As of April 1 at 2 p.m., there are 54 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one death resulting from the virus in Santa Cruz County.
Santa Cruz Extends Shelter in Place Order
Following the lead of other Bay Area counties, on March 31 Santa Cruz County extended its Shelter in Place Order through May 3. The county issued the extension based on evidence of increasing cases of COVID-19 within the county and throughout the Bay Area.
UC Eases Undergraduate Admission Requirements
Due to forced closures of high schools across the U.S., on April 1 the UC Board of Regents approved a series of short-term measures in order to ease undergraduate admission requirements. In addition to closures, many high schools recently adopted a “pass/no pass” grading system, which does not align with the UC’s letter grade requirement for A-G courses. In order to address these changes, the regents approved the following:
- Suspending the letter grade requirement for A-G courses completed in 2020 for all applicants including admitted fall 2020 students.
- Suspending standardized test requirements for those applying for fall 2021 freshman admission.
- There will be no rescission of student admission offers for fall 2020 that result from students or schools missing official transcript deadlines.
- Temporarily suspending the cap on the number of transferable units with “pass/no pass” grading for transfer students.
UCSC Launches COVID-19 Slug Support Campaign
The Dean of Students Office announced the launch of the COVID-19 Slug Support campaign on March 31. Since the launch, the campaign has gathered over $39,000 from more than 200 supporters to help students facing challenges due to COVID-19. According to the campaign website, donations will go toward:
- Providing food stability through digital gift cards, Instacart purchases and meal swipes to campus dining halls.
- Funding students in need of emergency housing and providing rent support.
- Connecting Slug Support case managers to students who may be in isolation or quarantine.
- Providing distance learning resources through a new laptop lending program called Slug Tech.
- Connecting students who have returned home or are taking a leave of absence to their local resources for health insurance, mental health services and unemployment benefits.
UCSC On-Campus Housing Condensed
UCSC students still living on campus received an email on March 29 informing them that all housing will be condensed to College Nine, College Ten, Crown College and Merrill College. All students living on campus must relocate by April 19. All relocated students in residence halls will receive a single room at the price of a triple and a seven day meal plan at the price of a five day meal plan. Students currently housed in an on-campus apartment will be reassigned to apartments at one of the designated colleges.
The university will continue to provide housing refunds to those who submit an intent to vacate form and complete their move-out by April 19.