Living Together | CUI Together | Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Preparing for Spring 2021

Resources for Campus Experience

We want to reassure our community that we take your health and well-being seriously during the ongoing pandemic. By following these guidelines, we exhibit love and concern for each member of our community, and we model how to “love your neighbor.” We thank you in advance for your cooperation, and we pray for your continued safety and well-being.

Resources

Topics

Changes to Residential Life

Residence Life & COVID-19

Student Health Services for COVID-19

Residence Hall Infectious Disease Response Plan

Temperature Checks & Symptom Monitoring

Privacy Matters

Use of Face Masks

Student Services

Co-Curricular Activities

Spiritual Life on Campus

Changes to Residential Life

In addition to beginning the Spring 2021 semester with fully online instruction, we will continue with a revised housing strategy for the spring semester. To support the health and safety of residential students, faculty, and staff, and to comply with current state and county guidance for student housing, we will maintain reduced occupancy in the residence halls.

We firmly believe that residence life is integral to building a sense of community for our undergraduate students; therefore, we want to preserve that possibility for students with demonstrated need, while ensuring the health and safety of each person. As you know, we have prepared diligently to bring the community back together in a safe and considered manner. Guidelines, policies, and resources are in place throughout the campus to mitigate the possible spread of illness.

We are also blessed to have a large, secluded campus, with lots of outdoor recreation and study spaces. Students will find many opportunities for exercise, social time, and engagement while maintaining physical distancing. Our Student Affairs and Campus Ministry teams are committed to providing an engaging co-curricular experience for all students during the fall semester.

Residence Life & COVID-19

In order to maintain and promote a safe environment in the residence halls and to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, additional safety protocols and requirements will be in place for resident students for the beginning of the fall semester.

Female nursing students washing their hands

Proper Handwashing Techniques

What to Bring

In addition to the normal list of items to pack for the life in the residence halls, resident students should bring 3-4 washable cloth face coverings (or a face shield), a thermometer, and cleaning/disinfecting supplies for their room. Visit our “What to Bring” website for a list of items CUI provides in each room and what students are expected to bring.

Cleaning & Sanitation

Students will receive instruction on how to properly clean and sanitize personal and shared spaces. Students are expected to disinfect bathroom surfaces, handles, doorknobs, etc. on their own at least daily. CUI will continue to clean residence hall lounges, common bathrooms, and laundry rooms daily.

Physical Distance in the Residence Halls

In Rho and Sigma Residence Halls, the rooms are large enough that residents can maintain physical distance in sleeping areas without additional barriers. In the Upper and Lower Quads, hospital grade curtains will be installed to divide the sleeping area.

In the event of diagnosed COVID-19 illness within the residence halls, CUI’s cleaning service will thoroughly sanitize the student’s room and a temporary isolation room will be provided for the student and suitemates. See more information below in Quarantine and Isolation Procedures.

Student Health Services for COVID-19

Testing

Student Health Services now has a new Sofia 2 antigen testing machine for SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The Sofia 2 is a rapid testing machine, with results available within 15 minutes. If a test comes back negative, a PCR test will be sent to an offsite lab for confirmatory testing.

Student Health Services also has the ability to conduct PCR testing onsite. Test samples are collected onsite, via nasal swab, and then sent to private laboratories for processing. PCR testing is free for most students, including those who do not have insurance coverage.

We continue to work closely with Orange County Health Care Agency, who has generously provided us with free BinaxNow Rapid Antigen Kits to meet the demands of testing. Our established protocol for testing and relationship with private laboratories enabled us to meet the criteria for this resource allocation from the county.

With two testing options available, CUI is ready to assist residential and commuter students who are experiencing COVID-like symptoms. To learn more about CUI’s response to COVID-19, read CUI’s Infectious Disease Response Plan.

Contact Tracing

Student Health Services created a contact tracing framework to support patients and warn contacts of exposure in order to stop chains of transmission & prevent further spread of infection. Key personnel were identified and trained as

Case Investigators
Contact Tracers
Resource Coordinators
Data Analysts

Residence Hall Infectious Disease Response Plan

In order to minimize the spread and exposure of communicable diseases on campus and in the residence halls, Concordia University Irvine has set aside isolation and quarantine rooms for resident students. Isolation rooms separate sick students with a contagious disease from people who are not sick. Quarantine rooms separate and restrict the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick.

Resident students who are sick or who have been exposed to contagious illness will be moved to a temporary isolation or quarantine room. Residence Life staff and Wellness Center staff will deliver food service, perform wellness checks, and provide basic laundry services for isolated and quarantined students. The Wellness Center staff will also notify course instructors so that appropriate course arrangements can be made.

For a complete list of quarantine and isolation procedures, please see the CUI Procedure for Student Self-Isolation.

Temperature Checks & Symptom Monitoring

It is recommended that all CUI students take their temperature and complete a daily health assessment. Resident students should perform these checks before leaving the residence hall in the morning, and commuter students are asked to conduct temperature and symptom checking before coming to campus. Download the self-screening app #CampusClear and answer questions daily. It takes less than 10 seconds to answer the self-screening questions. Students who report symptoms will be advised to stay home until contacted by the Wellness Center for assessment and guidance.

Athletes have a separate reporting tool that meets the NCAA guidance, called ARMS COVID-19. Student athletes who report symptoms will be contacted by an athletic trainer and referred to the Wellness Center, as needed. Contact your coach if you have questions regarding set-up and protocol.

How to Self-Report Illness

Fill out the #CampusClear app or contact the Wellness Center at (949) 214-3102 or [email protected].

