USC extends remote instruction to Jan. 24


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Photo of a water fountain surrounded by trees and flowers.
Projections indicate that cases may begin to decline in the latter half of January, according to the email. (Beth Mosch | Daily Trojan file photo)

USC will extend remote instruction until Monday, Jan. 24 from the scheduled Jan. 18 return, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Charles Zukoski and Chief Health Officer Dr. Sarah Van Orman announced in a communitywide email Friday.

The University encourages students to delay returning to campus during the two weeks of remote instruction, although University housing will remain open. Schools will update graduate and professional students about program-specific instruction. 

“Current modeling indicates the next few weeks will see a continued high positivity rate and high level of community spread, until we pass a peak point and cases begin to decline,” the email read. “A variety of projections indicate that may happen in the latter half of January.”

The University of California system recently extended remote instruction periods. UCLA, Berkeley, Riverside and Merced announced extensions Friday until Jan. 31, and Davis, Irvine, Santa Cruz and San Diego announced extensions Thursday. Schools within the California State University system also pivoted to begin the spring semester online, with nine of the 23 campuses opting for remote starts.

USC recorded a 13.4% student positivity rate and 13.3% employee positivity rate from Dec. 26 to Jan.1, with 505 student cases and 68 employee cases. The highest student positivity rate during the fall semester was 0.5%. 

The seven-day average positivity rate in Los Angeles County is 22.56%, the highest rate since the beginning of the pandemic. 

Shortages and coronavirus cases may impact staffing levels and campus operations, according to the email. Testing will remain a “priority resource” as students return to campus, though increased demand may cause delays in scheduling testing appointments and receiving results. 

The email cited booster shots, which the University will require for the spring semester, as effective at reducing coronavirus spread.

“A higher number of boosted individuals provide less ‘fuel’ for transmission to burn through in our community,” the email read. “Reaching a higher rate of boosted vaccinations provides greater protection for all of us, and a better chance of a faster end to the current surge.”