 The regents of the University of California spoke as one when they unanimously scrapped the Scholastic Aptitude Test in a virtual meeting last month. “I believe the test is a racist test,” said one regent, Jonathan Sures. “There’s no two ways about it.”
But the regents’ decision flouted a unanimous faculty-senate vote a few weeks earlier to retain the SAT for now, after a yearlong study by a task force found the test neither “racist” nor discriminatory and not an obstacle to minorities in any way. The 228-page report, loaded with hundreds of displays of data from the UC’s various admissions departments, found that the SAT and a commonly used alternative test, ACT (also eliminated), helped increase black, Hispanic and Native-American enrollment at the system’s 10 campuses. “To sum up,” the task force report determined, “the SAT allows many disadvantaged students to gain guaranteed admission to UC.” So how could the liberal governing board of a major university system reject the imprimatur of its own liberal faculty researchers and kill a diversity accelerator in the name of the very diversity desired? The answer: The urgency of political momentum against the tests proved irresistible and swept away the research and data. Standardized tests were created about 100 years ago by what became the College Board to provide qualified Jews, Italians, Irish and others a better chance of getting into elite institutions dominated at the time by privileged, well-connected, mostly Protestant families. The idea was that the test created a national standard by which all students from all parts of the country and backgrounds could be compared. But over the years some minority groups have scored significantly lower on the test than others. This has led many educators, civil rights activists and some academics to argue that the tests are racially biased obstacles to the goals of opportunity and diversity. They say the tests favor affluent families, most of them white, who are able to pay for things like private tutoring and summer enrichment programs of the sort that are out of reach for poorer families. This was the prevailing view among the UC regents. The debate, far from new, is complicated and something of a scholarly maze with numerous research studies seeming to support one or another side of the question. But there was little ambiguity in the findings of the rebuffed UC faculty task force — scholars from different fields who in almost any context would be considered solidly liberal and who studied the SAT specifically as it is used in the University of California system.
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 ‘The health of our students, staff, and faculty is of paramount importance and guides our planning process.’ UCLA Newsroom | June 15, 2020UCLA will begin to offer a number of in-person, on-campus courses, as well as limited on-campus student housing, for the 2020–21 academic year, according to plans shared today by Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Emily Carter. To maintain safety, strict infection-control procedures and daily symptoms checks will be required for everyone coming to and living on campus. “The health of our students, staff, and faculty is of paramount importance and guides our planning process,” Carter wrote. “As previously announced, the UCLA COVID-19 Future Planning Task Force has been hard at work, identifying options and recommendations for the fall. I appreciate their thoughtful work, the options they presented, and their recommendations.” The plan’s key points: Courses UCLA anticipates that 15% to 20% of courses will be offered on site or in an on-site and remote hybrid format. These include, but are not limited to, some laboratory courses, some performing arts classes and some courses in clinical health fields, as well as other classes that would be difficult to offer remotely. A list of all courses to be offered for fall 2020 will be available June 17 through the schedule of classes and MyUCLA; the list will identify which courses will be conducted completely remotely, which will be offered on site, and which will be hybrid. Further information about fall 2020 classes and instruction will be available on the Registrar’s Office COVID-19 FAQ page. Housing On-campus housing will be provided at a lower population density to a limited number of students, with some rooms set aside for quarantine or isolation. Housing offers for the academic year will be prioritized based on a variety of factors, including students’ financial need for affordable housing, the distance of a student’s primary residence from campus, and the enrollment preferences of third- and fourth-year students who may wish to take courses or participate in other activities offered on campus. UCLA also aims to offer housing to as many first-year students as feasible; some of these offers will be determined by lottery. UCLA Housing will reach out to students regarding available accommodations by June 29. More information and details about the factors used to determine eligibility are available at this Housing FAQ page. Health and safety Recommended infection-control procedures will be in place on campus, including physical distancing, de-densifying classrooms and other spaces, frequent cleaning of classrooms and facilities, and the wearing of face coverings while on campus, consistent with guidance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. In addition, daily symptom checks will be