From the Desk of Willie Brown
Greetings HDAE Team Members,
We are now at the end of fall quarter and COVID cases have increased to the point of a regional stay at home order with some exceptions. For essential workers still coming to campus, thank you for continuing to adhere to all health guidelines and risk mitigation protocols. I want to remind anyone coming to campus that you are required to complete the daily COVID-19 screening survey and to wear a face mask on all UCSB properties. Staff that are scheduled to be on campus are also strongly urged to participate in weekly COVID-19 testing. This asymptomatic testing is critical to helping mitigate the spread of the virus. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the campus’s COVID Call Center at (805) 893-3113 or ucsb-covid19@ucsb.edu.
With the approval of campus leadership and the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, we are preparing for a partial return to in-person operations with a tentative move-in scheduled for January 14-18, 2021. All residence halls will remain closed but we will accommodate up to 1,000 residents in the undergraduate apartments. The University & Community Housing Services team is currently working on allocating spaces in San Joaquin Villages, Sierra Madre Villages, and Santa Ynez Apartments. All rooms will be single occupancy with a mandatory meal plan of seven or ten meals a week. Meal service will be take-out provided at Portola Dining Commons.
Thank you to everyone for going above and beyond these last nine months. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed, and I’m appreciative of your efforts on behalf of our campus. After almost a year of sacrifices and setbacks, I’m starting to feel cautiously optimistic that there is a light at the end of the tunnel with the promising COVID-19 vaccines that have been in the news of late. There is still much we must all do, so please continue to remain vigilant in all your efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Our collective success will be determined by everyone’s actions and adherence to the advice of public health officials. Enjoy your winter break and, as always, please wash your hands, wear a face mask, socially distance, and stay healthy!