Return to Campus: Next Steps

 Cal Lutheran Staff and Faculty,

This note provides additional detail regarding President Varlotta’s campus email of October 29 that calls the Thousand Oaks campus and Oxnard Center to increase onsite staffing levels to about 50%. This increase is part of our cautious and gradual path to repopulating our campuses and centers.

Knowing that we cannot operate in a virtual environment indefinitely, we need to prepare for a spring semester that is closer to “normal” but aligned with state and county health and safety protocols. Toward that end, we are working to increase the number of residential students to 45% of capacity in spring and will offer more in-person classes, labs and student events. All of these increases will follow the latest public health guidelines available. To teach and serve students with confidence and assurance, we need to learn and practice how to operate in this new environment.

As part of our structured learning, we are asking that offices in Thousand Oaks and Oxnard increase their onsite staffing levels to a target of 50% starting Monday, November 2. This means that half of an office’s regular staff, including faculty members with administrative roles, should be onsite during working hours. All administrative offices are expected to be open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on workdays. Department supervisors should schedule employees based on meeting that criteria and conforming to COVID-19 protocols, such as maintaining proper physical distancing. They should also consider scheduling options that would minimize disruptions to operations in case employees need to quarantine because of an unfortunate COVID-19 exposure.

While the state currently limits indoor lectures to 25% of room capacity in Ventura County, State Guidance for Higher Education and ensuing directions from Ventura County do not provide numerical limitations on office occupancy beyond physical-distancing guidelines.

Staff members who believe they cannot return to campus because of health concerns are asked to discuss the issues with their medical provider and provide us with a physician’s certification that they have a medical condition that restricts them from leaving their home to go to work on campus. The documentation will be reviewed, and accommodations will be considered.

You can submit requests for signs, plexiglass barriers, hand-sanitizer stations, furniture reconfigurations and IT assistance on the Office Reopening Needs page of our KNOW site. You can also email requests for office needs to COVID-assistance@callutheran.edu.

Please direct any other questions regarding this message to hr@callutheran.edu.

Thank you,
Human Resources Department