required for everyone coming to campus or living in campus housing. Testing and contact tracing protocols for COVID-19 will also be in place. Other activities UCLA will continue to offer a wide range of student and campus life activities, as well as co-curricular programming, both remotely and in-person, with proper physical distancing and in accordance with public health guidelines. For international students, the Dashew Center will be available to answer questions related to I-20, F-1 or J-1 status and work authorization issues. questions. Given the constantly evolving situation with COVID-19, some or all of these plans could change based on public health recommendations, campus leaders noted. “We must remain flexible and ready to pivot,” Carter said. “UCLA is collaborating closely with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, which has been providing valuable guidance at every step of this process.” System leaders express their support of the decision and thanks to those who helped in the fight  Demonstrators stand outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 12, 2019, the date of oral arguments in Department of Homeland Security, et al. v. Regents of the University of California, et al. UC Office of the President | June 18, 2020University of California President Janet Napolitano, all 10 UC chancellors and John A. Pérez, chair of the UC Board of Regents, sent a message to the entire UC community expressing their support for the Supreme Court decision issued June 18 upholding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. To the UC community: We write to you on a historic day for the University of California, for our nation, and for the hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients across the country who live, work, and study in our communities. UC was the first university in the nation to file a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s proposed rescission of DACA. Over the past three years, we have worked together to advance our case through the courts and to advocate for DACA recipients on every front. And today, our collective efforts paid off. We applaud the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the administration’s arbitrary attempt to end a policy that has enabled some 650,000 immigrants – brought to the U.S. as children – to live and work in the only country they know as home. Today, we send our sincerest thanks to the individuals from the University who submitted declarations establishing the factual record for our case, to UC Legal and other UC staff who worked tirelessly for almost three years to pursue and support this litigation, all of the other plaintiffs who took a risk by stepping forward, the legal team at Covington & Burling for providing pro bono support, and all of you for standing with us in support of undocumented members of the UC community. As UC leaders, we’ve heard from many students, staff, and their families about the impact of DACA on their lives. DACA recipients in the UC community come from a wide range of countries, yet many of them shared similar stories: the initial joy and relief of being able to study and work in this country legally, without fear of deportation; the despair of learning that their immigration status might keep them from pursuing academic or professional opportunities if DACA protections were rescinded; and the anxiety about whether their DACA application would be used against them or their loved ones. These people – their hopes and their potential – were at the heart of the University’s lawsuit challenging the rescission of DACA. At every step in our case, we were acutely aware of the tangible, harmful impacts of ending the DACA policy on the lives of these individuals and their families, and on the communities where they are valued contributors. Today’s decision is a hard-won victory for these DACA recipients, their families, and our whole community. It is a victory for justice and due process. And it is a victory for what is legal, and what is right. The Court today has held that the government must properly account for its decisions and cannot simply act on a whim. But it’s also important to remember that more work remains to be done, and we need you to stand with us. The UC community must speak with one voice in calling on Congress to pass legislation to permanently protect DACA recipients and provide a path to citizenship. We must stand together to demand comprehensive immigration reform that would bring stability and certainty to families, workers, businesses, and communities across the nation. And we must speak out for our most fundamental values of diversity, inclusion, compassion, and justice. At the University of California, we will continue to vigorously defend the privacy and civil rights of undocumented students and all of our community members, and to provide free legal services through the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center and dedicated undocumented student centers on our campuses. UC will never remain silent when unlawful actions threaten our students and community members. We are so grateful for all of you who have joined with us to ensure that UC remains a safe and welcoming place – and a beacon of opportunity – for all. Yours very truly, Janet Napolitano President, University of California John A. Pérez Chair, Board of Regents Gene D. Block Chancellor, UCLA Nathan Brostrom Chancellor, UC Merced Carol T. Christ Chancellor, UC Berkeley Howard Gillman Chancellor, UC Irvine Sam Hawgood Chancellor, UCSF Pradeep Khosla Chancellor, UC San Diego Cynthia Larive Chancellor, UC Santa Cruz Gary S. May Chancellor, UC Davis Kim Wilcox Chancellor, UC Riverside Henry T. Yang Chancellor, UC Santa Barbara  PHOTO: PHOTO: CAROLYN JONES/EDSOURCE Q:Are California’s colleges and universities closed for instruction?
