Posted: August 12, 2021
Dear HIU Students,
Greetings! After nearly 18 months, I’m looking forward to having you back on campus for the Fall 2021 Semester for in-person learning! Our faculty and staff have been hard at work planning and preparing for reopening our campus in just a couple of weeks with a focus on preparing for in-person instruction and making the campus environment as safe and healthy as possible.
The university has implemented the following measures and protocols for the upcoming Fall 2021 Semester. So please take time to read carefully all of the information in this email. Additionally, we have provided a FAQ attached to this email to bring additional clarity to questions you may have.
Face Coverings. Face coverings that cover the mouth and nose are required to be worn indoors at all times(except when eating or drinking, or alone in a room), regardless of vaccination status, when on campus, when attending any university-sponsored activity indoors, and when traveling in university vehicles. Face coverings are not required when outdoors on campus or when attending any university-sponsored activity outdoors. When it’s determined safe by the university, our face coverings protocols will be revisited for face coverings when indoors for fully vaccinated students. For an update on the university’s current face coverings protocols, please visit http://go.hiu.edu/e/27092/HIU-COVID-Update8/54hjv5/1050257924?h=95J-0EKJKWGlb5NRKMTxqPgdeiufT5jdbtF1M0ipbys.
Campus Building Access. All students must have a university-provided wristband to enter any building on campus, including residence halls and classrooms. Wristbands are valid only on the day of issue – a new wristband must be worn each day on campus. Every business day between 7:00am – 9:00am, a Health Check-in Station located north of the Student Center will be staffed by a member of the Campus Safety team to issue wristbands. In order to receive a wristband, all students are required to show that they are cleared for the day on the #CampusClear app (see below). If you arrive to campus before 7:00am or after 9:00am during a business day or on weekends, please contact Campus Safety at (714) 681-7333 to receive a wristband before entering any building on campus.
#CampusClear. All students are required to show a member of the Campus Safety team that they are cleared for the day on the #CampusClear app in order to receive a wristband that allows access to campus buildings. In case your cell phone is lost, stolen, not working properly or you don’t use a cell phone, Campus Safety will have a computer available for you to login to #CampusClear. If you don’t already have #CampusClear on your mobile phone, it’s available to download from the following app stores:
Apple App Store http://go.hiu.edu/e/27092/app-campusclear-id1516163872/54hjtm/1050257924?h=95J-0EKJKWGlb5NRKMTxqPgdeiufT5jdbtF1M0ipbys
You may also access the #CampusClear app using a web browser:
Please make sure you enable notifications from the app. There will only be one notification each day to prompt you to take the self-screening survey. Once you’ve downloaded #CampusClear, log in by entering your @hiu.edu email address. You’ll receive an email confirmation, and after clicking the confirmation link, you’ll have access to the app. Please note: when you click on the confirmation link, you may receive a message that says “This validation has expired!”. If you receive this message, please ignore it – you are good to go!
#CampusClear is the university’s recommended solution to report any symptoms you may be feeling. If you are feeling sick, stay home or in your room and report your symptoms on #CampusClear. You will be contacted by the university to discuss next steps.
Residential Housing. To support the health and safety of our residential student community, we will be conducting weekly COVID-19 surveillance for all unvaccinated residential students. The university has partnered with Living Fit Nation to provide weekly free COVID-19 testing on campus for the Fall 2021 semester to support surveillance testing. In addition to surveillance testing, the university has made investments in ultra-violet light air filtration and have adopted other relevant air filtration, cleaning, and disinfecting protocols in accordance with guidance from the CDC. Cleaning supplies are available for all students for use as needed in dorm rooms. For cleaning supplies, please contact your Resident Assistant.
In order to move-in to the residence halls, you must either show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or show a negative COVID-19 test result taken with 5 days of arrival to campus. Please see the attached FAQ for more information. Attached to this email please find a form for reporting your vaccination status to the university.
Covid-19 FAQ
HIU Student Covid-19 Vaccination Status Form
The university has set aside rooms in each residence hall in the event students either must self-isolate or self-quarantine due to COVID-19. Residence Life will coordinate all logistics regarding self-isolation and self-quarantine with residential students.
Athletics. Student athletes will receive more information from their respective head coach regarding university protocols, including face coverings and surveillance testing.
Classroom Instruction. The vast majority of courses for the Fall 2021 semester will be taught in-person. With the exception of fully vaccinated professors when teaching, face coverings must be worn at all times when inside any campus building, including classrooms. Classrooms will be cleaned by the university’s janitorial company nightly after use. Additionally, all classrooms have been equipped with cleaning supplies for use as needed each day, and air filtration units. Please make arrangements with your professor(s) for accessing instruction if you aren’t able to attend in-person instruction due to self-isolation or self-quarantine requirements in connection with COVID-19.
Student Life Experience. As we return to in-person learning and being in community on campus, we encourage you to engage, as you are comfortable, in student life experience opportunities. For more information on student life experience opportunities, please contact Student Affairs at [email protected]. Additionally, the university has resources to assist you with mental health, including counseling. For more information on accessing support, please contact Stacey Gerhart at [email protected].
Health Protocols. We all can play a part in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19 on campus, our homes, and the community we live in. The university strongly encourages the following actions to support the health and safety of our Royal family:
Developments related to the increase of community spread of COVID-19 locally and nationally are rapidly unfolding. The university’s COVID-19 protocols are subject to further change as we closely monitor emerging guidance from the CDC, the California Department of Public Health and the Orange County Health Care Agency.
As we begin the Fall 2021, we remain completely dependent on God’s provision, wisdom, and protection as we continue together on this journey. I can’t wait to see you in person!
In Him,
Dr. Paul Alexander, HIU President
