The Community Compact provides guidance to the campus community regarding expectations during the continuing pandemic.
Consistent with our mission, every member of the Oxy community is empowered to create a campus environment characterized by a spirit of mutual respect and cooperation, built on shared values that include trust, integrity, discipline, selflessness and equity. We depend on these values to keep our community, and the larger community of which we are a part, safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. These values shape this Oxy Community Compact, which lays out the expectations for students, faculty and staff to exercise the kind of mutual respect and cooperation that will safeguard the Oxy community and make it possible for the College to continue its educational mission.
We ask the Oxy community to renew its commitment to take the necessary steps to protect ourselves and each other during the pandemic. Oxy’s health and safety guidelines reflect current scientific guidance from federal, state and county public health officials; the common health interests of faculty, staff, students and neighbors; and the judgment and decisions made by College leadership during the pandemic. It is crucial to our sense of community that we understand and accept our shared responsibility for keeping ourselves and our fellow community members safe and healthy. As our understanding of COVID-19 continues to evolve, our health and safety measures, as well as this agreement, may need to be adjusted.
To minimize the spread of the virus and protect the Oxy community, the College has implemented health and safety requirements that apply to all students, faculty and staff. You can find the most current and comprehensive information on the pandemic at Oxy on this Back at Oxy website. The key guidelines include:
- Wearing a mask at all times in all indoor public spaces.
- Frequently washing your hands or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Complying with all testing requirements.
- Observing all isolation and quarantine requirements if you test positive for COVD-19.
- Completing all required health and safety training.
- Actively monitoring all College communications about COVID conditions and changing protocols.
The relatively small number of COVID-19 cases at Oxy thus far speaks volumes about the way students, faculty and staff have stepped up to face the challenges posed by the pandemic. Given the potential impact that one person’s behavior can have on themselves and the broader community, the College must take violations of health and safety measures seriously.
Specific guidance for students, particularly those living in residence halls and those living in the surrounding communities can be found in the Student Code of Conduct as well as the COVID-19 Student Compact. These resources further clarify rules pertaining to students and potential ramifications of policy violations. Faculty and staff will be subject to the provisions of the updated Fall 2021 Workplace Guidelines as well as the Faculty Handbook and Employee Handbook, respectively.