August 7, 2020
Dear Students and Parents,
As the University announced earlier this week, public health conditions in Los Angeles have prevented state and county officials from approving any plans for in-person or hybrid instruction, requiring us to begin the fall semester entirely online, with limited exceptions for clinical education.
We are encouraging students to study from home during the fall semester to minimize on-campus density, but we recognize that a limited number of students have been approved to live on campus, and others will be living in the surrounding neighborhood. The health and safety of all our community members has always been, and remains, our top priority. Despite efforts to educate our student community about effective measures to stop the spread of COVID-19, outbreaks have occurred within the student population currently living near the University Park campus. In order to safeguard the USC community and reduce spread of COVID-19, the University has assembled a Student COVID Response Team which will oversee student compliance on and around our campuses. The University is now requiring all students who have physical presence in, or contact with, the University community (including off campus) to follow these guidelines:
- Wear an effective face covering at all times except when inside a private sleeping room or residence.
- Follow University signage regarding health and safety requirements on campus.
- Honor physical distancing requirements within your residence; this includes agreeing not to host guests, or host or attend in-person gatherings or events.
- Complete Trojan Check daily and truthfully, and make reservations before visiting on-campus spaces.
- Keep personal spaces sanitary and regularly wash hands.
- Avoid non-essential travel, and quarantine for 14 days after returning from international travel.
- Participate in COVID-19 testing as required by the University.
- Quarantine for 14 days as required by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health in the event of exposure to COVID-19.
- Self-isolate, cooperate with the University and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health for contact tracing purposes, and alert the University upon receiving a positive result from a COVID-19 test.
- Remain aware of evolving University instruction on COVID-19 health and safety requirements, and comply with that instruction.
If the University receives a report of students and student organizations who are not complying with these measures, or otherwise behaving in a way that poses intentional or unintentional health risks to the larger community, these individuals and organizations will be held accountable:
- Students may be barred from accessing University premises for the rest of the semester, including the USC Village. Tuition refunds will not be granted to students whose coursework is affected as a result.
- To the extent failure to comply with this guidance constitutes a violation of the University’s Student Code of Conduct, students may be subject to disciplinary sanctions, including probation, suspension or expulsion, and student organizations may lose their recognition.
- If the failure to comply with this guidance also implicates County or City rules, students may be, separately, found responsible by government authorities, and subject to monetary fines.
We expect our students, faculty and staff to follow all guidance issued by USC for safely returning to campus, whenever public health guidance allows. Please commit to protecting yourself, your peers, your neighbors and the entire Trojan Community.
Sincerely,
Winston B. Crisp
Vice President for Student Affairs