Living Together

Preparing for Fall 2020

Resources for Campus Experience

We look forward to welcoming our students, faculty, and staff back to campus, when permitted. With these new guidelines and policies, 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

Preparing for Move-In Days: Updated

Residence Life & COVID-19

Student Health Services for COVID-19

Residence Hall Infectious Disease Response Plan

Temperature Checks & Symptom Monitoring

Use of Face Masks

Student Services

Co-Curricular Activities

Spiritual Life on Campus

Changes to Residential Life

In addition to beginning the semester with fully online instruction, we have decided to move forward with a revised housing strategy for the fall semester. To support the health and safety of residential students, faculty, and staff, and to comply with what we now anticipate will be the state guidance for student housing, we will reduce occupancy in the residence halls.

CUI Housing staff will be working directly with students to submit additional information about their need for housing this fall according to these new protocols. Students are asked to read all communication from Housing staff carefully and comply with the listed deadlines. There is a limited timeframe to gather information and notify students about the availability of fall housing. Failure to submit information accurately and in a timely manner may prevent a student from receiving full consideration for housing during the fall semester. Priority for housing accommodations will be communicated early next week.

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. New guidelines, policies, and resources will be 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.

Preparing for Move-In Days: New Students & Returning Students

Due to local health guidelines, we have adjusted our move-in and orientation schedule to allow for smaller group gatherings. Students and guests are required to wear masks at move-in and all students and guests will have their temperature checked upon arrival to campus at check-in.

To facilitate physical distancing and limit the number of guests on campus, students will be allowed to bring up to two guests to help with move-in.

In an effort to manage the traffic flow for move-in days and make the check-in process safer for everyone, the Housing Office is assigning check-in times to students and student groups. Roommates will be assigned different move-in days so that family members can assist while maintaining physical distance during the move-in process. Students should check their Eagles email for communication about their assigned day and time. This is a change from the previous directions sent out indicating that students could sign up for a move-in time online.

Residence halls open for NEW students - August 27 & 28
Online Orientation for NEW students - August 29
Residence halls open for RETURNING students - August 29 & 30
Early Arrivals - Some student leaders and student groups have been approved to move into the residence halls early. These will be coordinated with Residential Education Services and student supervisors.

It is very important that students move in during their designated date and time in order to limit the number of people moving in at one time. For any questions about moving into the residence halls, please email res@cui.edu.

For information regarding Student Orientation Activities and Registration (SOAR), including safety protocols, visit cui.edu/soar.

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 has the ability to conduct onsite testing for SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Specimen for PCR testing is 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. Students with Kaiser health insurance will be referred to local Kaiser clinics for testing.

Additionally, onsite rapid testing will be available sometime in the Fall semester. This is an antigen testing done via the Sophia 2 machine. If a test comes back negative, a PCR test will be sent to lab for confirmatory testing. Antigen testing will run about $35 per test.

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. Students are highly encouraged to download a symptom checker app, such as the COVID-19 Screening Tool for Apple or the CDC app for Apple and Android, as a tool to check symptoms prior to coming to class each day.

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.

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 DLRC@cui.edu with appropriate disability documentation from the treating specialist. Please contact the Disability and Learning Resource Center at DLRC@cui.edu 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), will receive specific safety information in the coming weeks. Safety guidelines are still being formulated by athletics conferences, professional associations, and local and national agencies that will inform how these group activities will be pursued.

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.

Daily chapel will continue to be held in the CU Center on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10:30 am.

Current state and local guidance for worship services will be observed. This currently allows for the lesser of 100 persons to worship at one time, or 25% of room capacity. The CU Center will easily accommodate 100 worshippers with physical distancing.
There will be designated spaces for additional worshippers. Parts of the service will be led by leaders in the room and parts live streamed.
All worshippers will wear masks until those guidelines are lifted.
All services will be available by livestream for those uncomfortable with gathering together or those in remote locations.
All leaders will undergo symptom screenings prior to services. Sanitation stations will be available for all worshippers. The CU Center and equipment will be sanitized regularly.
CUI will continue to offer a weekly eucharistic service for the campus community. This service is moving from Sunday evenings to Wednesday nights at 9:30 pm in the CU Center to better accommodate student schedules.

SHOUT continues on Thursday nights following the same guidelines as chapel services.

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.