Due to the rise of COVID-19 cases in Sacramento County, Sacramento State President Robert Nelsen announced that the university will be reducing the amount of students and employees on campus through the rest of the semester beginning Monday, Nov. 23,  per a SacSend email.

The decision was made in collaboration with California State University Chancellor Timothy White, as well as state and local public health authorities according to the email.  

“As members of a community, we must make decisions that are in the best interest of our campus and the Sacramento Region,” Nelsen said in the email. “It is clear that COVID-19 is surging, and we must do our part to mitigate the spread by significantly decreasing the number of people traveling to and interacting on campus.” 

Nelsen also advised faculty, staff and students who have plans to travel for Thanksgiving to work remotely through the end of the year if possible, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for celebrating the holidays.

Nelsen laid out guidelines in the email for classes, students, employees, on-campus research and labs.

Classes

All face-to-face classes and labs scheduled for Monday, Nov. 23 through Wednesday, Nov. 25 may be cancelled by faculty to give them time to transition their final two weeks of instruction for the semester to  virtual learning.

Faculty who believe their course must be completed in a face-to-face format must receive approval from the provost and president, and specific approval to hold face-to-face classes is required starting Nov. 30. Nelsen said that all faculty are strongly encouraged to deliver instruction virtually for the remainder of the semester.

Sac State reported in its fall 2020 plan that 7.3% of the courses planned for the semester would be delivered in person, including some art and science courses, and estimated that no more than 3,000 students would be enrolled in these courses.

Students

Students living in the residence halls will be given the option to move out once Thanksgiving break begins and a refund will be processed for their housing effective Nov. 26 or the date that they move out. Residents of the dorms will receive further instructions from University Housing Services via email, according to Nelsen.

The Hornet Bookstore will remain open with limited hours to allow students to pick up and return course materials, and Student Health and Counseling will remain open as well. Permitted course withdrawals will be extended through the rest of the semester without penalty for students. 

Employees

Employees who were already teleworking must continue to telework and employees who were working on campus must transition to telework, if possible. All employees must receive new affirmative clearance from their administrator or management personnel in order to physically report to campus during this time period.

On-Campus Research

Previously approved on-campus research involving students may continue if it is deemed necessary for graduation by the provost and president. 

Face-to-face internships, clinical placements, field placements or student teaching assignments will continue as planned for the semester if the site remains open, according to Nelsen.