2021-08-27: COVID-19 Update: Fall Housing, Testing, and Vaccinations; A Message from the Chanellor
August 27, 2021 Dear Members of Our Campus Community, The beginning of a new academic year is almost upon us. With it comes the excitement of Move-In, New Student Convocation, and the first day of classes on our vibrant campus, and perhaps also some apprehension and uncertainty as we continue to navigate the evolving circumstances of the pandemic. Though the start of fall quarter is still nearly a month away, all of us have been actively working throughout the summer to prepare for the beginning of our fall quarter. Our dedicated faculty and our Academic Senate are finalizing their plans for fall instruction, including contingency planning efforts. While we are keeping to our previously announced plans to resume in-person instruction this fall, as discussed in our April 16 and June11 messages to the campus, we are diligently monitoring the COVID-19 case rates in Santa Barbara County and in California. We continue to work closely with our campus medical experts, local public health officials, and the University of California Health coordinating committee comprised of subject-matter experts from around the system. We also are monitoring the latest scientific studies and modeling about the effectiveness of vaccine and masking mandates. We are prepared to make modifications to our campus operations as needed, and to follow all public health guidelines and best practices for COVID-19 mitigation. Addressing Student Housing Challenges To provide additional housing options, the university has been negotiating with local hotels to make rooms available to those who cannot find suitable housing elsewhere for fall quarter. These include both single- and double-occupancy rooms. The cost that exceeds what students would pay for similar rooms in university-owned housing will be covered by funds provided by our university from a combination of campus funds, including gift funds raised to address this issue. Most hotels are located along regular MTD bus routes. Our housing team is working to address concerns raised by our students related to safety, management, and meal plans for these arrangements. We are extremely grateful to our housing and community housing offices for the work they have done, and for all those in our UC Santa Barbara community who have responded to requests to assist and support our students. Welcoming Back Our Faculty and Staff Face Mask and Testing Protocol Vaccination Rates and Verification Our Student Health team has been offering vaccination appointments to students throughout the summer, and is planning to hold vaccination clinics after move-in and prior to the start of the fall quarter to assist students who have been unable to receive an approved vaccine. We embark on this new academic year with a mix of optimism for our exciting journey together and care for the health and well-being of our campus community. While we know there will be challenges, we will rise to meet them together, as a community, and we will continue to make our decisions informed by the best and most recent medical and scientific updates. We are deeply grateful for all of the hard work and patience shown by every member of our community throughout the difficulties of the past 18 months, and this same spirit of determination will carry us through the coming year. We look forward to seeing you again, in-person, on our beautiful UC Santa Barbara campus. Sincerely, Henry T. Yang |