Dear Santa Clara Students: 

Thank you for your flexibility at the start of the quarter. We are so grateful that everyone continues to pull together to help us slow the spread of the omicron variant. While we are not fully out of the woods, our total positive tests on campus have dropped significantly. As a result, we are pleased to be able to return to in-person instruction as planned on Monday, January 31. Here’s what that means for you:

• Continue with your coursework. The majority of courses will return to an in-person format. A small percentage of faculty will continue to offer courses in a hybrid or online format. 
• Return to campus. If you’re not here already, please plan to return to campus by Sunday, January 30.  
• Get tested. We recommend that students returning to campus for the first time get tested for COVID-19 before arriving back on campus. If you test positive, report your positive test result and observe all isolation protocols and precautions. Once on campus, students must get tested (using Color PCR tests) twice in the first week. Students who already tested positive, and reported their positive results within the past 90 days, are exempt from this requirement.
• Keep masking up. All community members are required to wear masks indoors. We continue to recommend the use of KN95 masks. Students can stop by the Health Ambassadors table in front of the Learning Commons, Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., to obtain a KN95 mask. KN95 masks are also available at the front desk of the main building at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley.
• Get your booster. All faculty, staff and students must get a COVID-19 booster vaccination as soon as they are eligible. Santa Clara is hosting a second free booster clinic on Friday, January 28 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Locatelli Center. Register for the booster directly with our partner, Carbon Health, who will be running the clinic for the University. There is no cost, and no insurance is needed. If you have problems registering, contact scu-support@carbonhealth.com 
• Enjoy dining. All dining stations in Benson Memorial Center and SCDI will be open with full service, menus and hours. Meals will continue to be served to-go with plenty of outdoor seating available. As the current COVID-19 surge passes, we hope to open for indoor dining by mid-February.
• Keep doing your part. Keep slowing the spread of COVID-19 by washing or sanitizing hands frequently throughout the day, practicing good cough and sneeze hygiene, getting tested weekly with self-administered Color tests, and reporting positive test results.
• Stay informed. Visit  Prepared SCU for updates.
• Stay connected. While COVID-19 has changed how we do a lot of things, there are many ways to stay connected and engaged on campus. Keep up to date on the resources and offerings to enrich your student experience by checking in with your college or school, our campus calendar, and the Vice Provost for Student Life’s website.

While we are excited to get back to the classroom, we must still stay vigilant. Our health teams, medical experts, and the President’s Cabinet will continue to meet daily to review COVID-19 trends and update our response plans as necessary. Thank you for working hard to keep our campus community healthy!

If you have any COVID-related questions, please review our FAQ, send an email to covid19@scu.edu, or call 408-551-1000.  

Sincerely,

Kate Morris
Acting Provost

Ed Ryan
Acting Provost