de la Torre
San Diego State University President
Salvador Hector Ochoa
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Christy Samarkos
Interim Vice President for Student Affairs