Return to Campus
Loyola University Chicago’s guidelines for returning to campus are focused on the health, safety, and well-being of our community as our top priority. Now more than ever, we are called together to care for ourselves, each other, and the broader community. The policies and protocols on this website are designed to support safety and our mission to provide a first-class, Jesuit, Catholic education that prepares our students to serve humanity through learning, justice, and faith.
As we prepare for a more normal campus experience, we will continue to follow guidance from the scientific community and city and state officials.
Faculty and staff should not plan to return to campus or buildings until you are directed to do so by your dean/vice president, department or program director, or supervisor.
Loyola University Chicago’s guidelines for returning to campus are focused on the health, safety, and well-being of our community as our top priority. Now more than ever, we are called together to care for ourselves, each other, and the broader community. The policies and protocols on this website are designed to support safety and our mission to provide a first-class, Jesuit, Catholic education that prepares our students to serve humanity through learning, justice, and faith.
As we prepare for a more normal campus experience, we will continue to follow guidance from the scientific community and city and state officials.
Faculty and staff should not plan to return to campus or buildings until you are directed to do so by your dean/vice president, department or program director, or supervisor.
Through May 22
| Mitigation Measures | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masks | required everywhere on campus, both indoors and outdoors | |||
| Vaccinations | vaccine strongly encouraged for all | |||
| Building Access | building access must be requested | |||
| Surveillance Testing | surveillance testing required of anyone on campus; UGRAD = 2x/week; everyone else = 1x/week | |||
| Testing Compliance | See current compliance policy here | |||
| Signage | signage is in place throughout campus, indicating required compliance with personal safety practices, traffic flows, social distancing, and capacity limits | |||
| Cleaning & Disinfecting | sanitizing stations provided throughout campus; clean as you go before and after use of common spaces; hourly cleaning of all high touchpoint areas in common spaces; disinfecting of all spaces after confirmed cases | |||
| Campus Scenarios | ||||
| Workspace | up to 25 percent density; kitchenettes and conference rooms unavailable, schedules of occupancy must be submitted for campus access privileges, no in-person meetings | |||
| Meetings | all meetings held virutally | |||
| Visitors | no visitors allowed | |||
| Building Support | 4 person limit per elevator; social distancing in restrooms; drinking fountains and water bottle fillers unavailable due to low buidling density | |||
| On-Campus Events - Indoor | maximum group size of 25 | |||
| On-Campus Events - Outdoor | maximum group size of 25 | |||
| Event Attendees | LUC only | |||
| Catering | currently not permitted | |||
| Off-Campus Events | currently not permitted | |||
| Research | wet lab, dry lab and human subject research allowed; at HSC - 4/bay (open), or 6/500sf (closed); at LSC - 3/bay (open), or 4/500sf (closed); in-person meetings allowed; faculty candidate interviews allowed; non-LUC researchers allowed (if enrolled in SHIELD program, unless requirement to test program is discontinued per CDC guidelines) | |||
| University Sponsored Travel Policy | no travel allowed; exceptions granted by Provost (academic) or SVP for Admin Svcs (non-academic) | |||
| Classrooms/Labs | maximum class capacity of 50 with 6-foot social distancing | |||
| Residence Halls | maximum residency occupancy of 1400; single occupancy only; minimum 8 percent Q&I; floor lounges open with limited capacity; one LUC residential visitor per room | |||
| Worship Space | maximum group size of 25 | |||
| Dining Halls | 25 percent capacity | |||
| Campus Recreation | 25 percent capacity | |||
| Shuttles & 8-RIDE | no shuttle service provided; limited 8-RIDE | |||
Phase 1: Early Summer (May 23)
| Mitigation Measures | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masks | required indoors; required outside when participating in an outdoor group event(s) | |||
| Vaccinations | vaccine mandated for all students for fall semester (medical or religious exemptions must be approved); faculty and staff strongly encouraged to be vaccinated; initial survey results indicate that 95 percent of faculty/94 percent of staff are or intend to be vaccinated | |||
| Building Access |
LSC: students enrolled in in-person summer sessions will have access to all buildings hosting classes via their IDs; faculty and staff IDs will have access to all academic buildings 7A-7P M-F and to their own department 24/7.
