SDSU to be Primarily In-Person this Fall
The university is planning for instruction and activities to be primarily held in-person this fall, with a majority of faculty and staff returning to campus along with students.
Following an update to California’s reopening plans and both San Diego and Imperial counties moving into the “Orange Tier,” San Diego State University’s leadership announced plans for instruction and activities to be held primarily in-person this fall.
“These are major milestones. We are pleased that more indoor activities are now permitted in San Diego and Imperial counties, and that, come mid-June, all sectors in the state will be able to return to usual operations with health and safety practices adopted,” SDSU President Adela de la Torre shared in a campus message with other leaders.
The university also plans to expand access to the SDSU Library and return the majority of faculty and staff to campus this fall along with students. Specific guidance and other details for managers as well as individual faculty and staff will be shared at a later time, as this information is being finalized.
The campus announcement came after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state’s plan to fully reopen on June 15 if vaccine supply remains sufficient for Californians aged 16 years and older, and if hospitalization rates are stable and low. Newsom also shared that all Californians are encouraged to get vaccinated and that the state will continue to require facial coverings.
“With more than 20 million vaccines administered across the state, it is time to turn the page on our tier system and begin looking to fully reopen California’s economy,” Newsom said. “We can now begin planning for our lives post-pandemic. We will need to remain vigilant, and continue the practices that got us here — wearing masks and getting vaccinated — but the light at the end of this tunnel has never been brighter.”
With California having administered more than 20 million vaccine doses, continued case stabilization and California State University campuses already planning for more in-person activities, Chancellor Joseph I. Castro applauded Newsom’s announcement.
“As regions throughout California continue to make significant progress in our collective effort to defeat COVID-19, I am increasingly optimistic about the California State University’s ability to return to delivering a majority of classes and activities in person in the fall,” Castro said in a statement following Newsom’s announcement on Tuesday.
In December 2020, then-CSU Chancellor Timothy White announced that the system’s plan was to return to in-person instruction in fall 2021. Castro reinforced that plan earlier this year.
“We are certainly on the right path, both as a state and as the nation’s largest four-year public university. We must keep doing our part by wearing a mask and getting vaccinated when it’s our turn,” Castro also said. “I am grateful to California’s leadership — in both the public and private sectors—and to those on the front lines whose hard work has helped our state reach 20 million vaccinations — a truly remarkable milestone.”