If you are ill, but your symptoms are unrelated to COVID-19 symptoms, stay home and notify your professors that you are unable to attend class due to illness.

If a student exhibits any of the symptoms indicated on the CDC website or app, they SHOULD NOT come to class or attend other campus activities. Likewise, commuter students should not come to campus. Contact the Wellness Center and your medical provider immediately for further instructions.

Your Privacy Matters

The privacy of our students and employees is very important to us. Health information is legally protected by FERPA privacy rules. We want all our community members to know that their health and self-reporting information is kept confidential. Positive COVID-19 test results will only be shared with authorized health care providers, employees trained to do contact tracing, personnel who will provide support and assistance to students in isolation, and our local Orange County Health Care Agency, which tracks all local cases of COVID-19 infection. To learn more about how we protect your health information, visit cui.edu/COVID-19.

When a student or employee reports a confirmed or suspected case of infectious illness (seasonal flu, meningitis, COVID-19, etc.), the Wellness Center (for students) and Human Resources (for employees) alert close contacts who have been exposed so that they can begin quarantine and possibly pursue testing. The name of the person who is ill is not disclosed. It is up to an individual if they want to disclose their health status with close friends, professors, and other contacts, but this should only be done after notifying the Wellness Center or filling out the Self-Reporting form.

For students, the Wellness Center will contact professors to let them know that a student will not be attending class. For close contacts who must quarantine, professors will be notified that the student needs to take classes fully online until the period of quarantine is completed. Students should also contact their professors directly to let them know if they cannot attend class in person due to an illness or possible exposure. Professors will work with students on attending remotely and, if needed, on accommodations for completing course requirements.

For employees, after they fill out the Self-Reporting form, they may notify their supervisor of illness or the need to quarantine, or they may ask Human Resources to do so for them. Human Resources will work with supervisors to arrange for remote work or teaching.

Please remember to respect the privacy of our community members and do not disclose the health issues of others.

Use of Face Masks

How to Wear a Face Covering

Until further notice, face coverings must be worn in all public spaces outside the residence halls, especially where six feet of physical distance cannot be maintained. Current guidance from the California Department of Public Health requires that people use cloth face coverings outside of their immediate living space. Although our classrooms and other indoor spaces have been reconfigured to allow for physical distancing, we will require that students wear face coverings in the classroom for added protection for fellow classmates, faculty and staff.

Here is a list of spaces where students are required to wear face coverings:

Classrooms
Inside all buildings
Getting food in the cafeteria (not while eating)
In chapel
In student service areas
Outdoor events/gatherings where six feet of physical distance cannot be maintained

Face coverings are not required in most outdoor spaces, unless physical distance cannot be maintained. Presently, the state of California requires face masks to be worn outside the home, so students should remember to bring and wear face coverings while off campus, as well.

Students who cannot wear face coverings due to a diagnosed disability must email [email protected] with appropriate disability documentation from the treating specialist. Please contact the Disability and Learning Resource Center at [email protected] to obtain the guidelines for appropriate disability documentation.

Student Services

Offices that personally interface with students, such as the Registrar’s Office, Academic Advising, Campus Safety, and Financial Aid, will employ various safety measures to maintain physical distance and reduce contact. These include plexiglass shields between staff and students, making appointments in advance online instead of waiting in groups, and virtual meetings.

Co-Curricular Activities

Students involved in co-curriculars with group practice, performances, and/or competitions (such as music, theatre, athletics, and forensics), have additional safety guidelines and procedures in place formulated by athletics conferences, professional associations, and local and national agencies that inform how these group activities will be pursued. Coaches and program directors will communicate any additional guidance and safety protocols to students involved in co-curricular activities.

Spiritual Life on Campus

Spiritual life remains an important part of our campus life and community. God blesses us through his ministry even in challenging times. We encourage every member of our community to use the wonderful resources of our campus ministry.

Chapel

M, Tu, Th, F (10:30-11:00 am) - Virtual

Daily chapel is purposefully designed to serve everyone in our CUI community. It is our hope that students, no matter what their background, can join others during the week at these chapel experiences.

This year our chapels will follow a pattern which Martin Luther suggested comprises the proper way to study theology. In Latin, the terms are: oratio, meditatio, and tentatio. We will adapt these slightly to this sequence:

Monday Chapel
We begin the week by meditating on God’s Word to us (meditatio). The focus most of this semester will be going verse by verse through Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Our theme passage encourages us, even in uncertain times, to "shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life" (Philippians 2:15b-16).
Tuesday Chapel
Prayer (oratio) is our response based upon a Psalm related to the Philippians reading. After an overview of the Psalm, we will pray it together, followed by 5 minutes for journaling or private/small group prayer. Our theme verses are Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Thursday Chapel
Tentatio comprises spiritual struggle. A brief devotion based upon Monday’s reading from Philippians will lead to life application questions to be discussed in small groups (10 minutes). Our theme verse is Philippians 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.
Friday Chapel
We added imitatio to wrap up the week with personal testimonies of faith from various members of CUI’s community. The theme verse is Philippians 3:17 where Paul writes, "Join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us” (Philippians 3:17). Of course, behind this appeal is 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ."

Pastoral Care will continue without interruption and will follow safety protocols. We are here to assist you.

Small Groups and Bible Studies can be held with a limit of ten participants in each group. Physical distancing will be observed.

Mission Trips are currently on hold for safety reasons. Trips and service opportunities will be reviewed on an individual basis as restrictions begin to lift.