Class instruction at CSUN will pivot to a fully-online structure on Nov. 30 through the end of the fall semester, President Dianne F. Harrison announced on Tuesday. The campus has been following a hybrid model — offering mostly online courses and some limited in-person courses — since the beginning of the fall semester.

In addition, employees that are not critical operations should be prepared to work remotely through the end of 2020.

Faculty running face-to-face courses are instructed to inform their classes, in writing, of how their class will transition to an online learning format. Students are instructed to email their instructors if they have not received guidance by Nov. 30 regarding how coursework will be completed for the rest of the semester.

Faculty and researchers involved with on-campus research are encouraged to re-evaluate the necessity and should transition to remote research if possible. Harrison said critical access will be authorized by the Office of the Provost, in coordination with deans.

Essential campus services like the Klotz Student Health Center, CSUN Food Pantry, fiscal and payroll operations, plant management and information technology will remain operational.

The University Cash Services counters remain open at Bayramian Hall, as well as the University Student Union printing kiosk. Study rooms at the USU will no longer be available.

CSUN state employees will continue to be paid their normal rate of pay, as they telecommute or work on site with physical distancing. Employees will receive directions from their managers regarding any changes in operation.
“With COVID-19 cases surging across the region and anticipated to worsen significantly over the holidays, out of an abundance of caution we have made the decision to pivot back to fully virtual learning to protect the health of individuals currently coming to campus,” Harrison said in an email.

The announcement follows days of uncertainty as the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has made changes to its own guidance this week. On Thursday, the department issued a temporary limited Stay at Home order.

Temporary orders and closures are a result of a case surge across the County. The amount of average daily cases increased by 108% between Oct. 31 and Nov. 13.

As of Monday, there have been a total of 36 cases of COVID-19 among CSUN students and 26 reported cases among employees.

“I thank you for your continued flexibility, patience and persistence as we minimize campus operations during this period of increasing COVID-19 cases within our region,” Harrison said. “Together, we will do our part as a campus to fight the further spread of COVID-19 and take care of each other, while supporting student success through it all.”

The device loaner program is still operational, while other resources to facilitate the fully-online transition can be found here.

The final day of instruction is Dec. 8 and finals week is from Dec. 9-15.