USD issues stay-on-campus order

President Harris tells students to not leave campus for any non-essential reasons

Tyler Pugmire / News Editor

Following a rise in COVID-19 cases, USD’s administration has decided to declare their version of a stay-at-home order for students living on campus. Students are no longer permitted to leave campus for any non-essential reason, such as dining, social, or entertainment purposes. 

Any of the labs or other specialty classes that were taking place on campus will now be converted to remote learning until further notice. Furthermore, any organizations that were previously meeting on campus must now revert to a remote format as well.  

There has been a 250% increase of cases since the end of the fall semester, and now one in every ten on-campus students have contracted the virus. A mass text was sent to all students on Feb. 12 directing students to click on the posted link for an “important message from USD.” Waiting on the next page was a video from President James T. Harris III, D.Ed., detailing that because of this spike in cases, USD is tightening restrictions on gatherings on campus, which were already more stringent than those of San Diego County.

Bella Syslo is a first year student living in the San Buenaventura apartments on campus and felt torn after receiving the text. 

“I totally sympathize with the administration trying to figure out what is best to keep cases down but I also think it’s equally hard for students right now too especially when they are being told not to leave campus,” Syslo said. “I think since campus life is limited in a lot of ways right now, lots of students are looking at the beach or socially distanced dining options as a way to adapt to these times and still be able to live a semi-normal life, so I’m not sure that asking kids to stay on campus is a realistic option.”

In the video, Harris noted that cases are on the rise due to gatherings outside of current protocols. “This is not the time for attending parties, socializing in groups, or adopting a casual approach to our health and safety protocols,” Harris said. 

USD has begun talks to house COVID-19-infected students in a hotel in Old Town, and are now quarantining students in the Presidio Terrace Apartments on Linda Vista Road. 

“Our numbers in the past few weeks have grown to levels that if they continue on this trajectory, will require us to make some tough decisions about the future of the spring semester,” Harris said, indicating that students might be sent home as they were in March of 2020 when the pandemic began. 

USD is now requiring all students to make and attend appointments for COVID-19 testing, and if they don’t, on-campus students can potentially be locked out of their rooms, according to an email sent by Residential Life. USD has also now required all students who come on to campus, no matter how often, to also go through testing and book appointments through the Rady Children’s Hospital testing that is provided by the school.