Message from President Jiménez-Sandoval

9/15/2021

 

Dear Bulldog Family,

Throughout the past four weeks, I have had the opportunity to listen to the voices of our campus community. The consensus is that students are glad to be back on campus, and the collective energy of sharing in the beauty of our university has been palpable.

I am also aware that there is some anxiety concerning the current number of COVID cases in our county. This is understandable, given all that we have gone through in the past 18 months.

Please know I hear your concerns.

I am writing today to let you know that my entire team and I continue to monitor the situation closely and with great care for your safety and well-being. No decision is easy, and our constant attention to emerging data is driven by our awareness that, during a pandemic, our direction may need to change as new developments arise.

At this point, all indications are that, with adherence to our established protocols, we can safely keep our campus open.

Students have overwhelmingly voiced their desire to continue learning in person, and we have taken very seriously our responsibility of keeping our campus safe. I must stress that abiding by proven safety protocols is the only way to continue to learn in the face-to-face modality, which is why this has been our focus. We thank you, our students, faculty and staff, for your concerted efforts to abide by the required public health measures and ask that you continue to do so diligently.

I am proud of the great efforts our students have taken in getting vaccinated. Among students who have completed their self-attestation, these are the current vaccination rates, as of Sept. 13, 2021:

Our campus will soon add a COVID dashboard to the University COVID-19 website featuring information such as campus rates of vaccination and current cases.

In addition to enhanced cleaning protocols, upgraded ventilation/filtration systems, and our collective efforts of timely reporting and contact tracing, we continue to furnish necessary supplies for our classrooms and office areas. We have made sure that masks, face shields, disinfecting wipes and sanitizing gel are readily available (at no cost) from our campus warehouse.

If there is a site that needs masks or sanitizing gel to be replenished, please submit a Customer Service Request by clicking here.

And the mask mandate remains in full effect at all indoor venues. If there is an issue with indoor mask wearing, please let us know by clicking here.

For those individuals who have attested to a religious or medical exemption, we will enforce weekly COVID testing to maintain the safety of everyone on campus.

In addition, vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals can now get tested at no cost, once a week on campus, and receive results within 24 hours.

I earnestly believe that face-to-face instruction promotes student success, especially with our vulnerable populations. Our students and our region will benefit greatly from our continued example of how to gather safely on our vibrant campus with the utmost regard for the well-being of our Fresno State community.

As many of you know, I announced at the Fall 2021 Forum for Students, hosted with ASI President D'Aungillique Jackson, that in the event of a post-holiday surge, the Fall 2021Task Force would consider transitioning to virtual instruction for the short duration after Thanksgiving. We must plan for many different scenarios, and this is one possibility, if that is in our best interest to ensure the safety of our campus. The Task Force will consult with our county public health partners and the CSU and will then make a recommendation to me, once we are closer to that date.

Based on our consultation with Fresno County Department of Public Health officials, full virtual instruction for Fresno State is not being considered at this point.

Further discussions will occur in the weeks leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday. We believe that, through our prescribed safety protocols, we are able to safely keep our campus open. And there are hopeful early signs that indicate that the recent surge is abating. As always, we will continue to carefully monitor data, listen to your concerns and consult with our local public health officials.

I thank you for contributing to our lofty mission to educate and empower every student for success.

Best regards,

 
Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, Ph.D.
President