All of us faculty and staff have you at the front of our minds as each day seems to bring fresh news of concern. We hope you and your loved ones are all safe.
As you transition to remote instruction, we want to do our best to support you and your learning. To that end, please find below a FAQ with information we thought you'd find most helpful right now. We'll also add to these FAQs as we get additional questions and more information.
Whether you're in the Bay Area sheltering in place or across the country, please know the SF State community continues to hold you in our heart.
Classes and Instruction
SF State started remote instruction on March 16th and will continue through the end of the spring 2020 semester.
Faculty began to offer classes via remote instruction on March 16th and will continue to do so through the rest of the semester. Your faculty should be reaching out to you regarding next steps.
If you haven’t heard from a faculty member, please reach out to them directly via email. If you do not receive a response, please email the department where the course is offered (for example for PHIL 110 you would email the Philosophy Department). Be sure to include specific information about your course including the department prefix and course number, title of the course, section number, faculty member’s name, and your name and student ID number. The department chair will assist you. Please refer to the Colleges and Academic Departments page.
The AT Zoom Support Page covers the basics of Zoom, how to use Zoom in iLearn, and other additional Zoom features. Additional support is available from the Zoom Help Center.
All on-campus lab spaces are closed at this time. Please contact your instructor for information about completing the lab remotely.
Please see the Keep Learning - Student Quickguide resource for assistance learning via remote modalities.
Consistency is key. Reserve specific blocks of time in your daily schedule for attending online session and completing readings and assignments, and remember that instructors may schedule virtual meetings and discussions. Remote modalities often require extra mindfulness to keep track of deadlines.
Where you work matters. Minimize distractions by choosing a quiet, comfortable workplace.
Don’t forget to communicate with fellow students and your instructors. Education is a communal effort and we are all in this together.
Take care of yourself. Frequent study breaks help maintain focus and healthy snacks maintain energy. Do your best to get a good night’s sleep and adequate exercise.
With the transition to remote academic instruction and the fact that many businesses and community organizations have transitioned to remote work or temporarily suspended their services, we realize that there are many questions around your academic internship. We want to prioritize student and community health, and we urge you to practice social distancing and adhere to the recent San Francisco and Bay Area counties’ Public Health Order requiring people to stay home except for essential needs, effective March 17, 2020.
This is an evolving situation and these action steps below are meant to be general, as each course and placement site is unique to its discipline and department requirements. We wish to emphasize that you should make decisions that are in the best interest of your health and safety.
- Please contact your course instructor as many faculty/departments are working with students to provide as much flexibility and accommodation as allowed to support you without penalty, in regards to alternative experiences/assignments, potentially reducing hours, etc.
- It is recommended you check-in with your internship site supervisor to inquire about current protocol in response to COVID-19 and inquire about potential tasks you can do remotely, if possible, to continue your internship.
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If you are able to continue your internship remotely, please review and submit the Student Informed Consent form (if you have not already done so) and submit to your course instructor or to the following:
- For CHSS & CLCDA internship courses, submit to Michelle Chu | michelec@sfsu.edu
- For CoSE & Lam Family CoB internship courses, submit to Eunice Kim | eunicek@sfsu.edu
- For more information, please visit the Institute for Civic and Community Engagement
With the transition to remote academic instruction and the fact that many businesses/community organizations have transitioned to remote work and/or have temporarily suspended their services as well, we realize that there are many questions around your service learning site placement. We want to prioritize student and community health, and we urge you to practice social distancing and adhere to the recent San Francisco and Bay Area counties’ Public Health Order requiring people to stay home except for essential needs, effective March 17, 2020.
This is an evolving situation and these below action steps are meant to be general, as each CSL course and placement site and/or CSL project is unique to their discipline and course instructor requirements. We wish to emphasize that you make decisions that are in your best interest of your health and safety.
- Please contact your course instructor as many faculty/departments are working with students to provide as much flexibility and accommodation as allowed to support you without penalty, in regards to alternative experiences and assignments, potentially reducing hours, etc. Additionally, many CSL faculty are suspending their CSL component since many activities take place in and with the community – please check-in with your course instructor.
- It is recommended you check-in with your site supervisor if you are at a CSL placement site to inquire about their current protocol in response to COVID-19 and inquire about potential tasks you can do remotely, if possible.
- If you are able to continue your CSL placement remotely, please review and submit the Student Informed Consent form (if you have not already done so) and submit to your course instructor or to Glendie Domingo | glendie@sfsu.edu.
- For more information, please visit the Institute for Civic and Community Engagement
As of April 7th, please rest assured that all classes will allow you the option to be graded CR/NC.
The campus is currently working out the logistics required to make that possible through the online student center for courses that were not scheduled with a CR/NC grading option. Updates will be posted here as soon as we have more information.
For those classes that already give students the option of CR/NC, you can make that change right now. Please see the Registrar’s website for instructions on how to change to the CR/NC grading.
As you make this decision, please don’t forget that there’s a lot to consider about the future impact of this choice. We encourage you to contact an academic advisor if you need help determining if switching a course to CR/NC grading is the best option for you.
