FAQ

*Page last updated September 5, 2023

Have specific questions?

Students - Visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements page or contact [email protected].

Employees - Visit the University Personnel page or contact [email protected]. 

• CSU COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement
• Medical/Health
• Campus/Facilities
• Academics
• For Faculty and Staff
• For Students

CSU COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement

• Am I required to get the vaccine?

  • As of May 1, 2023, the Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for most students, per the CSU Vaccination Policy. The vaccine is required for all students who reside in University Housing or those who have traveled or lived outside the U.S. for more than 30 days.

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• Are there any exceptions?

  • You can submit documentation for a medical or religious exemption to the Student Wellness Center Patient Portal. If you are granted a medical or religious exemption, you will be subject to mandatory testing protocols as well as masking requirements.

    
    Forms can be found on the Student Wellness Center COVID-19 Vaccine webpage.

Medical/Health

• When should I expect to hear something if I might have been exposed on campus?

  • Any potential exposures are notified as soon as possible. When SJSU receives notification of a person with COVID-19, contact tracing procedures are implemented. Please note, like most CSU's, we have scaled down our contact tracing procedures. At this time, only identified University Housing residents and employees will receive notifications of potential exposure to COVID-19 by designated SJSU staff. If you have any other identified close contacts that aren't University Housing residents or employees, you may use TellYourContacts.org, a trusted site co-developed by the CDC and local health departments, to help you in informing them of their exposure. The goal is to decrease the spread of the virus. 

    Information regarding when an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 was present on campus at a specific worksite(s) during their infectious period is available on the SJSU COVID-19 dashboard.

• What do I do if I am showing symptoms consistent with COVID-19?

  • If you are showing symptoms, get tested as soon as possible.
    
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance for when you are sick is available online. 

• What do I do if I have tested positive for COVID-19?

  • The CDC has also updated its isolation guidance for individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms, regardless of vaccination status

    If you need to report a case of COVID-19, the link below is to a form that provides a confidential space where information can be collected and shared with only the necessary campus officials.

    Report a COVID-19 Case

    Information from the form can be used to help SJSU inform others in the campus community if they may have been exposed.

• How long do I need to isolate or quarantine?

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidance regarding isolation for individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms, regardless of vaccination status.

    If you need to report a case of COVID-19, the link below is to a form that provides a confidential space where information can be collected and shared with only the necessary campus officials.

    Report a COVID-19 Case

• Whom should I contact with questions?

  • Students

    Students may also contact the SJSU Student Health Center at 408-924-6122 with questions about symptoms.

    Faculty and Staff

    Faculty and staff should contact their healthcare providers. For questions about sick time and leave programs, contact University Personnel at 408-924-2250.

Campus/Facilities

• Are there additional safety protocols for guests, visitors and contractors?

  • Any guests, visitors and contractors must adhere to SJSU's health and safety guidelines. This includes enforcement of mask protocol. 

• Who is expected to enforce the mask requirement? If a student/community member comes in and refuses, how do you advise this to be handled?
  • SJSU's top priority is to protect the health and safety of our campus community. Face masks are mandated at all times while inside campus facilities or in a shared vehicle for a university-sponsored activity. The only exception is if you are in a private office alone with the door closed or when you are eating or drinking. Should there be situations where a community member is not respecting -- or is not appearing to respect -- the mandate, SJSU will address on a case-by-case basis. If there are health-related reasons why a campus community member cannot wear a mask, they are asked to contact the Accessible Education Center (students) or Employment Accommodations Resource Center (employees).
• Will SJSU provide personal protective equipment (or PPE) to employees?
  • Facilities Development and Operations (FD&O) provides COVID-related safety supplies and equipment including face coverings, disinfection supplies, and personal protective equipment (PPE) for students residing on campus and for faculty/staff members who have on-campus work requirements during the pandemic. To request supplies, complete the Obtain COVID-19 Safety Supplies form. Supplies will also be available throughout the campus, as well as at the FD&O Customer Service Center (Corporation Yard A building) and at a kiosk located near the Event Center and Student Wellness Center.
• Will events be allowed on campus for the fall 2022 semester?

  • Yes. Space requests for fall semester events handled by Student Union Event Services and Facilities Development and Operations can be submitted online. 