A: In general, all California’s colleges are now closed for most in-person instruction until the end of the school year. All of the state’s public colleges and universities will continue to offer classes online through the summer. Because of California’s size, and the number of different colleges, there are many differences in exact schedules and how instruction will be offered. It is best to consult with the websites of individual campuses. At all nine University of California undergraduate campuses and at all 23 California State University campuses, courses have been moved to virtual modes. Many of those universities initially said some courses that are difficult to transition to online learning, such as lab classes, would continue to meet face-to-face, but even those classes are now being moved online. All of the community college system’s 114 traditional colleges have suspended many of their in-person classes and transitioned as many as possible online. Regarding lab classes and other courses that are difficult to transition online, the California Community Colleges’guidance to colleges states: “Colleges are moving to using simulation software or looking at simulation software in place of in-person training. Colleges that are still offering in-person training will practice local or state social distancing guidelines.” Q: When will colleges reopen for in-person instruction? A: Most classes across the California State University system will continue to be held online through the fall because of the spread of the coronavirus, Chancellor Tim White said in May. Keeping classes online is necessary because of “evolving data surrounding the progression” of the virus, White said during a CSU trustee meeting, alluding to public health experts forecasting further waves of the virus later this year. He left the door open, however, to resuming some in-person classes “as circumstances might allow.” The University of California will allow some or all of its 10 campuses to partly reopen in the fall if widespread testing and tracing for the coronavirus gets underway, all students and faculty wear face coverings and physical distancing is kept. Decisions will be made by individual campuses and labs during June, with some variation among them likely, officials said A handful of community colleges have announced that most of their classes will be online in the fall. At a California community colleges’ board of trustees meeting in May, Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley endorsed the decision already made by some of the state’s community colleges to continue remote instruction come fall. Q: What resources are available to professors and instructors who are unfamiliar with teaching online? A: A vast amount of material and tools are available for online instruction, which most colleges have offered in some form already, although not to the extent that they will be called on to offer in the coming months. Some colleges are more prepared than others for this transition. Some colleges and universities are providing their own webinars and training sessions to help their instructors make the transition to online instruction. The challenge will be greatest for faculty with little or no experience with distance learning. Many digital learning experts are offering advice and tools online. Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education has a collection of resources and tips for educators and families, including college instructors transitioning from the classroom to at-home learning. Educause, an education technology association, offers some advice for professors transitioning quickly from face-to-face instruction online. The Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University also offers some advice. And two new Facebook groups have emerged to help teachers and professors share ideas and strategies for transitioning their classrooms from in-person to online: Teaching in the Time of Corona: Resources and Pandemic Pedagogy. Q: Will college students be able to receive refunds for their dorm and dining plans? What about tuition and fees? A: Universities and colleges say that students who left their dorms can receive prorated refunds for their housing and food plans, along with rebates for campus recreation and parking fees in some cases. Students in private, off-campus housing are unlikely to receive rental rebates if their leases are still in force. As for tuition, nearly 50,000 people have signed a petition to persuade the University of California system to provide a partial tuition refund. “We pay money for going to classes, seeing professors and having one to one meetings during office hours,” said Rose Oganesian, a UC Irvine freshman who organized the petition. However, spokespersons for both UC and California State University insist that online classes are worth the value of full tuition and that the universities will not reduce or refund a portion of students’ tuition costs. Lawsuits have been filed in other states demanding tuition refunds. Lawyers representing students from the CSU and UC systems filed a federal