CSCU Announces Spring Semester Plans

Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) President Terrence Cheng today sent the following message to the CSCU community.

Dear CSCU Community,

Over the past several weeks, campus leaders and COVID coordinators have worked tirelessly to develop plans for the safe return to campus operations this spring. Working closely with state and local public health officials, we have come up with a plan that returns us to in-person learning as scheduled while prioritizing health and safety of students, employees, and all on our campuses.

• Beginning January 10, employees at the universities, community colleges and at system office who have not already done so will return to their regular on-ground schedule or approved telework arrangement.
• At the state universities, student move-in will take place as scheduled on January 17 and 18. In-person classes will begin on January 19.
• At the community colleges, in-person classes will begin on January 21.
• Charter Oak’s employee schedules will meet the needs of their rolling start dates.
• The vaccination requirement for students and employees remains in place. Those who have been granted a medical or nonmedical exemption will be required to submit to weekly testing. This includes both unvaccinated residential and commuter students.

We have been successful in navigating the pandemic thus far because all of you have taken the virus seriously and done your part to keep our campuses safe. Because of that, we have seen virtually no spread of the virus in academic settings. It is our top priority to keep it that way.

This semester, masks will continue to be required at all times when indoors on campus. With a more contagious variant in broad circulation, well-fitting, high quality masks – such as N95s, KN95s, or KF94s, not cloth or surgical masks – are more important than ever. Fortunately, high-quality masks are now readily available at brick and mortar retailers and online – and we will have a limited supply for distribution on campuses. I strongly encourage everyone who can to keep yourselves and our community safe with a high-quality mask.

If you have not already done so, please get vaccinated or get a booster. It is simple: people who are vaccinated are far less likely to get seriously ill or die of COVID-19. People who are boosted are far less likely to get sick at all. Vaccines are safe, effective, and readily available. Please protect yourself, your family, and our community by getting vaccinated or boosted.

During my campus visits this past fall, we heard directly from many students as to how important it is for their academics as well as mental and social health to be a part of campus life. We also know, based on our experiences since March 2020, that learning online is simply not a viable option for many. We take the pleas from those students – to do everything in our power to keep our campuses safely open – seriously.

That said, please know that health and safety will always be our top priority. We are taking every precaution by making testing regularly available, and by hosting vaccine and booster clinics on all our campuses. Though we have high vaccination rates on our campuses and across the system, we still encourage all students, faculty, and staff to receive a booster shot to ensure maximum protection in this ever-changing landscape.

The bottom line is that we believe on-ground and in-person instruction is the best, most effective way to serve our students, and we are confident we have the plan in place to get it done and get through this surge.

Thank you all for your continued patience, diligence, and engagement. I look forward to seeing you on campus during the spring semester.

Sincerely,

Terrence Cheng
President, CSCU