With the spring 2022 semester quickly approaching, The State Hornet compiled this FAQ with answers from Sacramento State Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Steve Perez and Vice President of Student Affairs Ed Mills to answer questions about classes and COVID-19 protocols for the spring 2022 semester.

Q: What percent of classes will be on campus in the spring? What percent will be online?

A: As of Dec. 2, Perez said that about 20% of class sections are planned to be online and 80% are planned to be in person. 

Q: Will a higher percentage of online classes or hybrid classes be offered in future semesters than compared to pre-COVID semesters?

A: There will be a higher number of classes offered online in the future than there was before the COVID shutdowns, Perez said.

Perez said that prior to the pandemic, between 3% and 5% of classes were online. During the pandemic, 90% of classes were online.

Perez said there will be more than 5% of online classes offered in future semesters “for sure.” 

“Some classes can’t be done without face-to-face contact,” Perez said. “We need to do some analysis: how do we best provide education for our students at a high quality level?”

Q: How will students with disabilities be accommodated with the majority of classes being in person?

A: Perez said that the school will make “as many accommodations as [they] can” for students who have “documented disabilities.” 

“That’s the right thing to do, and we will do that,” Perez said.

Q: What are the COVID-19 regulations that Sac State students must follow? 

A:  According to Mills, masks will continue to be required inside. For students with exemptions, mandatory twice-weekly testing will begin the first week of school, which starts on Jan. 24.

Students can email [email protected] for any questions regarding COVID-19 protocols for the spring semester.

Q: Are students required to get a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine?

A: Mills said that the school is not yet requiring students to get the booster.

“That may change, but right now the booster is not required,” Mills said. “[It is] highly suggested.” 

Q: What percent of students are currently vaccinated?

A: Mills said that 99.3% of students have completed the self-certification that tells the school whether they are vaccinated or have a medical or religious exemption. 

Of the students who did certify, Mills said that 96% are vaccinated who come to campus and 87% are vaccinated whether they are online or come to campus.

Q: What percent of students have medical exemptions? What percent of students have religious exemptions?

A: 1% of students who certified their vaccination status have a medical exemption and 3% have a religious exemption, according to Mills. 

Q: What is the deadline for new/incoming students to submit their vaccination certification? 

A: Mills said that the deadline to certify vaccination status for new or incoming students who plan to attend in-person orientation was Dec. 3. Those who did not certify will have to attend orientation online. 

He said that Sac State has 2,000 new incoming students for the spring semester and “about half” have opted for in-person orientation, meaning they have certified their vaccination status. 

The deadline for new or incoming students who are accessing campus in the spring to certify their vaccination status is Jan. 20, according to Mills.

Q: What is the deadline for continuing students to submit their vaccination status?

A: If a student certified that they are vaccinated in the fall semester, Mills said that they do not have to update their certification for spring. 

“If you were a student that did not access the campus, we are asking you to update your certification because you may have on-campus classes in the spring whereas you didn’t in the fall,” Mills said.

The deadline for those students to update the certification is Jan. 20.