COVID-19 Update March 22
Dear members of the 抖阴pro community,
Thank you for your continued commitment to the Billiken spirit. In fact, I have decided to dub that spirit OneSLU. You have inspired me, as countless faculty, staff, students and parents reached out and asked how you can serve in this time of need. You prove time and time again that when we come together as OneSLU, we can conquer anything.
St. Louis鈥� 鈥渟tay at home鈥� order
The City of St. Louis has announced a 鈥渟tay at home鈥� order that goes into effect at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 23. We continue to communicate with city officials to understand what that means for SLU, the students who continue to live on campus, and the faculty and staff members who need to use campus spaces and resources to provide remote learning as classes resume on Monday.
University leaders will send a letter within the next 24 hours to employees who are identified as essential and are permitted to continue reporting to work under the 鈥渟tay at home鈥� order. Questions about an individual employee鈥檚 ability to report to work should be directed to their supervisor.
Thank you for your continued patience with us as we work with our government partners on this.
North campus moves to card-access only
I have accepted a series of recommendations from a team that included representatives from DPS, Facilities Management, Compliance and Student Development on making our north campus card access only. I detail what that means below, but know that the University intends to comply with the St. Louis 鈥渟tay at home鈥� order and these decisions are to allow essential employees to access campus and for faculty and students to engage in remote education.
As this message is being sent, we do not have clarity on how the city鈥檚 executive order could impact any or all of this starting at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
- Pius Library : Card access only for faculty, staff and students from 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday - Friday (closed on Saturday and Sunday). These hours are subject to change.
- Busch Student Center : Card access only for anyone with an active SLU ID from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. every day.
- Vendors and some staff members who need access to the building outside of these hours will be granted on a case-by-case basis. Requests should be sent to BSC Director David Young at david.young@slu.edu. (Note: The loading dock door will be open for deliveries from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m.)
- The Wool Center : The doors on the Lindell Boulevard side of the building will be open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday - Friday for those who need access to Parking and Card Services. All other entrances will be card access only.
- Students, Faculty & Staff : In addition to campus housing, those students living on campus may be given card access to some academic buildings in order to work remotely or to access remote education. Similarly, faculty and staff will retain access to buildings they are currently approved to access for the purpose of delivering remote education only. For any additional authorization, your unit leader must email to DPS (cardaccessdps@slu.edu) to add the building to the student鈥檚 card access privilege.
This recommendation does not include South Campus. DPS will continue to work with stakeholders on the South Campus to address their unique circumstances and determine the best course of action on a case-by-case basis.
To repeat myself, any of the above access privileges are subject to change by order of the city and other public health authorities.
Never in all of my years in higher education have I seen a transformation as profound or as rapid as what universities are going through right now. This whirlwind impacts both the educational and the medical sides of complex institutions like ours. I ask you to join me in thanking the members of SLUCare. They are putting themselves on the line for us. The burden they carry is immense, and our gratitude is boundless.
During these trying times, I ask that our faculty, staff and students be realistic of themselves and of others here at SLU. This is uncharted territory for most of us, and we should err on the side of giving grace, especially as we head into tomorrow鈥檚 remote learning launch.
God bless you, your families and 抖阴pro.
Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D.
President