President Conoley Addresses the Incremental Resumption of On-Campus Operations

Dear Beach Community:

As we inch closer to the start of classes and Friday’s Convocation, my excitement grows.

We've navigated this relentless pandemic with non-stop planning for our safe, incremental resumption of more campus-based operations. This planning has been ongoing for many months — always with a close connection to the environmental factors that surround us. It's been rewarding to see more and more members of our campus community on site.

Still, the advent of the COVID-19 Delta variant gives us new concern, and we are tracking this latest challenge very closely. Guidance from our public-health agencies will always inform our decision-making just as it has in the past and leading us to the many safety protocols in place now.

The foundational part of our approach to the fall semester has been the implementation of the CSU's policy to require our community to be immunized against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Last week, the "Vaccination Certification" menu option was made available on our university's single sign-on screen. We are making great progress in community members verifying their vaccination status, and I encourage you, if you have not already done so, to complete your certification right away. A weekly COVID-19 testing program will be implemented for those who remain unvaccinated. Testing will protect you and those around you.

A vaccinated campus is the No. 1 tool we have in getting to the "next normal." That said, there are a host of other health and safety measures in place, from our daily health screening questionnaire to our use of face coverings while indoors to our contact tracing program and to our newly enhanced ventilation systems. Full details for planning your time on campus continue to be available on our COVID-19 information website.

As we have throughout the pandemic, we will share important updates in real time. I appreciate your every contribution and your active engagement as we get the fall semester underway. I count on your honesty and your compassion for others as key pillars of our safety program. We are on this journey together.

Jane Close Conoley, Ph.D.
President