Nancy E. Resnick, UCSD’s chief human resources officer, released a statement to campus staff on October 20 announcing that UCSD employees will be allowed to continue working remotely until the end of Winter Quarter on March 12, 2021.
“The extended remote work timeline will be helpful to employees as they make decisions regarding distance learning, caregiving, childcare and other personal and family obligations. I encourage managers and supervisors to be flexible during this time and work collaboratively with employees who may be navigating new challenges and responsibilities at home,” Resnick stated in the campus notice.
According to Leslie Sepuka, associate director of communications, this notice only applies to staff who are already working remotely, including student workers in non-academic positions, but not faculty. The notice does not apply to UC San Diego Health and Health Sciences staff as well.
“Reducing the population density of our campus continues to be a critical safety aspect of our plans, as social distancing is one of our most powerful tools in slowing the spread of COVID-19. This campus notice is part of regular communication to the campus as university leadership assesses the impact of COVID-19 and how to stem the spread of the virus,” Sepuka explained.
Meanwhile, UCSD has not released any statements on whether classes will be conducted remotely or in person for the Winter Quarter. Class schedules for Winter courses will be published on November 11 and students can register starting November 16.
“Our Winter Quarter classes will be conducted in a mix of in-person, hybrid and remote formats, similar to what we have been doing during Fall Quarter,” says Sepuka.
As required by UCSD’s Return to Learn program, there are currently less than 10 percent of all undergraduate classes being conducted in person. There are 9,655 students living in singles on campus and 20% of campus employees are working on campus.
Mandatory testing is currently required for all students and staff every 12-16 days while residing or working on campus. So far, 27 students have tested positive since the term started on October 1 and 112 total since March 1, 2020.
Support for those continuing to work remotely can be found here.
Vanessa Gaeta-Munoz is a Staff Writer for The Triton. You can follow her here.
This article was edited on 10/27 to correct a typo. “there are currently less than 10 percent of all undergraduate classes being conducted on line” was changed to “there are currently less than 10 percent of all undergraduate classes being conducted in person.”