Spring 2021 COVID-19 Law School Update

All classes will be remote the first week of the Spring Semester, Jan 11 - 15, 2021. In-person classes will resume January 19, continuing the hybrid configuration as in the fall.

The following instructions were emailed to current students:

Prior to returning to campus
To begin the semester, with the health and well-being of all community members as our greatest priority, Lewis & Clark students who plan to attend classes in-person are asked again to observe a two-week period of self-isolation/limitation on social exposure prior to starting classes. We ask this of you because so many infected people are asymptomatic.

Self-isolation in this context is defined as staying in your place of residence to the fullest extent possible for 14 days prior to the start of classes, limiting contacts with those outside your immediate household, and minimizing any travel from home, except for essential trips (e.g., doctor’s appointments, trips to the grocery store - and in all of these adhering closely to social distancing protocols). If it is impossible for you to self-isolate at home for the full two weeks prior to returning to campus (for example, due to work commitments), you should plan to self-isolate as much as possible and follow safe practices when outside your home.

If you are in a home where the others you live with are not self-isolating, you should minimize close contact with them by avoiding situations where you have face-to-face contact closer than 6 feet for more than 15 minutes. Students are especially asked to avoid attending large gatherings or social hotspots, and absolutely avoiding those where social distancing cannot be maintained and face coverings are optional or not effectively practiced (e.g. bars, parties, gyms, etc.). Overnight trips or nonessential travel should be curtailed.

We know some of you may need to travel by airplane, bus, or train in order to return to Portland. Such travel will not invalidate your 14-day self-isolation. All students should follow the recommended CDC guidelines for travel in order to reduce the risk of exposure.

COVID Testing & the First Week of Classes
All law classes will be held remotely, via Zoom during the first week of spring classes, January 11-15 in order to test returning on- campus students. During that week, all law students who plan to attend spring classes in-person must have a COVID test. The Lewis & Clark Health Service will be offering testing clinics on campus during the week of January 11-15, by appointment only. Detailed information as to days and times has been communicated – check your email. Testing in these clinics will be provided at no expense to students. Please be sure to check your email over winter break to ensure you receive the testing details and be sure to sign up for an appointment. Alternatively, students can obtain a COVID test off-campus during the January 11-15 time frame at their own expense and, if they do so, they will be required to upload test results to the Student Health Information Portal prior to attending an in-person class. Students who do not test on campus or submit test results will not be allowed to attend in-person classes.

If you are concerned about attending classes in-person for reasons related to COVID-19, you can request approval to attend spring semester classes via Zoom. To make the request, please email Libby Davis, Student Affairs Dean and provide a short explanation for your request. 

Doing Your Part
The best way to stop the transmission of COVID-19 is through prevention. WeB4Me@LC! We ask that you take the following preventive measures during Spring semester:

• Wear face coverings and wash your hands frequently. Face coverings are required on-campus at all times, other than in private offices with doors closed and when eating. Eating is not allowed in the classrooms.
• Do not attend large gatherings or participate in high-risk behaviors, such as parties or visiting bars.
• Self-assess for COVID symptoms before leaving your residence each day. This includes taking your temperature. At the first sign of symptoms, self-isolate in your residence; fill out the COVID Self-Check and Report Form (SCARF) in the Health Information Portal; and contact the Health Service (503-768-7165). If the Health Service is closed, consider contacting the Nurse Consultation line (1-877-617-9531).

It is also critical that students answer their phones, as that is the way our Wellness Service staff will reach out to students who might have been exposed to a positive case of COVID. Please also be sure your voicemail is not full, so that staff who are trying to reach you can leave a message. Please add our contract tracer, Ami Hanna (hannae@lclark.edu and 503-768-8737), to your contacts list.