lawsuit in April demanding refunds for fees paid for the Spring 2020 academic term. The fees typically cover campus gyms, health facilities, student centers and activities. UC officials declined to comment on the lawsuit. A CSU spokesman said campuses have been open and offering services to students even though courses were moved online and that they would “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.” Q: How can students access emergency financial aid Congress approved in the coronavirus stimulus funding to colleges? A: The state’s colleges and universities are getting more than $1.7 billion to help fight the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Each college is required to use at least half of the amount they receive to provide emergency grants and financial aid to students to help them with expenses because of the coronavirus. Those expenses can include a wide range such as health care, child care, food, living expenses or computers. Each campus determines who can access the funding and some are developing applications so students can apply for the aid. However, some students, who do not typically qualify for federal financial aid, will not be able to receive these emergency grants, such as undocumented students or those who primarily enrolled in online courses prior to the pandemic. The California Community Colleges are suing the U.S. Department of Education over eligibility requirements the federal agency placed on coronavirus emergency student aid. Search the EdSource database to learn how much each college or university in California and nationwide is slated to receive. Q: What about the additional funding colleges and universities are due to receive in the coronavirus stimulus law? The other half of the $1.7 billion that Congress gave to California colleges and universities can be used by these institutions for expenses directly related to the disruption of campus operations because of the pandemic. “Institutions will be able to use these funds to cover costs associated with significant changes to the delivery of instruction due to the coronavirus,” the department said. Q: What about upcoming commencement/graduation ceremonies? A: All four-year public universities have now postponed or canceled in-person commencement ceremonies. That includes each of the California State University’s 23 campuses and all nine of the University of California’s undergraduate campuses. UC San Diego was the final public four-year university in the state to make the change. It announced on April 30 that it would conduct commencement ceremonies virtually. But like several other universities that will be holding virtual ceremonies, UC San Diego says that the virtual ceremony won’t replace the traditional in-person ceremonies, which will be held at a later date when the threat of the virus subsides. As for the state’s community colleges, the system’s chancellor, Eloy Ortiz Oakley, has said commencements will need to be canceled, postponed or conducted virtually. Q: What about students who were planning on spending some or all of next year at an international program? Are those programs still planning on being open? A: This is an evolving situation and you should consult the website of the programs you hope to participate in. All UC Education Abroad Programs for this summer have been canceled. No announcement has been made regarding fall programs. CSU says it has suspended all its study abroad programs but has not made any announcement regarding summer or fall programs. Q: How are high school seniors being affected in terms of making a decision about what college they will attend? A: High school seniors headed to universities usually have until May 1 to make tuition deposits and commit to the school that they will attend in the fall, but the spread of the coronavirus could make those decisions more difficult. So some deadlines have been extended. Some universities have already canceled their admitted student days when prospective students are invited to campus for a day of events to learn more about the college. Universities also have suspended campus tours. Virtual meetings and tours are now commonplace. At the University of California system, the deposit deadline for incoming freshmen was May 1. But officials promised flexibility in hardship cases. The California State University system has so far announced no across the board plans, but eight CSU campuses have announced plans to delay deposit deadlines to June 1. Those include CSU’s Cal Poly Pomona, Channel Islands, Chico, Dominguez Hills, Humboldt, San Bernardino, San Francisco and San Marcos campuses. As for other Cal State campuses, the chancellor’s office left it up to each campus to determine whether to delay the May 1 deadline, said Toni Molle, a spokeswoman for the system’s chancellor’s office. Q: Is there any assistance available for repaying federal student loans? A: For non-students who are paying back federal loans, or if you have chosen to pay off your loans while you are in college, you can suspend your payments for six months as part of the $2 trillion economic stimulus package signed by President Trump. Because of the impact of the coronavirus, interest rates on some federally held student loans will automatically be set at zero percent for 6 months, as well. Borrowers won’t have to worry about accruing interest if they choose to suspend their payments. Borrowers also can continue making payments. The full payment would go toward