Staying Safe On and Off Campus This Fall

August 19, 2020

Dear CSUN Students,

My sincerest welcome to you as we begin Fall 2020. I am so pleased to have so many of you joining our vibrant and robust learning community. It is truly impressive that, despite COVID-19 and the need to continue mostly remote instruction, our students are eager to move forward and achieve their academic and professional goals.

Across the nation, higher education leaders want to be sure our students know what they can expect during the fall term. For CSUN students, I want to provide you with essential information about our efforts to keep you healthy and safe. This is especially important for students who will be taking some of their coursework on campus rather than virtually. The health of our campus community is a shared responsibility. By working together and following the safety guidelines below, we can protect ourselves, our friends and family, and those who may be most vulnerable to COVID-19. That’s why we call our fall plan, “CSUN as One.”

The CSUN as One website (www.csun.edu/csunasone) is the one-stop repository for information on COVID-related policies, procedures and protocols. You will also find information about the status of offices and departments, device loaner programs, course instruction, and the broad range of academic and student support services available to assist you.

Our Fall 2020 Student Safety Training Video, available in the CSUN as One pagelet on the Home tab in the myNorthridge Portal, includes a broad range of information about the measures that will be taken by the university and students to support a safe and healthy campus environment. All students are strongly encouraged, and students coming to campus are required, to see this video ASAP, but not later than the second class session.

The online Student Self-Screening Survey (also available through the CSUN app) asks students to respond to several questions to assess whether the student may come to campus on a given day. You must complete this survey each day before coming to campus. Temperature checks are a required component of the survey. Individuals with a temperature above 100.4 degrees or symptoms of illness should stay home and are encouraged to call their doctor or the Klotz Student Health Center for advice at 818-677-3666.

Wearing an approved face covering and maintaining proper social distance are key behaviors that help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Per campus safety requirements, these behaviors must always be practiced on campus.

As we move toward the season of influenza, it is likely that the CSU will require that, unless exempted for medical reasons, all students attending on-campus classes must have a flu shot, with an expected deadline of November 1. The Klotz Student Health Center is available to provide flu shots for free for those who are uninsured, or for $15 for those with health insurance. Please call them at 818-677-3666 for an appointment in advance. (For students who are insured, flu shots are free at your local pharmacy.)

Failure to follow these safety guidelines and complete the above steps could lead to a corrective action such as asking you to return home.

I realize we are asking a great deal from each of you, our students, and that this is on top of all the other disruptions and challenges in your personal life. I thank you for your diligence and ask for your support and commitment to making sure we all remain safe. We want this to be a semester in which we maximize every opportunity to provide you with a first-rate academic and social experience, even in a virtual environment. Please know that we remain actively committed to doing exactly that!

Finally, each fall it has been my pleasure to deliver the Annual Welcome Address. Given all the challenges and opportunities ahead of us this fall, I am extending this added invitation for you to view my 2020 welcome this Thursday, August 20 at 9 a.m. You can view this virtual address at the following link: https://www.csun.edu/presidents-welcome-address-2020.

Best wishes for a most productive and rewarding Fall 2020.

Sincerely,

Dianne F. Harrison, Ph.D.
President