Campus Status Dial
Pacific Lutheran University will begin the 2020-21 school year with a staged approach to reopening. We’ve created a visual representation—a status dial—to ensure that our community members can quickly and easily see which stage we’re currently in, from fully remote learning and working to full capacity with in-person operations. As public-health conditions continue to evolve over the next several months, the PLU dial will be a regular part of our guidance for learning, living, and working on campus.
The dial represents data gleaned from campus, county, and state health reporting (see below) which, in combination with directives from public-health officials, will inform our decision-making related to campus operations. The dial will be updated weekly on Wednesdays by 12 p.m. with any new information (including indications that the status remains unchanged); should public-health circumstances warrant an immediate shift (e.g., restricting campus activity or operations) within a time frame that does not align with the Wednesday updates, the campus text alert system will be utilized to notify PLU community members of the change.
PLU affirms Stage 3 status, removes “tentative” qualifier
The decision to affirm that we are solidly in Stage 3 is based on the data from four weeks of campus testing and continuing significant improvements in local metrics. Following our fourth week of testing—including large scale testing last week—we have had one positive case out of more than 1400 tests administered for returning students and some frontline faculty and staff.
There has been continued significant improvements in local metrics, particularly the fourteen-day rate of new cases per 100,000 people in Pierce County, which improved by 50% over the last month. Additionally, each of the other metrics in our model (including the current R factor [a key measure of how fast the virus is growing], PLU and regional healthcare system capacity, and test positivity rate) continue to meet or exceed our Stage 3 requirements.
We will continue to evaluate campus and regional data, with particular attention in the days ahead to trends reflecting Labor Day weekend, PLU residence hall move-in activity, and our continuing capacity for response.
(Updated: Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 11:45 a.m.)
A look at each stage
Identifying different stages for campus operations allows us to pivot between varying degrees of in-person and remote learning, living, and working. Decisions about which stage we’re in, and whether we should move to a different one, will be determined by our established metrics (see below), the impacts or potential impacts of a changing health situation, available resources, and direction from local public-health officials. As the public-health situation continues to evolve, PLU will continue to review and refine these models as appropriate, and may modify stages as changing conditions require.
| Teaching | Remote learning |
| Co-curricular Opportunities | Remote delivery of co-curricular activities and resources |
| Housing and Dining | Occupancy and service limited to special situations |
| Critical Infrastructure* | Limited on-campus work permitted with health precautions |
| All Other Offices and Services | Working remotely and offering remote services |
*Critical infrastructure departments include: Business Office, Campus Restaurants, Campus Safety, Facilities Management, Health Center, Information & Technology Services, Mail Services, and Residential Life.
| Teaching | Remote learning, except for select courses in state-approved “essential programs” |
| Co-curricular Opportunities | Remote delivery of co-curricular activities, except where supporting “essential programs” or allowed by public health directives |
| Residence Halls | Occupancy limited to singles or private bedrooms in apartments |
| Critical Infrastructure | On-campus work permitted with continued health precautions |
| Offices | Working remotely where possible; employees permitted onsite for the purpose of planning and delivering online instruction, caring for students living on campus and limited student-facing services |
| Teaching | Addition of blended learning for select clinicals, labs, and performance-based and community-building courses |
| Co-curricular Opportunities | Remote delivery of most co-curricular activities and resources, select programs/resources offered in person |
| Residence Halls | Occupancy remains limited to singles or private bedrooms in apartments |
| Critical Infrastructure | On-campus work permitted with continued health precautions |
| Offices | Working remotely where possible; student-facing offices provide continued service, some with limited in-person hours and staffing |
| Teaching | Increased blended learning opportunities, contingent on space availability and course learning objectives |
| Co-curricular Opportunities | Additional co-curricular activities and resources offered in person, including in residence halls |
| Residence Halls | Occupancy expanded to allow for limited number of double rooms |
| Critical Infrastructure | On-campus work permitted with continued health precautions |
| Offices | On-campus work/services where possible |
| Teaching | Maximized opportunities for blended learning, contingent on space availability and course learning objectives |
| Co-curricular Opportunities | Most low and moderate-risk co-curricular activities and resources are offered in person |
| Residence Halls | Occupancy expanded to allow for double rooms at up to 50% of capacity |
| Critical Infrastructure | Resume normal operations with continued health precautions |
| Offices | Resume normal operations with accommodations for higher-risk employees and continued health precautions |
| Teaching | In-person teaching resumes for all courses normally taught in that modality |
| Co-curricular Opportunities | Majority of co-curricular activities and resources are offered in person |
| Residence Halls | Occupancy maximized based on student need and availability |
| Critical Infrastructure | Resume normal operations |
| Offices | Resume normal operations |
Data-driven Decision Making
The PLU Campus Status Dial is based on key metrics that the university is tracking daily. These factors, when considered holistically and in the context of trend and impact, will inform how to best serve and care for our community of nearly 3,500 students, faculty, and staff.
PLU factors in the model include:
- Active COVID-19 positive cases
- Isolation and quarantine capacity
- Number and/or size of any clusters on campus
- Availability of PPE supplies
- Ability to sustain campus operations and provide student care
Regional infection rate and health-system factors in the model include:
- Fourteen-day rate of new cases per 100,000 people, with consideration of trends
- Regional COVID-19 virus reproduction (R0) rate
- Seven-day percentage of COVID-19 tests with positive results
- Licensed hospital bed capacity
- COVID-19 positive hospitalization rate
These factors are evaluated in the aggregate to help determine the appropriate stage for the university. No single factor will determine whether the university needs to move left or right through the stages.
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