the principal balance of the loan. However, the new stimulus law doesn’t apply to every type of federal loan. It excludes loans that are guaranteed by the government, but not held by it, for example, Federal Family Education Loans don’t qualify. Q: Will faculty still be expected to work? A: Yes. Most classes are being converted to online instruction, so faculty will still teach their courses via Zoom, Canvas and other remote methods. Q: What if I don’t have internet access, or not reliable access, at my home? A: For students who are enrolled at a community college but don’t have internet access at home, the system’s guidance to students notes that several internet providers are offering free or reduced-cost internet access. Go here for more information on those services. Community college students who don’t have a computer or other device to take classes online should check with their local college for possible laptop loan programs, according to the guidance. Students who attend a four-year university and don’t have internet at home should check in with officials at their universities. Students at California State University or University of California campuses have the option of remaining on campus, where there is internet. Q: What am I expected to do if I am unable to live with my family during this period? A: Many public colleges and universities across the state are continuing to provide housing and dining for students who are unable to leave, like international students or those who lack stable homes like foster care students or others who risk becoming homeless if they leave campus. Most of these campuses will continue to provide housing and dining services through the summer for students who have a need, such as former foster youth or students who face homelessness. The availability and type of campus housing continues to vary by campus. The types of meal service available for students who remain on campus is specific to the particular campus, said Toni Molle, a CSU system spokeswoman. Some campuses have set up “grab and go” take-out style or boxed meals, she said. UC system officials said housing and services will vary by campus this summer and students should contact their local officials for details. Q: Will mental health and other support services normally offered by my college be available during this transitional period? A: Some on-campus counseling and mental health offices have closed, but are offering video and phone visits. Counseling and psychological services at CSU Long Beach, for example, remain available by phone. Some services like UC San Diego Health remain open for students who need urgent care. In general, students should check with the counseling and student support service offices on their campuses, and take advantage of whatever options are offered during this difficult time. Campus health centers, mental health counseling and other student services such as academic advising will continue to operate via tele-health or online through the summer sessions at CSU campuses, according to a spokesperson for the system. Q: Will students still get the same financial aid they were receiving before? A: Students’ financial aid situations will vary from person to person and campus to campus but they will continue to have access to financial aid advisers and counselors online or by phone. The Federal Student Aid Office advises students to contact their school if they have questions. If a campus moves classes from in-person to online, students should continue to participate so they can remain eligible for financial aid. There are different requirements for maintaining federal and state financial aid and grants. Students should consult with their financial aid offices for how changes made on their campus will impact their financial aid. Students who receive community college promise grants should work with their local campus to determine if any actions are needed to retain those grants, according to the community college chancellor’s office. Some colleges may continue to pay Federal Work-Study wages to students if their campus temporarily closes due to the coronavirus pandemic and they’re unable to work, or if because of the crisis they were laid off from their off-campus work-study job. Q: Has any admissions criteria changed for incoming students? A: The University of California and California State University systems have relaxed some of their admissions criteria for incoming freshmen and transfer students. High school seniors can submit credit/no credit grades in place of traditional letter grades for A-G courses completed in winter, spring or summer 2020. A-G courses are the set of high school classes students must take to be eligible to attend one of the nine UC undergraduate campuses or one of the 23 CSU campuses. Community college students planning to transfer to a CSU or UC campus can also submit credit/no credit grades for prerequisite classes completed during the same time frame. Universities are also giving students flexibility for submitting their official transcripts, which are typically due in July. The UC and CSU systems are still requesting that final transcripts be submitted by their usual deadlines but say they won’t rescind admission offers for late transcripts. The UC system also is suspending the SAT and ACT requirement for current high school juniors for this upcoming year because of widespread testing cancellations. In May, the announced it would abandon the SAT