Temporary Shift to Virtual Instruction Announced
First two weeks of spring semester will be primarily virtual with the normal in-person course schedule resuming on Feb. 7.
For the first two weeks of the spring semester, Wednesday, Jan. 19 through Friday, Feb. 4, instruction will be virtual with some minor exceptions, SDSU announced today in a message to students, faculty and staff from President Adela de la Torre, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Salvador Hector Ochoa and Eyal Oren, interim director of the School of Public Health.
The normal in-person course schedule in San Diego and Imperial Valley will resume as planned on Monday, Feb. 7. During the two week period of virtual instruction, the campuses will remain open.
The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency anticipates a post-holiday spike with the omicron variant in mid-January.
At SDSU, virtual instruction for the beginning of the semester is accompanied by robust monitoring and a variety of safeguards already in place as the university navigates the COVID-19 pandemic to protect the community and ensure a successful spring 2022.
These steps include ample available testing, high COVID-19 vaccination rates, masking, and continued consultation with public health experts.
The temporary start in the virtual space will also provide a window for those who recently received their COVID-19 booster an additional two-week period for it to take full effect.
As announced last month by the California State University system, all students, faculty and staff, (including auxiliary employees) eligible for the COVID-19 booster will be required to have their booster on file in HealtheConnect by Tuesday, Jan. 18 to be considered fully vaccinated. The Jan. 18 deadline remains in place. Nearly 10,000 SDSU community members have already uploaded their booster information.
For Students:
- Nearly all classes and labs will meet virtually from Jan. 19 through Feb. 4. If you are enrolled in a specialized course which will have in-person activities during that window, you will receive an email from your instructor. Students should monitor email and Canvas for messages from their professors.
- SDSU strongly encourages all residential students to delay returning to campus until Feb. 5 or 6 if they are able to do so. However, on-campus housing will continue to be open as scheduled for students who are unable to delay their return. Residential communities will reopen for the spring semester on Jan. 17, as scheduled. Additional information regarding on-campus housing will be provided later.
- The campus remains open, and day-to-day services are still available, including Student Health Services, Counseling & Psychological Services, and the University Library.
On-Campus COVID-19 Testing
COVID-19 testing remains available for students, faculty and staff through SDSU’s Student Health Services (SHS). An appointment is required, but same-day appointments are often available. Information on how to schedule an appointment can be found on the dedicated SHS COVID-19 Care page.
COVID-19 PCR test kits are also available for SDSU students, faculty and staff (including auxiliary employees with RedIDs) at vending machine locations across SDSU and SDSU Imperial Valley. Non-residential vending machine locations can be found using the interactive campus map.
Information about other San Diego County-run testing locations and Imperial County test sites is available online.