WTC: typical building access restored 7A-7P M-F; faculty and staff IDs will have access to their own department 24/7. HSC: CTRE building access restored to previous access level; Cuneo Center/MNSON and Cardinal Benardin Cancer Center swipe access restored to all HSC faculty, staff and students. (schedules of occupancy no longer required) |
|||
| Surveillance Testing | VACCINATED population not required to test; regular surveillance testing of UNVACCINATED population required | |||
| Testing Compliance | two instances of testing non-compliance will be treated as two warnings; subsequent instances of testing non-compliance will result in campus access privileges being revoked and referral to OSCCR (students) or immediate supervisor (faculty/staff) | |||
| Ventilation | A mechanical engineering consultant studied all University buildings to verify that ventilation rates, filtration strength, and outside air levels comply with guidance set forth by the CDC, ASHRAE, and the Illinois Department of Public Heath Environmental Toxicology section. Higher efficiency filters have been purchased and installed throughout campus, and Facilities is introducing additional outside air and increasing the turnover of air in the building above its standard levels to improve the indoor air environment. UV filtration fans have been installed in all high-rise elevators. | |||
| Signage | signage is in place throughout campus, indicating required compliance with personal safety practices, traffic flows, social distancing, and capacity limits; to request additional signage, please submit a work ticket: LUC.edu/facilities | |||
| Cleaning & Disinfecting | sanitizing stations provided throughout campus; clean as you go before and after use of common spaces; resume pre-pandemic cleaning schedules; disinfecting of spaces if positive individual was in the space less than 24 hours prior to notification; to request sanitizing supplies, please submit a work ticket: LUC.edu/facilities | |||
| Campus Scenarios | ||||
| Workspace | up to 60 percent density; ensuring safe distance between occupants; kitchenettes available; campus access privileges will be restored to campus buildings, so office occupancy will be monitored by department level managers; schedules of occupancy no longer required | |||
| Meetings | 25 percent occupancy of conference rooms, please clean as you go; 1:1 office meetings permitted | |||
| Visitors | visitors permitted for recruitment (faculty, staff, and students) functions; must attest to being fully vaccinated or negative test result no more than 72 hours pre-arrival (compliance with city travel order) | |||
| Building Support | due to the limited duration of interaction, no limit on elevators, bathrooms, and support spaces; water bottle fillers will be turned on | |||
| On-Campus Events - Indoor | 60 percent occupancy of event space; one space per event based on availability and space capacity; rooms will be set in a standard set with no option for changes, no customization; one to four hours is the maximum time for each event/program; meetings remain on line to allow space to be used for events/programs; must be scheduled through 25Live or Room Scheduler | |||
| On-Campus Events - Outdoor | 60 percent of outdoor space capacity | |||
| Event Attendees | LUC only | |||
| Catering | food and beverages grab and go, or plated (one hour meals) | |||
| Off-Campus Events | must match on-campus event restrictions; variations approved by department leadership | |||
| Libraries | up to 60 percent density in open areas; 25 percent occupancy of study rooms | |||
| Research | wet lab, dry lab and human subject research allowed; at HSC - 5/bay (open), or 7/500sf (closed); at LSC - 4/bay (open), or 6/500sf (closed); in-person meetings allowed; faculty, staff and student candidate interviews allowed; Non-LUC researchers allowed IF FULLY VACCINATED; if non-LUC researchers are NOT vaccinated, have to participate in surveillance testing. Lab and research-related office occupancy will be monitored by department level managers; schedules of occupancy no longer required | |||
| University Sponsored Travel Policy | IF VACCINATED, domestic travel allowed, international travel by exeption only (at discretion of department leadership); compliance with City of Chicago travel order required upon return | |||
| Classrooms/Labs | maximum class capacity of 50 with 6-foot social distancing; faculty must keep a seating chart for contact tracing purposes | |||
| Residence Halls | maximum residency occupancy of 570; single occupancy only; min. 8 percent Q&I; floor lounges open with posted capacity; one LUC residential visitor per room | |||
| Worship Space | 60 percent capacity | |||
| Dining Halls | LSC and WTC: closed; HSC: 75 percent capacity | |||
