CAMPUS NOTICE

 

OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR

March 20, 2020


ALL ACADEMICS, STAFF AND STUDENTS AT UC SAN DIEGO - Including Health

SUBJECT:    COVID-19 UPDATE: Stay at Home Order

As of midnight last night, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered all California residents to stay home until further notice, to limit the spread of COVID-19. Educational institutions such as UC San Diego are subject to these orders but are considered essential businesses. Anticipating this mandate, UC San Diego already took steps to suspend all on-campus operations with the exception of those that are deemed critical functions that cannot be conducted remotely.

Below is a summary of certain operations determined to be critical for purposes of complying with the governor’s mandate, including those that will continue on campus at this time:

1. Health care services and corresponding support. UC San Diego hospitals and clinics will remain open and fully operational; more information is available on UC San Diego Health’s website at https://health.ucsd.edu/Pages/default.aspx.

2. Student housing and dining services.

3. Classroom and laboratory instruction for remote learning will continue through the end of spring quarter. Deans and chairs will determine what on-campus essential support may be needed.

4. Enrollment management services critical to securing our fall 2020 entering class. The AVC for Enrollment Management will determine what on-campus essential support may be needed.

5. Animal care or animal research designated as critical, and research laboratory safety.

6. Research approved by the Vice Chancellor for Research.

7. Emergency Operations Center, UC San Diego Police Department, Student Health Services, and Environment Health and Safety.

8. Facilities, building systems, and custodial services will continue to operate at reduced levels, but surfaces in common areas will continue to be sanitized regularly.

9. Supply chain and logistics.

10. IT services associated with onsite support of campus IT infrastructure and remote learning.

11. Human resources, finance, and the Faculty Staff Assistance Program will continue, but operate remotely.

12. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Central Office remains open 24/7. All services are offered via telehealth. To make an appointment, please call CAPS at (858) 534-3755. For urgent matters, in-person evaluations are available; please call before arrival. Students continuing care may contact their provider via MyChart.

THE ABOVE IS NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST. Further information regarding the status of essential administrative services will be distributed separately.

In an effort to help guide you through the weeks and possibly months ahead, below is a summary of decisions from our administration. We expect faculty, staff and students to comply with these emergency measures. EMPLOYEES OF UC SAN DIEGO HEALTH ARE GENERALLY EXEMPT FROM THE RESTRICTIONS BELOW WHEN PROVIDING HEALTH CARE SERVICES.

The current UC San Diego directives instruct that you should:

CEASE ALL IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION. Remote teaching and learning will continue through the end of spring quarter without exceptions. Instructors and students should become familiar with academic continuity tools and instructors may join UC San Diego’s workshops for remote teaching and learning. Instructors should visit https://edtech.ucsd.edu/education-continuity-tools-and-resources and https://aps.ucsd.edu/facdev/covid-19/index.html for more information. Students should visit https://vcsa.ucsd.edu/news/covid-19-info.html for all student resources.

ONLY STAY IN STUDENT HOUSING IF YOU NEED IT. The statewide stay-at-home mandate currently does not prevent students from moving out of campus housing to return to their permanent residence. As shared earlier, students who choose to move out of UC San Diego housing can obtain prorated relief from their housing contracts. More information about opting out of your contract can be found at https://hdhhome.ucsd.edu/hdh-covid-19-faq.html.

Our first priority is health and safety. We are following all public health protocols. As a public institution—and one with capacity—we have the ability and obligation to serve all members of our community in an emergency and to that end, the state of California is requesting UC San Diego be able to house community residents in an on-campus location. In this event, we will ensure all health and safety guidelines including social distancing are followed.

ONLY COME TO WORK IF YOUR SUPERVISOR HAS TOLD YOU TO DO SO TO FULFILL A CRITICAL FUNCTION. You are allowed to come to work if you are supporting a critical operation on campus. If you do not think that you are supporting a critical function, but you are expected to report to work anyway, you can contact your department’s human resources representative to confirm whether your work is essential.

REGULARLY VISIT UC SAN DIEGO’S COVID-19 WEBPAGE AT https://coronavirus.ucsd.edu.

