From the Desk of Willie Brown

Willie Brown portrait
By Willie Brown - June 26, 2020

COVID-19 Update: Fall Planning

I want to take a moment to share that we’re continuing to prepare for in-person operations this fall. As mentioned in the Chancellor’s June 18 memo, the campus is instituting a wide variety of safety measures to prepare for a resumption of campus activities. Testing is a key component for managing the spread of COVID-19 on campus this fall. One of HDAE’s criteria to return to in-person operations is to establish Residential Testing Sites. HDAE and Student Health Services staff members are collaborating to make this happen in multiple locations adjacent to our residential communities. 

Current testing in the Calaveras Lounge at San Joaquin Villages is a research pilot project. Upon conclusion of this pilot project, Student Health will have tested approximately 1500 students, faculty and staff. What they learn from the pilot will apply to the residential sites in the fall. Sites being considered for the fall include (1) continuing in San Joaquin to serve West Campus, (2) San Nicolas Recreation Room to serve the east side of campus, and (3) Loma Pelona Center to serve the southwest side of campus. The goal of the Sites is to make testing easy and readily accessible to students in University housing communities, while providing HDAE and the campus with actionable information on the health of the residential community.

I also want to take a moment to thank the hard working staff in University & Community Housing Services (UCHS). They are fielding thousands of inquiries from students (and their families) who wish to return to our communities in the fall. Once campus leadership made the decision that we can offer single and double rooms in the fall, UCHS sent emails to thousands of students requesting they complete a survey that will help us gauge the demand for housing and plan for the next step of offering contracts. Although not offering triples reduces our capacity, our hope is that we will be able to accommodate all students who plan to attend in person and wish to reside in university housing. If you’ve been around as long as me, you may remember when triples didn’t exist 10+ years ago, and our plan of offering singles and doubles this fall is in alignment with the design capacity of our residences.

This is a team effort, and I thank you for your partnership and continued support as we address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

~Willie Brown

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