| Campus Recreation | 50 percent capacity (internal only) | |||
| Shuttles & 8-RIDE | no shuttle or 8-RIDE service provided | |||
Phase 2A: Summer (mid June)
| Mitigation Measures | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masks | In light of new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), and Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) guidance and substantial levels of COVID-19 transmission in the city of Chicago and surrounding counties, masks are now required in all indoor public spaces and in all buildings at all Loyola campuses. This applies to all students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors regardless of vaccination status. | |||
| Vaccinations | vaccine mandated for all students for fall semester (medical or religious exemptions must be approved); faculty and staff are required to be vaccinated; All students must upload their COVID-19 vaccination cards by no later than Friday, August 6. Faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to upload their vaccination cards by this date as well through Loyola Health App (Updated July 29, 2021) | |||
| Building Access | campus access privileges will be restored to University IDs according to the new campus security plan in development and to be announced | |||
| Surveillance Testing | re-entry testing required of all UNVACCINATED residential students at move-in, and international students; VACCINATED population not required to test; regular surveillance testing of UNVACCINATED population required | |||
| Testing Compliance | (no change) two instances of testing non-compliance will be treated as two warnings; subsequent instances of testing non-compliance will result in campus access privileges being revoked and referral to OSCCR (students) or immediate supervisor (faculty/staff) | |||
| Ventilation | (no change) A mechanical engineering consultant studied all University buildings to verify that ventilation rates, filtration strength, and outside air levels comply with guidance set forth by the CDC, ASHRAE, and the Illinois Department of Public Heath Environmental Toxicology section. Higher efficiency filters have been purchased and installed throughout campus, and Facilities is introducing additional outside air and increasing the turnover of air in the building above its standard levels to improve the indoor air environment. UV filtration fans have been installed in all high-rise elevators. | |||
| Signage | (no change) signage is in place throughout campus, indicating required compliance with personal safety practices, traffic flows, social distancing, and capacity limits; to request additional signage, please submit a work ticket: LUC.edu/facilities | |||
| Cleaning & Disinfecting | pending further guidance from CDC regarding post-incident cleaning; to request sanitizing supplies, please submit a work ticket: LUC.edu/facilities | |||
| Campus Scenarios | ||||
| Workspace | up to 100 percent density; kitchenettes available; shared office spaces allowed - please clean as you go; consult your department supervisor about your own return to work plans | |||
| Meetings | 50 percent occupancy of conference rooms, please clean as you go; 1:1 office meetings permitted | |||
| Visitors |
Visitors permitted for recruitment (faculty, staff, and students), individual and small (<10) group alumni/donor meetings; and individual and small (<50) group meetings / seminars for clients, non-credit learners, research participants for academic or research continuity (at discretion of department manager) and liturgies at Madonna della Strada Chapel; Visitors must attest to being fully vaccinated or negative test result no more than 72 hours pre-arrival and comply with all masking guidelines. Please register visitors ahead of time with your building's front desk staff or meet your visitors at the front door once they arrive. |
|||
| Building Support | (no change) due to the limited duration of interaction, no limit on elevators, bathrooms, and support spaces; water bottle fillers will be turned on | |||
| On-Campus Events - Indoor | pending city and state guidance on capacity limits; internal student-centered events will be approved; reservation requests with external attendees will be put on a waitlist and approved in phase 2B or 3 as health/safety guidance allows | |||
| On-Campus Events - Outdoor | 60 percent-plus pending city and state guidance (pursuing tents outside for additional capacity) | |||
| Event Attendees | decision pending additional health and safety metrics | |||
| Catering | Catering restrictions may be reduced or eliminated based on the event. Please check with Campus Reservations when reserving space. | |||
| Off-Campus Events | (no change) must match on-campus event restrictions; variations approved by department leadership | |||
