Things to Come (This Fall)

From an email earlier today regarding fall quarter plans at UCLA given the ongoing coronavirus crisis:

To the Campus Community:

As we begin summer, I want to recognize the extraordinary dedication of our entire community to UCLA’s mission of conducting world-class research, teaching, and service, especially in these uncertain times. All of you truly make us proud. As we look toward fall, I also want to provide you with the latest information about UCLA’s planning for the next academic year. The health of our students, staff, and faculty is of paramount importance and guides our planning process. 

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. Chancellor Block and I want to alert you to our current plans and share the latest information:

• We anticipate that 15% to 20% of courses will be offered on site or in hybrid format. These include, but are not limited to, some laboratory courses, some performing arts classes, 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 in fall 2020 will be available this Wednesday through the Schedule of Classes and MyUCLA, identifying which courses will be conducted completely remotely, which will be offered on site, and which will be hybrid (a combination of remote and on site). Further information about fall 2020 classes and instruction will be available on the Registrar’s Office COVID-19 FAQ page. Please realize that if public health recommendations change, plans for in-person courses could change.

• On-campus housing will be provided at lower population density, 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 financial need for affordable housing, distance of primary residence from campus, and enrollment preferences of third- and fourth-year students wanting to take courses or participate in other activities offered on site. It is also our goal to offer housing to as many first-year students as feasible, some of which will be determined by lottery. UCLA Housing will reach out to students regarding available accommodations by June 29. More information and detail about the factors used to determine eligibility are available at this Housing FAQ page.

• 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 requiring face coverings while on campus, consistent with guidance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

• 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.

• UCLA will continue to offer a wide range of student and campus life activities as well as co-curricular programming, offered remotely as well as in-person with proper physical distancing and in accordance with public health guidelines.

Please also know that we are committed to helping ensure that our enrolled students, regardless of location, can continue making progress toward their degrees, and our academic departments have been asked to provide course schedules that allow for this. Students concerned about their access to courses or making timely progress toward their degrees should contact the College or their school or departmental academic advisors for guidance.

The Dashew Center will be available for questions related to I-20, F-1 or J-1 status and work authorization questions.

As we have all learned, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic remain fluid and can change our lives and plans on a daily basis. What is true today may be outmoded or superseded by new information tomorrow. We must remain flexible and ready to pivot. 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.

I am immensely grateful to the COVID-19 Future Planning Task Force and its eight working groups examining a variety of issues, ranging from undergraduate and graduate education to housing, and from infection control to physical distancing. Its members have been meeting, obtaining information, and doing their due diligence virtually around the clock over the past seven weeks, and their work continues. We will communicate again with more specific information throughout the summer.

I know this uncertainty is difficult and appreciate your understanding and resilience as we work to make these important decisions, always guided by our priority of safety for the entire UCLA community, but never forgetting our commitment to offering our students a world-class education and experience.

Sincerely,

Emily A. Carter

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost