Complete your daily Safe Start Health Check screening.
It is important that we all take seriously the ongoing risk and threat of COVID-19. We must do our part as a university community to help effectively manage and contain its spread by closely adhering to public health guidelines, especially physical distancing, the wearing of face coverings and staying home if sick or symptomatic.
Caring for one another, attending to the unique needs and risks of individual members of our campus community and reducing the disparate impacts the virus has on underserved communities, communities of color and the marginalized is a shared responsibility that goes to the heart of our values.
Seattle University is committed to implementing robust health and safety measures. All decisions related to reopening are being made in accordance with the best science available and state directives and public health guidance on COVID-19, particularly Safe Start Washington.
Students, faculty and staff are asked to please notify Seattle University Public Safety as soon as possible at covid-19-report@seattleu.edu or 206-296-5990 in the following situations:
Updated information on community members who have a confirmed case of COVID-19 can be found on our COVID-19 Confirmed Cases page.
Download the Seattle U COVID-19 campus safety risk matrix for campus safety levels and information.
Our decisions are being made in alignment with the state’s plan, consistent with federal, state and local public health directives and within the parameters of the higher education guidelines developed in partnership with state officials. Additionally, all university plans are being reviewed by a highly respected team of physicians, including a board-certified infectious disease specialist, to ensure appropriate safety measures and protocols are in place.
As the university puts in place a comprehensive plan to promote the health of all members of the campus community, it is equally imperative that we, as individuals, share in the responsibility to keep ourselves and each other healthy and safe.
covid-19-report@seattleu.edu or 206-296-5990
Enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols will continue to be in place for all campus spaces, as well as response procedures for cleaning and disinfection in case of a positive COVID-19 event. The protocols include frequent cleaning and disinfecting of high touch surfaces and common spaces.
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems in our campus buildings are being modified where possible to align with guidance from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) developed specific to COVID-19.
New signage is being designed for campus to inform the community regarding guidelines and practices as they enter the campus, buildings and individual spaces. Signs will also be used to indicate physical distancing where appropriate. Classrooms will have floor indicators to show the proper furniture placement for physical distancing. In addition, signage will be used to indicate “traffic” flow into and inside buildings to minimize congestion.
For those creating signage to promote healthy and safe practices on campus, a catalog of design templates is available at Return to Campus Workplace.
Updated July 29, 2020
Prevention remains the best defense against the spread of COVID-19 with physical distancing of at least six feet between you and others being a primary component. Physical distancing policies and practices will be in place across campus. Classrooms, offices, dining areas and event and gathering spaces are being reconfigured to implement capacity limits and enforce distancing.
Consistent with mandates from the State of Washington, students, faculty and staff are required to wear face coverings when indoors and when unable to maintain physical distance of six feet from others outdoors. A process for requesting an exemption will be available for those individuals who may be unable to wear face coverings.
Read the university’s full policy on face coverings, which includes information on exemptions and enforcement as well as resources.
Updated July 30, 2020
Yes. SU’s COVID-19 Face Covering Policy states: “in order to help ensure the health and safety of the Seattle University campus community and the public, face coverings are required to be worn on campus at Seattle U. . .indoors when other people are present; this includes commons areas, such as classrooms. . . .” Thus, faculty are required to wear face coverings while teaching in classrooms and labs when students are present. SU’s policy is consistent with the State of Washington requirements on wearing face coverings.
All Seattle University faculty, staff, students and visitors are required to wear a face covering over their mouth and nose anywhere on campus, including when outdoors and physical distancing is possible. This policy is effective immediately and applies to the SU campus, SU leased facilities and SU transportation. This includes indoors, outdoors and in SU vehicles. The updated policy recognizes that it is difficult to maintain distance from others even while outdoors on a university campus. Please read the full policy for face covering requirements and exceptions.
Updated Aug 21, 2020
Thorough handwashing remains a primary method to prevent the spread of illness. Soap and water remain the best method to clean hands. We will also make hand sanitizer more widely available throughout campus, including additional hand sanitizing stations.
Find more information about COVID-19 symptoms, testing and treatment at the Student Health Center COVID-19 site or any of the local, state, and national public health resources.
If you have symptoms such as a cough, fever or other respiratory problems, contact your regular healthcare provider in advance. Do not show up at a clinic, urgent care or other health facility without calling first, as providers need to take special measures to protect other patients. Telemedicine may also be available, enabling you to consult a provider from home. Do not go to an emergency room, as emergency room staff need to be able to serve those with the most critical needs. Please also notify Seattle U Public Safety at 206-296-5990 if you are being tested for COVID-19 or have been asked to self-quarantine.
Individuals with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who have not had any symptoms may discontinue home isolation when at least 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 diagnostic test and have had no subsequent illness.
Faculty and staff who are symptomatic or meet criteria for contact with someone who has COVID-19 should stay home while awaiting testing and results.
The Yobi Apartments, which includes 45 beds in single occupancy rooms, will be set aside for isolation and quarantine cases for students unable to isolate or quarantine in their residence hall.
For students in isolation or quarantine on campus, the university will have a monitoring plan in place to evaluate students daily, in addition to providing them with ongoing support services as needed.
Yes. Faculty should hold in-person office hours consistent with the guidance in the "meetings" section of the university's guide to "Returning to the Campus Workplace":
"Meetings: Convening in groups increases the risk of viral transmission. Where feasible, meetings should be held in whole or part using the extensive range of available collaboration tools (e.g. Zoom, WebEx, Microsoft Teams, telephone, etc.). In-person meetings are limited to the restrictions of local, state and federal orders and should not exceed 50 percent of a room’s capacity, assuming individuals can still maintain six feet of separation for physical distancing requirements. Departments should remove or rearrange chairs and tables or add visual cue marks in meeting rooms to support physical distancing practices between attendees. All attendees should wear a mask or face covering while sharing space in a common room. During your time on campus, you are encouraged to communicate with your colleagues and supervisors as needed by email, instant message, telephone or other available technology rather than face-to-face. You can also use a range of available collaboration tools (e.g. Zoom, WebEx, Microsoft Teams, Jabber, etc.)."
covid-19-report@seattleu.edu
or 206-296-5990