During this time, we know that you may be experiencing challenges that make it difficult to continue in your classes. However, we do not recommend withdrawing from courses. We are here to help you successfully complete your coursework this semester and continue your progress towards graduation. Please consider speaking with an academic advisor or seeking tutoring by emailing tutoring@sfsu.edu before withdrawing from any coursework.
If after seeking guidance and support, you still need to withdraw from an individual course, please email your professor directly. If your professor agrees to grant you the individual course withdrawal, they will submit the request online. After your request for withdrawal is reviewed by your department and college, an automatic email notification will be sent to your SF State email to let you know whether your withdrawal has been approved or denied.
If you decide to pursue an individual course withdrawal, and you are currently receiving financial aid, you should consult the Financial Aid Office by emailing finaid@sfsu.edu.
During this time, we know that you may be experiencing challenges that make it difficult to continue in your classes. However, we do not recommend withdrawing from courses. We are here to help you successfully complete your coursework this semester and continue your progress towards graduation. Please consider speaking with an academic advisor or seeking tutoring by emailing tutoring@sfsu.edu before withdrawing from any coursework.
If after seeking guidance and support, you still need to withdraw from the entire semester, please send an electronic copy of the current term withdrawal form from your SF State email account to the Registrar’s Office’s records-related account: records@sfsu.edu. No wet or paper signature (i.e., signed with pen on paper, the old-fashioned way) is needed for forms submitted via an SF State email account. The Registrar’s Office will review your request, and an email notification will be sent to your SF State email to let you know whether your semester withdrawal is approved or denied.
If you decide to pursue a full semester withdrawal, and you are currently receiving financial aid, you should consult the Financial Aid Office by emailing finaid@sfsu.edu.
Academic Resources
In keeping with guidance from the California State University, effective March 31, the Library Research Commons and first floor lobby will be closed until further notice.
Students may request a loaner laptop from the Library by contacting service@sfsu.edu or (415) 338-1420. When emailing, include "Library Loaner Laptop" in the subject line; and when calling, ask for a Library Loaner Laptop.
Library staff will respond to arrange the loan and have the laptop shipped. Both PCs and Macs are available. The Library provides a base install of software MS Office, web browsers, graphic software, and the laptop will work with Zoom video conferencing software. Some specialized software may not be available. The Library staff can answer any questions about the laptop and software. Find more details online in the Instructional Continuity — Student Quickquide.
The Library website also includes a directory of internet service providers pledging to Keep America Connected by waiving late fees, opening Wi-Fi hot spots, and not dropping service when users miss payments. In addition, the city of San Francisco offers free Wi-Fi service in selected areas. See the listing of free Wi-Fi available in the city.
The following resources refer to discounts or special options from a range of internet providers for those who may not have access to the internet from off-campus locations. Please contact the providers directly to find out if they apply to you:
- FCC agreement (.*pdf) stating that providers will waive late fees, not cutoff service for lack of payment, and open hot-spots.
- Comcast: offers free WiFi for two months to low income families plus all Xfinity hot-spots are free to the public during this time.
- AT&T: offers open hot-spots and unlimited data to existing customers, and $10/month plans to low income families.
- Verizon: no special offers, but following the FCC agreement.
- Sprint: follows FCC agreement, provides unlimited data to existing customers, and, starting Tuesday, March 17, will allow all handsets to enable hot-spots for 60 days at no extra charge.
- T-Mobile: follows FCC agreement, plus unlimited data to existing customers, and, coming soon, will allow all handsets to enable hot-spots for 60 days at no extra charge.
In keeping with guidance from the California State University, effective March 31, the Library Research Commons and first floor lobby will be closed until further notice.
Library services are available using remote modalities.
The Library is still here to serve you and support your coursework and research. Please see the Library Resources and Services Available During the COVID-19 Campus Closure page to learn how to access our services remotely and contact us with any questions you may have by emailing libris@lists.sfsu.edu.
If you are in possession of physical materials from the J. Paul Leanard Library that are due for return, please do not come to campus. Contact the Circulation Department at circmail@sfsu.edu to extend the due date of your materials until you are able to return to campus. The due date for SF State Main Collection, LRS, Course Reserves, CSU+, and ILLiad items have been automatically extended until the end of May. Any fines incurred while you are unable to come to campus will be waived. For more information, please check the Library’s website.
If you rented textbooks from the SF State Bookstore, you can ship the rentals back to the store via a free FedEx return label. There are two ways to get this return label:
- Wait for the rental reminder email that will be sent 14 days before your rental is due. This email will have a link to the free return label.
- Navigate to the SF State Bookstore website and login to your account. Under the “Rentals” section of your account, there should be a “Return by Mail” link. This link will allow you to create the return label.
The due date for rental returns has not changed, but the non-return charge date has been extended 15 days past the return date. To avoid late charges, please have your textbooks in the mail by no later than the return date. For more information, please check the SF State Bookstore website.
