When Southwestern College spring semester 2023 begins on Jan. 3, students will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination for in-person classes and services and masks will be optional indoors and outdoors, with a few exceptions outlined below.
Southwestern College leadership finalized the new guidelines this week after receiving extensive feedback from employee constituency groups and county medical health experts.
“As we emerge from the pandemic, we are working diligently to normalize our operations,” said Superintendent/President Dr. Mark Sanchez. “We have improved our online services and will continue expanding opportunities to meet students’ educational needs, both in-person and online.”
Vaccine Mandate Ended
When the four-week January intersession begins Jan. 3, and continuing when the full spring semester begins Jan. 30, students will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination to attend in-person classes or access in-person services. We still highly recommend that students and community members receive the vaccine and new booster for their personal health protection. The college will work with local health providers to promote access to the vaccine, the bivalent booster and flu shots. For information on community vaccination sites, head to the San Diego County Vaccination Schedule webpage.
All managers and classified employees will now be in their offices five days a week, beginning Jan. 3. In addition to in-person support, we will continue to offer many of our student services virtually through our Cranium Cafe and Virtual Lobbies. We are currently updating our Help Center webpage to outline how to continue to access all of our student services.
Spring registration begins Monday, Nov. 7, 2022. To apply and register, head to www.swccd.edu/spring.
Face Masks Optional (Mostly)
Students’ use of face masks indoors and outdoors will be a personal and optional decision. There are a couple exceptions, however. Students accessing Student Health Services in building 62A-106 (next to Math & Science building), will still be required to wear masks indoors while accessing services.
Individual faculty members may also require masks in their in-person classes. Faculty must include that requirement in their class syllabus to alert students. Instances of students not complying with this requirement will be treated as a student code of conduct issue, following the process outlined in Administrative Procedure 5520.
Students enrolled in health-related courses where masks are required in professional settings will also continue to be required to wear masks in their classes.
Thank You for Your Resilience
This has been a challenging time for all of us, yet our Southwestern College students have been resilient and persevered to accomplish their educational goals. We will continue to find ways to meet students’ needs and support you on your journeys.