and ACT exams as a freshman admission requirement and decided to develop its own substitute standardized test by 2025. And if that does not work out by 2025, UC will drop standardized tests altogether. In June, the College Board, which is the organization that administers the SAT, announced it would postpone plans to offer an online version of the SAT for high school students to take at home. Q: How will students be graded this semester? A: Many college and university students have said regular A-F grades should be replaced by a pass/fail evaluation system this spring. Some students want the option of choosing between the two types of grades until face-to-face teaching can resume. The California Community Colleges are waiving the deadline for students to select a pass/no pass grading option instead of a traditional letter grade. Students also will be allowed to retake any class attempted during the coronavirus crisis. If they do, grades from their first attempt will not count toward their grade point averages. Colleges across the state are responding in a variety of ways. UC Berkeley, for example, is switching to pass/no pass system this semester but will allow students to request a letter grade. Meanwhile, UCLA is keeping letter grades but allowing students to opt-in to pass/no pass grading for as many courses as they want, unlike the usual one per term allowed. Cal State campuses are studying how to expand the number of courses a student can take as credit or no credit and also how far to extend the deadlines for such choices. Source: EdSource Even with most classes being held online, some students will be able to return to on-campus housing. All but one of University of California’s nine campuses serving undergraduates have now formally announced plans to offer most classes online this fall, as the four-year university system moves forward amid the coronavirus pandemic.
This week, four UC campuses — Berkeley, Riverside, Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara — became the latest to disclose detailed plans for the fall, joining Davis, Irvine, Merced and Los Angeles. In general, the campuses will deliver the vast majority of classes virtually, except for classes such as science labs and small discussion seminars that are difficult to provide remotely. At the same, those eight universities have also said they will allow some students to return to campus this fall and stay in dorms, with variations from campus to campus in how they envision doing that. UC San Diego has yet to formally announce their plans for the fall, but Chancellor Pradeep Khosla wrote in an op-ed Wednesday in the San Diego Union-Tribune that the university will “offer a mix of remote and in-person instruction.” The announcements come as the coronavirus continues to spread across California and the United States. Hospitalizations are increasing in some parts of California, including in Orange and Ventura counties as well as in the San Joaquin Valley, according to the Los Angeles Times. California is also among nine states that on Tuesday registered either new single-day highs in cases of the virus or a record for seven-day new case averages, the Washington Post reported. Classes across the UC system first transitioned to being delivered virtually in March, as the coronavirus began to spread rapidly across the state. The plans being put forward by UC campuses for the fall are in line with the expectations set by system president Janet Napolitano, who said last month that “most of, if not all of, our campuses will operate in some kind of hybrid mode.” The state’s other four-year public university system, the 23-campus California State University, initially appeared to take a stricter approach than UC in limiting in-person classes for the fall. Tim White, that system’s chancellor, made national headlines last month when he said that most classes across the system will be offered online this fall, with limited exceptions for classes that can’t be delivered virtually. Napolitano did not take the same top-down approach, instead leaving decisions for the fall to each individual campus across the UC system. But as those campuses have released their plans, they appear to be fairly similar to what can be expected across the CSU system, with the majority of classes being taught remotely and a few courses being delivered face-to-face. Here is what is known about plans for eight of UC’s campuses: UC Berkeley In-person classes at Berkeley will be offered on a limited basis to students “who wish to come to campus,” the university said Wednesday. “Large courses” will be delivered remotely, the university said, but smaller discussion groups that are part of those classes may be available in person. The university is still in the process of determining specifically which classes will have in-person options for the fall and plans to make that information available by July. In any case, the university will not require any student to take in-person classes or be present on campus. Even courses that offer in-person instruction will also be available “via a remotely delivered method,” according to the university. A limited number of students will be able to stay in campus housing. Out of more than 30,000 undergraduate students, the university plans to house up to 6,500 students in residence halls. Those students will need to be tested for Covid-19, the disease the virus causes, before moving into their dorms and will be asked to isolate for