Professional academic advisors in the college-based resource centers, the Educational Opportunity Program, and the Undergraduate Advising Center are meeting with undergraduate students remotely via Zoom, chat, phone, and/or email (if you are a graduate student, please see question below). To make an academic advising appointment, please click on the button below. After scheduling your appointment, you will receive a confirmation and additional information about your remote appointment (at this time, all appointments are occurring remotely, not in person.)
See the guide to scheduling an advising appointment if you need help. The Advising Hub can help you determine the best office to support your needs.
Tutoring is open and ready to support you via Zoom. Please email tutoring@sfsu.edu from your SF State email account with your name, student ID, course for which you are seeking tutoring (DS 412, BIOL 100, ENG 114, etc.), and available days and times for an appointment. You will receive a prompt reply with details regarding your online appointment.
The Division of Graduate Studies is operating at full capacity and the entire team is here to support you. The division has enacted a virtual plan to assist you with admission processes and questions, advising, and progress to graduation. See our website for email contact information for common questions and concerns. In addition to emailing us, you can leave phone messages at (415) 338-2234. Voicemails and emails will be answered within one business day.
If you need to file a course substitution to update a major or minor degree requirement on your Degree Progress Report or an authorization to amend major/minor courses to alter a previously submitted graduation application, please submit an electronic copy of the form from your SF State email account to your advisor or department office. No wet or paper signature (i.e., signed with pen on paper, the old-fashioned way) is needed for forms that are submitted via an SF State email account. The advisor or department office will then review and forward your form. Once complete, the department chair will send your form directly to the Registrar’s Office via email.
Effective March 17 to April 7, 2020, or until further notice:
At this time, the Disability Programs and Resource Center remains open to support students, faculty, and staff with telephone and video services Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Spring Recess from March 23rd to 27th: The DPRC is open for telephone and video services only from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. SSB 110 is closed.
On-campus cart services will be operated by the University Police Department during both the daytime and after-hours until further notice in response to mitigation recommendations to limit faculty, staff, and students on campus. Call 415-338-7200 for a ride; press "0" for operator.
Students and employees should schedule appointments via phone or Zoom (video conference) to limit personal contact as we remain open during this period of online instruction. There are no changes to the drop-in schedule, but appointments are only available via phone or Zoom. To schedule or reschedule an appointment via phone or Zoom, please call our front desk at 415-338-2472, email <a data-cke-saved-href="mailto:dprc@sfsu.edu" href="mailto:dprc@sfsu.edu" target="_blank>dprc@sfsu.edu, or contact your Disability Specialist or the Employee Accommodations program directly. Visit our DPRC staff page for the staff directory.
Campus Response
Both the recent San Francisco shelter-in-place order and the Governor’s executive order make exceptions for institutions of higher education, and the University will remain open with the support of the minimal number of staff and administrators needed to maintain critical operations.
Protecting the health and safety of our community is SF State’s greatest priority. For those who must come to campus, SF State will continue maintaining social distancing practices, and ensure continuous cleaning and access to hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. For the latest health information and most current SF State updates and information, please refer to our COVID-19 website.
The SF State Bookstore has closed its physical location until further notice and has moved to online-only transactions. Textbooks, supplies, and apparel can still be ordered online.
For more information, please check the Bookstore’s website
SF State is canceling all events through May 31st on all SF State campuses and all University-sponsored events in March — which includes Gator Days and Investiture — to limit the potential exposure of COVID-19. This update is effective Monday, March 9. All divisions, departments, and academic programs should take appropriate actions based on this change.
The 2019 novel coronavirus is a new respiratory illness first identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019. The virus has been named SARS-CoV-2, and the disease it causes has been named coronavirus disease 2019, abbreviated as COVID-19.
On Wednesday, March 18, the California Collegiate Athletics Association (CCAA) Presidents/Chancellor board announced that the CCAA has canceled the remainder of the Spring 2020 athletic season, including all previously scheduled championships for the 2019-20 academic calendar. Additionally, all countable related athletic activities (CARA) are prohibited until May 31, 2020. The CCAA also prohibits on or off-campus in-person recruiting through May 31, 2020. This does not prohibit written or virtual communication following NCAA recruitment guidelines with prospective student-athletes during this time period.
Those wishing to contact staff or coaches are encouraged to call or email. SF State will continue to work with the campus, NCAA, and CCAA to monitor this quickly-evolving situation.
SF State is a model of a diverse and inclusive university. Across the country and beyond, we have seen an increase in stigmatizing rhetoric and behaviors toward Chinese and Asian American communities, an increase that Professor Russell Jeung, chair of the Asian American Studies Department, has commented on in nationally broadcast interviews. At this time, rather than acting out of fear and ignorance, SF State will respond with compassion, knowledge, and justice. As with all viruses, there are things we can do to protect ourselves and one another. Please respect one another as we protect our collective health and stand in solidarity with those who are ailing and those on the frontlines fighting this illness.
CAPS remains open and operational with adjusted services. In accordance with California laws, we are currently only able to provide remote counseling to students residing in the state of California. If you would like to schedule a phone or video appointment with us, please call CAPS at 415-338-2208 during business hours (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed noon to 1 p.m.).