CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison announced detailed plans for the upcoming fall semester Tuesday. The plans include limited face-to-face courses, reduced on-campus housing and self-screening protocols. Harrison also introduced a website, named CSUN as One, that lists specific procedures and requirements for different operations and departments on campus.

Most courses will be offered virtually in the fall, with exceptions for some courses and labs that will be offered completely face-to-face or as a hybrid — half the classes will be virtual and the other half will be in-person. The university anticipates 4,400 students will take part in 113 in-person courses and labs this fall, according to Harrison. Students and employees on campus are required to wear face coverings at all times.

On-campus housing capacity will be reduced to no more than 45% and the layouts of rooms have been adapted to facilitate social distancing. CSUN student housing will also have a staggered move-in process, a limit on nonessential visitors and a safety plan that will include COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, according to CSUN as One.

Harrison also announced a new self-screening protocol that requires students and employees to fill out an online self-screening survey each day before going to campus. Individuals have to answer the survey’s yes-or-no questions, such as if an individual is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, if they have travelled recently and if they were exposed to anyone with the virus, to the best of their knowledge. Guidance is issued based on an individual’s responses. It is unclear how or if the university will enforce the self-screening survey.

CSUN says it will implement a number of sanitary and social distancing measures in its facilities. The university will sanitize facilities in accordance with health authority recommendations.

The number of people in classrooms, work areas, restrooms and elevators will be limited. Buildings will have designated entry and exit points and some staircases and aisles will be marked for one-way use.

All CSUN dining locations — with the exception of the housing dining hall, Geronimo’s, and the student housing’s convenience store, Matador Mercado — will remain closed this fall.

The planning website also provides a modified map of campus that notes the status and accessibility of each building.

CSUN’s protocols are in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American College Health Association and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Harrison wrote in her email to campus.

Support services such as academic advisement and tutoring will continue to be provided virtually. This year’s New Student Orientation will be offered virtually, as are other campus events.
CSUN will provide loaner devices for online learning and extend the campus Wi-Fi signal to parking lots so students can access the internet from their vehicles.

CSUN’s athletics department developed a 10-phase plan for returning student athletes and athletics staff, however, the finalization of the plan has been deferred pending state guidance on intercollegiate athletics.

More details regarding the fall 2020 semester can be found at csun.edu/president/csun-one-fall-2020-plan.