    Requests for spaces reserved through Academic Scheduling can be submitted once the academic needs are confirmed to have been met and needs for designated study spaces are resolved.

Academics

• How will students know which classes are being held online and which classes meet in person?

  • Please refer to the Fall 2022 Schedule of Classes or Class Search on one.sjsu.edu to see whether a class is fully online, hybrid, or in-person. It is important to also refer to your course syllabus for the schedule.

• What if I am enrolled and need an in-person class to graduate but do not want to come on campus due to the virus?

  • SJSU will try to accommodate as much as possible, and, in some cases, it might be possible to make an accommodation. It is possible that a course requirement substitution could be made; however, there may be a limitation on the courses available that meet the same learning outcomes.

• How should I inform my instructor if I am in isolation or quarantine?

  • Should you enter quarantine or isolation, please communicate the timeline with your instructor. Provide a date of when you will attend class and request any material.

For Faculty and Staff

• How do I request COVID-19 safety supplies?

  • Ensuring your safety and those around you during the COVID-19 pandemic requires having a supply of face coverings, personal protective equipment (PPE), and sanitary supplies. To address this need, Facilities Development & Operations (FD&O) has created this specialized COVID-19 Safety Supply Request Form. It is designed to streamline requests for the most common COVID-19 safety supplies that you may need to keep your work environment safe.

    If you have questions concerning this process or a request that you have already placed, please contact the FD&O Customer Service Center at 408-924-1990 or email [email protected].

• Are there options if I need to take leave because of COVID-19?

  • Contact Yazmin Perez, Interim Manager, Leave, Workers' Compensation, and Accommodation Programs for more information on leave options.

• What happens if employees are sent home with symptoms but don’t have sick time?

  • SJSU’s goal is to protect the health and safety of our campus community. The university will work with employees who may be sent home for COVID-19 related reasons and who are concerned with their leave time. To discuss your leave options, please contact Yazmin Perez.

• What is the best way to reach University Personnel with questions?

  • The fastest way to reach the University Personnel front desk for questions and information is via [email protected] and by calling x4-2250.

For Students

• Will I be required to live on campus in the fall if I am an incoming first-year student?

  • The Frosh Live-On Requirement is suspended for the 2022-2023 academic year. If you choose to live on campus for the 2022-2023 academic year, you must be fully vaccinated prior to moving into university housing.

• Will there be study abroad programs for the Fall 2022 semester?

  • Visit the College of Global and Professional Education's Study Abroad and Away website for the latest status on study abroad programs.

• Why am I not being refunded for campus fees even though I am not on campus?

  • The campus continues to remain open, as essential services related to operations and support—including campus housing, dining services, facilities maintenance, IT support and services, University Personnel services and Library virtual support—continue to function.

    The mandatory campus fees—which excludes annual tuition—support a multitude of purposes. Due to Santa Clara County and state of California public health guidelines, some of the buildings the fees support are closed or operations are limited/restructured. As the guidelines evolve, SJSU will evaluate how and when to reopen the buildings. 

    Since 2016, the Student Union building was completely renovated, and the new Student Wellness and Spartan Recreation & Aquatic Centers (SRAC) were built. These facilities were supported by long-term loans similar to a mortgage that are being repaid by Student Union and Student Health Facility fee revenues. None of these fees are a "usage-based fee," but cover the debt services and personnel on a 12-month budget basis.

    The Student Union fee also supports operation of these buildings, which remain partially open, and services: the Bookstore inside the Student Union, Associated Students and Student Union staff, Student Union online programming, the SRAC lap pool and Athletics pool, and SRAC online programming. Beginning Monday, March 15, SRAC will open at 10 percent capacity per Santa Clara County public health guidelines. Student Health fees support operating the Student Wellness Center, which is also still serving students, with some in-person services available. Our Student Health Center (led by Dr. Fu) has been instrumental in helping the campus through this pandemic. SRAC once again is re-opening within Santa Clara County guidelines. The pool for lap swimming has been open since early fall 2020. 

    In 2020, SJSU deployed $14 million in federal CARES support to students. Two additional rounds of federal funds are earmarked for students this spring.  Similar to the first round, these will be distributed to those who qualify. This aid will provide students with some relief while still ensuring SJSU’s ongoing operations are sustained. In total, the average amount per student through these three distributions totals over $2,300.