Sac State closes Union, library, dining services to mitigate coronavirus spread
School looks to ‘significantly lower’ campus population
March 17, 2020
The Sacramento State University Union, library and food services, other than those in the residence halls, are set to close to stop the spread of COVID-19 according to a SacSend email from President Robert Nelsen on Tuesday morning.
The library closed at 5 p.m. Tuesday and will remain closed until further notice, according a Twitter thread from the Sac State Library. The thread said the library will still offer virtual services.
Story continues after tweets.
The Library will be closing at 5:00 pm today. Come by soon if you need any print books!
— Sac State Library (@SacStateLibrary) March 17, 2020
The Union closed at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and will remain closed until further notice, according to a tweet from the University Union.
The University Union will close today, 3/17 at 5:30 pm and will remain closed until further notice. For updates on @SacStateASI Food Pantry, Business Office and Student Shop, visit our website https://t.co/7vgTBlAFJE pic.twitter.com/Lt8fPdUBoF
— The University Union (@sacstateunion) March 17, 2020
The Servery at the Dining Commons is serving all food to-go, according to a tweet by Sac State Dining Services. The Courtyard Market will remain open.
For students who reside in the residence halls and faculty or staff visiting the Servery at the Dining Commons, to ensure your safety and health, all meals are now to be taken out in compostable containers. #sacstatedining #sacstate pic.twitter.com/GMzQxwmzFH
— Sac State Dining (@sacstatedining) March 17, 2020
The email does not clarify when closures of other campus dining services will take place.
Sac State is aiming to significantly lower the number of people on campus, including students in the residence halls, the email said.
On-campus housing is scheduled to remain open through the end of the semester, and if there are any changes, students will be notified immediately, said Director of News and Communications Brian Blomster.
The Academic Information Resource Center will remain open until further notice, the email said.
The email said that the university will aim to sustain critical campus businesses, including: healthcare services, facilities, security, IRT, greenhouse operations, research and financial operations, both on campus and through telecommuting.
Nelsen said that if the situation worsens, classes that previously received special permission to continue face-to-face instruction may no longer be able to do so. He asked teachers of these approved in-person classes to prepare “contingency plans” for now.
The closure of these campus resources follows closures of The WELL and the ASI Children’s Center on Tuesday.
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information is gathered.