REGISTER FOR THE TRITON ALERT NOTIFICATION SYSTEM AT https://students.ucsd.edu/campus-services/campus-safety/triton-alert.html.

IF NEEDED, CONNECT WITH STRESS MANAGEMENT RESOURCES. The changing nature of this crisis is stressful and anxieties are high. Counseling services and resources are available. Students can call Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at (858) 534-3755. Campus employees can call the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) at (858) 534-5523. UC San Diego Health employees can contact the Employee Assistance Program provider aligned with your medical coverage or call (619) 543-3200.

You should not do the following:

DO NOT HOST ANY IN-PERSON EVENTS OR GATHERINGS OF ANY SIZE THROUGH THE END OF SPRING QUARTER.

DO NOT COME TO WORK IF YOU ARE SICK. Students living on or off campus may contact the Student Health Services at (858) 534-3300. Faculty and staff who are sick should contact their health care providers. Please always call ahead before arriving.

DO NOT COME TO WORK IF YOU ARE ON APPROVED ADMINISTRATIVE OR OTHER APPROVED LEAVE.

DO NOT COME TO WORK IF YOU HAVE BEEN ASKED TO WORK REMOTELY. Some personnel assigned to critical functions that need to be conducted on campus will need to continue to work on campus, and leadership is working with supervisors to define and identify these roles and personnel. Only these personnel will continue to work on campus. Note that students, including graduate students, cannot be mandated to serve critical functions requiring on-campus work.

We expect that supervisors will work with their staff to update business continuity plans. If employees, including student employees, are not required to work on campus, but cannot work from home due to the nature of their jobs, the UC Office of the President has developed expanded leave policies and employees should consult with their supervisors about use of these policies. Information is available at https://go.ucsd.edu/33xt48y.

DO NOT COME TO WORK TO ENGAGE IN RESEARCH, *EXCEPT* TO ENGAGE IN THAT CRITICAL RESEARCH WHICH HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AS ESSENTIAL AND APPROVED. Essential experiments and essential research personnel may continue, but only with the approval of designated leadership within the Vice Chancellor for Research (VCR). The Office of Research Affairs is issuing more specific guidelines for on-campus research, off-campus research and clinical research activities, which will be distributed separately. No research equipment or supplies may be removed from campus without the authorization of the Vice Chancellor for Research (VCR).

DO NOT COME TO WORK TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BETTER INTERNET CONNECTIONS OR FEWER DISTRACTIONS, *EXCEPT* FOR CLASSROOM OR LABORATORY INSTRUCTION FOR REMOTE TEACHING. We understand that it may be harder for some employees to conduct work from home. UC San Diego has procured equipment and portable internet hotspots to help faculty and staff work from home. Faculty and staff can address their needs with supervisors or department chairs.

DO NOT COME TO WORK TO RETRIEVE ITEMS FROM YOUR OFFICE OR VISIT COLLEAGUES REQUIRED TO BE ON CAMPUS AFTER FRIDAY, MARCH 20 AT 11:59 P.M. Only come to campus if you have permission from your supervisor.

QUESTIONS: All questions can be directed to the UC San Diego Emergency Operations Center at eoc@ucsd.edu. The EOC will direct your inquiry to the appropriate unit for response.

These are unprecedented times filled with great anxiety. Please keep this in mind when communicating with one another. We ask that students, faculty and staff remain calm, respect and support one another, commit to our overall well-being, and continue to adhere to our Principles of Community as described at https://ucsd.edu/about/principles.html.

We are all Tritons. We are all in this together. Your continued compassion and empathy will make a tangible difference on our campus and set an example for everyone. Thank you for your continued cooperation.



Pradeep K. Khosla
Chancellor

Elizabeth H. Simmons
Executive Vice Chancellor

David A. Brenner
Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences

Margaret S. Leinen
Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences

Sandra A. Brown
Vice Chancellor for Research

Gary C. Matthews
Vice Chancellor for
Resource Management and Planning

Pierre Ouillet
Vice Chancellor and
Chief Financial Officer

Becky R. Petitt
Vice Chancellor for
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Alysson Satterlund
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs