Limited On-Campus Activities Beginning Tomorrow, February 24

Posted on February 23, 2021, 3:45 PM Updated on March 3, 2021, 2:24 PM

As the University shared last Friday and in yesterday’s President’s Briefing, the California Department of Public Health announced last week an adjusted case rate of 20.0 per 100,000 residents in Los Angeles County. With the falling case rates, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued new guidance yesterday afternoon permitting universities in the county limited allowances for some on-campus activities. Beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, February 24, 2021, students, faculty, and staff may participate in the activities described below. Community members who choose to participate in these activities should review the detailed questions and answers for each activity, which can be found on the COVID-19 FAQ page.

Libraries

Libraries on the Malibu campus will reopen by reservation only for students, faculty, and staff at a maximum of 25 percent capacity. Payson Library will reopen tomorrow morning, and the Harnish Law Library, which will host February bar exam candidates this week, will reopen more broadly to the law school community on March 1. Pursuant to NCAA and state guidelines, the Drescher Graduate Campus Library, at this time, will be reserved for use by student-athletes. All other graduate campus libraries currently remain closed.

Outdoor Recreation

Students, faculty, and staff may use some outdoor sports facilities for non-contact sports and recreation at a maximum of 25 percent capacity. The following facilities will be available for use:

• The intramural field outside of the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center
• The intramural field across from the Facilities Services office
• Stotsenberg Track (when not in use by student-athletes pursuant to NCAA and state guidelines) 
• Alumni Park
• The Crest Tennis Courts adjacent to the John Tyler Drive entrance

No reservations will be needed to use any of these facilities. 

Fine Arts

Art design, theater art studios, and music practice rooms will be available by reservation for eligible students to fulfill academic requirements. Usage of these spaces is limited to groups of four or less. Any activity requiring participants to remove their face masks, such as practicing a woodwind instrument, is only permissible alone in a studio or practice room. Seaver College will contact eligible students with further instructions.

Film, Video, and Music Production

Film, video, and music productions will be allowed by reservation for the purpose of developing academic projects or content for eligible students. Use of indoor space for post-production and editing activities is limited to groups of four or less. Productions must follow the county’s higher education protocols for smaller productions and, if more complex, also the county’s film industry protocols. Seaver College will contact eligible students with further instructions.

Outdoor Study Spaces (Coming Soon)

The University is seeking further guidance on the written guidelines for the use of outdoor study spaces and will update the community as more information is available.

Campus Access and Hours of Operation

The Malibu campus will be available weekdays from 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM and 8 AM to 5 PM during the weekend. Please refer to the FAQs for specific hours for open facilities. Students who have never been to the Malibu campus before should let the Public Safety officer at the entrance gate know they are a new student. The Public Safety officer will provide directions to new students to get their ID card and parking permit. 

Daily Wellness Check

The guidance requires all individuals coming to campus to complete a symptom check.  Pepperdine’s Daily Wellness Check has been created to facilitate this requirement, and all students, faculty, and staff will receive a daily email link to access this feature. Community members should complete this symptom check on a mobile device before arriving on campus and then screenshot the resulting completion dot to display at the campus entrance booths for access. 

Individuals who are cleared to come to campus will receive a green dot. For any other color dot, individuals should contact the Student Health Center before attempting to come to campus to discuss their specific situation. Completion of the Daily Wellness Check is required to access campus. 

Additional Requirements for On-Campus Activities

With these activities, all students, faculty, and staff should be aware of the following:

• All health and safety protocols still apply as set forth in the Pepperdine Restoration Plan, including maintaining a distance of six feet from others and wearing a face mask at all times. 
• All residential areas are open only to current residential students. No guests are permitted in residential areas at this time.
• Only facilities serving the activities listed will be accessible for use. All other facilities will remain closed.
• Students needing an ID card will receive instructions on how to obtain one when they arrive on campus.
• If coming to campus, community members should have a plan to isolate and/or quarantine should they test positive or be in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. If an individual tests positive, they should immediately report the positive result to the Student Health Center by phone to begin the contact tracing process.

While these limited on-campus activities are a positive and encouraging development, they do not yet indicate a full reopening of any Pepperdine campus, nor do they suggest that classes may begin to operate in-person. Los Angeles County is still in the “widespread” or “purple” tier according to the California Blueprint for a Safer Economy, and the University’s ability to resume in-person classes will be informed by the requirements set forth in that plan. As updated guidelines are considered by the county, including those that may permit additional on-campus activity at a later date, information will be shared by the University as it becomes available. 

The latest information is available on the University’s COVID-19 website and Emergency Information Page. If you have questions, please contact Pepperdine’s COVID-19 Information Line at 310.506.8111 or via email at covid19info@pepperdine.edu.

COVID-19 Community Update – November 30, 2020

Posted on November 30, 2020, 5:35 PM Updated on November 30, 2020, 7:22 PM

Pepperdine Community Case Update

In accordance with NCAA, conference, and state testing protocols, all basketball players and coaches receive regular surveillance testing. Yesterday, two members of the women’s basketball team and staff tested positive for COVID-19 using an antigen test, which prompted the cancellation of yesterday’s game against UCLA. As an additional precaution, both were isolated. However, because neither individual had tested positive during the University’s regular testing protocol, which uses more accurate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, the University suspected the antigen tests may have yielded false positives. Both individuals were tested again on Sunday using PCR tests and those results arrived this morning showing both individuals were negative for COVID-19.

As Pepperdine continues with remote operations for faculty, staff, and students, the University will continue to provide potential exposure notifications to impacted community members and update the Pepperdine COVID-19 dashboard as cases are reported within the community. 

Los Angeles County Safer At Home Order

As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise in Los Angeles County, effective today, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a new Temporary Targeted Safer At Home Order, which remains in effect for the next three weeks. The order contains several new restrictions applicable to members of the Pepperdine community residing on campus and in the county, including the following: 

• Prohibiting all public and private gatherings and events with people from more than one household except for outdoor faith-based services and outdoor protests
• Closing shared public playgrounds, pools serving more than one household, and non-residential hot tubs
• Closing restaurants for on-site dining, either indoor or outdoor 
• Encouraging all persons who can work remotely to continue to do so as much as possible during the pandemic

California COVID-19 Updates

In a briefing today, California governor Gavin Newsom announced the state is closely monitoring the recent acceleration of COVID-19 cases and their corresponding impact on hospitalizations and intensive care unit occupancy. To ensure the state does not run out of hospital capacity, the governor indicated counties currently categorized as Tier 1 (Purple) in the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, including Los Angeles and Orange counties, may be put under stay-at-home orders if hospital capacity continues to shrink.   

As always, the University encourages all students, faculty, and staff to stay informed and follow the guidance and direction of local authorities. The latest information is available on the University’s COVID-19 website and Emergency Information Page. If you have questions, please contact Pepperdine’s COVID-19 Information Line at 310.506.8111 or via email at covid19info@pepperdine.edu.

COVID-19 Community Update – November 19

Posted on November 19, 2020, 11:00 AM Updated on November 19, 2020, 11:15 AM

The University continues to monitor the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. As cities and states throughout the nation—including Los Angeles and its surrounding counties—are reporting new increases in positivity rates and hospitalizations, community members should remain vigilant and continue to take preventative action. 

New Los Angeles County Restrictions

Yesterday, Los Angeles County announced new restrictions effective Friday, November 20, including the following:

• All non-essential retail establishments must close from 10 PM to 6 AM. For non-essential businesses permitted to operate indoors—including retail stores, offices, personal care services—occupancy will be limited to 25 percent maximum capacity.  
• Restaurants, breweries, wineries, and bars, and all other non-essential retail establishments must close from 10 PM to 6 AM. The number of patrons at outdoor restaurants, breweries, and wineries will be limited to 50 percent max outdoor capacity.
• Services at personal care establishments may be provided by appointment only. Services that require either the customer or the staff to remove their face covering are not permitted.
• Outdoor gatherings remain the only gatherings permitted, and they must only include 15 people maximum who are members of no more than three households.

These new restrictions do not directly impact Pepperdine’s current operations. However, health officials also noted additional restrictions may be necessary if cases continue to rise and established thresholds for when they would institute another potential “Safer at Home” order similar to those previously implemented in March and April. 

Holiday Travel and Gatherings

The University encourages students, faculty, and staff to review advisories and guidance issued by local and national health agencies. If you plan to travel or visit with loved ones, the CDC has issued travel guidelines and safety recommendations for gathering this holiday season, including the following:

• Obtain an influenza vaccination if you have not already done so.
• Review the regulations governing travel to your destination. 
• Delay travel if you feel sick, have been exposed to COVID-19, or are in quarantine or isolation.  

Similarly, California, Oregon, and Washington issued travel advisories urging people to consider limiting out-of-state travel and self-quarantining for 14 days upon re-entry if traveling out-of-state.

Staying Safe

As a reminder, community members should follow guidelines from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and CDC when interacting with individuals outside of their primary household to ensure their safety and the safety of our community.

• Wear a face covering over your nose and mouth when in public. Recent studies have shown masks offer protection to you by reducing the amount of infectious droplets inhaled by the wearer, as well as those around you by limiting the spread of infectious droplets from unaware, asymptomatic mask wearers.
• Keep a distance of at least six feet from others whenever possible.
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Limit the time you spend with individuals who live outside your household, especially indoors, and even if wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, or outdoors.

Emotional Support Resources

As the pandemic concludes its ninth month in the United States, the University recognizes some community members may be experiencing ongoing feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, or isolation. As a reminder, the Counseling Center, Employee Assistance Program, and Pastoral Care are available to the University community. Details on contacting each of these are available on the University’s COVID-19 website.

As always, the University encourages all students, faculty, and staff to stay informed and follow the guidance and direction of local authorities. The latest information is available on the University’s COVID-19 website and Emergency Information Page. If you have questions, please contact Pepperdine’s COVID-19 Information Line at 310.506.8111 or via email at covid19info@pepperdine.edu.