between seven and 10 days after arriving. Students who will be given priority for staying in campus housing include low-income students, students who have already signed housing contracts, students with disabilities and athletes. UC Davis DAVID PHILLIPS / FLICKR UC Davis campus Most courses will be offered virtually at Davis this fall, but some will also be available in person “depending on health guidelines and instructor preference,” according to the university. The university plans to offer in-person instruction for the “small number of courses that cannot be delivered remotely,” including classes that emphasize hands-on learning. Classes that are offered in-person will be held in classrooms that are bigger than usual. If county and state health guidelines allow, the university will also allow students to return to campus housing this fall, but residence halls “will have reduced density,” the university said. UC Irvine Irvine was the first UC campus to disclose plans for the fall, announcing last week that almost all undergraduate classes would be delivered remotely, with exceptions made for labs, clinical courses and some engineering classes. However, the university does plan to allow students to return to campus. University officials wrote in a letter to students and their families that the university is “committed to providing as many students as possible with a meaningful campus residential experience” and would allow students to stay in dorms with single and double rooms. UCLA UCLA said this week that it expects between 15% and 20% of classes will be offered either in person or with a mix of in-person and virtual delivery. Those classes will include labs, clinical courses, some performing arts classes and other courses that can’t be delivered remotely. The rest of the university’s classes will be conducted online. The university said it will also offer on-campus housing but at a “lower population density” and will prioritize housing “based on a variety of factors,” including the financial needs of students and the distance between their primary residence and the campus. UC Merced Merced is aiming to offer between 20% and 30% of classes in person this fall as part of a blended approach of remote, in-person and hybrid course offerings, the university said last week. Priority for on-campus housing will go to incoming freshmen, foster and former foster students, students with disabilities and students who are homeless or otherwise housing insecure. Housing that is still available after those students have been accommodated will be offered to other students on a waiting list. UC Riverside All classes at UC Riverside will be available virtually during the fall quarter. Instructors who want to offer in-person classes can submit requests to do so, but any classes approved for in-person instruction will also need to accommodate students who can’t attend in person. The university said it expects that a “relatively small number of classes” will be approved for in-person instruction, and that it will prioritize graduate classes and undergraduate lab and studio courses. On-campus housing will be available to students, “but the density will be lower than normal and is still being determined,” according to the university. UC Santa Barbara Most classes will be offered remotely — and definitely all classes with enrollments of more than 50 students. At the same time the university says “we still plan to create a meaningful on-campus experience for as many students as we can, particularly those with special circumstances.” Campus residence halls will be open, but with no more than double occupancy per room. Before returning to campus, students will be required to show that they have tested negatively to the virus, and once there they will be asked to limit social interactions for the first two weeks, and then to stay on campus for the entire quarter which begins on October 1. Residence halls will impose a strict “no visitor” policy. The university says it will give special consideration in allocating housing “to students in their first year on campus and those with special circumstances. “The number of housing units for graduate students will not be affected. Students living off campus in Isla Vista are being encouraged to “will carefully explore all options, and be mindful about the importance of physical distancing and reduced density in living situations.” Even in off campus housing, students are advised not to more than two people per bedroom. UC San Diego In an op-ed in the San Diego Union-Tribune, UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said the campus will offer a limited number of in-person classes, including “smaller seminar classes, studios and laboratories that require hands-on work.” The university is expected to announce more formal plans on Friday, according to the Los Angeles Times. UC Santa Cruz Most courses will be offered remotely this fall, UC Santa Cruz announced Wednesday, but in-person instruction will be provided for a “small number of classes that cannot be delivered remotely.” That includes some lab classes, studio courses and field study courses. The on-campus housing offered by the university will be significantly reduced, with priority given to “various continuing student populations and new transfer students, who may have a need to be physically present for courses or labs taught on campus,” the university said. |
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