| Libraries | up to 100 percent density in open areas; 50 percent occupancy of study rooms | |||
| Research | wet lab, dry lab, and human subject research allowed; at HSC - 6/bay (open), or 8/500sf (closed); at LSC - 5/bay (open), or 7/500sf (closed); in-person meetings allowed; faculty, staff, and student candidate interviews allowed; non-LUC researchers allowed, if vaccinateed. If not vaccinated, must participate in weekly testing (unless testing requirement for NOT VACCINATED people is eliminated) | |||
| University Sponsored Travel Policy | IF VACCINATED, domestic travel allowed; international allowed (within State Dept. guidance, and at discretion of department leadership); compliance with City of Chicago emergency travel order required upon return | |||
| Classrooms/Labs | class occupancy returns to pre-COVID levels; faculty must keep a seating chart for contact tracing purposes | |||
| Residence Halls | (no change) maximum residency occupancy of 570; single occupancy only; min. 8 percent Q&I; floor lounges open with posted capacity; one LUC residential visitor per room | |||
| Worship Space | 100 percent capacity - masks are now required in all indoor worship spaces at all Loyola campuses. This applies to all students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors regardless of vaccination status. (Updated August 4,2021) | |||
| Dining Halls | (no change) LSC and WTC: closed; HSC: 75 percent capacity | |||
| Campus Recreation | LSC: 60 percent capacity (internal only); HSC: 100% capacity | |||
| Shuttles & 8-RIDE | (no change) no shuttle or 8-RIDE service provided | |||
Phase 2B: Start of Fall Semester (mid August)
| Mitigation Measures | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masks | pending further guidance | |||
| Vaccinations | all students required to be vaccinated or have an approved medical or religious exemption to access campus buildings; unvaccinated students without a medical or religious exemption will not be given campus access privileges; initial survey results indicate that 95 percent of faculty/94 percent of staff are or intend to be vaccinated | |||
| Building Access | (no change) campus access privileges will be restored to University IDs according to the new campus security plan in development and to be announced | |||
| Surveillance Testing | (no change) re-entry testing required of all UNVACCINATED residential students at move-in, and international students; VACCINATED population not required to test; regular surveillance testing of UNVACCINATED population required | |||
| Testing Compliance | compliance strategy is under development; non-compliance with testing will result in campus access privileges being revoked | |||
| Ventilation | (no change) A mechanical engineering consultant studied all University buildings to verify that ventilation rates, filtration strength, and outside air levels comply with guidance set forth by the CDC, ASHRAE, and the Illinois Department of Public Heath Environmental Toxicology section. Higher efficiency filters have been purchased and installed throughout campus, and Facilities is introducing additional outside air and increasing the turnover of air in the building above its standard levels to improve the indoor air environment. UV filtration fans have been installed in all high-rise elevators. | |||
| Signage | (no change) signage is in place throughout campus, indicating required compliance with personal safety practices, traffic flows, social distancing, and capacity limits; to request additional signage, please submit a work ticket: LUC.edu/facilities | |||
| Cleaning & Disinfecting | pending further guidance from CDC regarding post-incident cleaning; to request sanitizing supplies, please submit a work ticket: LUC.edu/facilities | |||
| Campus Scenarios | ||||
| Workspace | (no change) up to 100 percent density; kitchenettes available; shared office spaces allowed - please clean as you go; consult your department supervisor about your own return to work plans | |||
| Meetings | 100 percent occupancy of conference rooms, please clean as you go; 1:1 office meetings permitted | |||
| Visitors | visitors may be permitted for signature events (Alumni Weekend, Founders' Dinner, Opus Prize, Family Weekend), total numbers of attendees to be determined. Visitors/guests may be permitted for indoor and outdoor athletic events, total numbers to be determined; must attest to being fully vaccinated or negative test result no more than 72 hours pre-arrival. | |||
| Building Support | (no change) due to the limited duration of interaction, no limit on elevators, bathrooms, and support spaces; water bottle fillers will be turned on | |||
| On-Campus Events - Indoor | 100 percent capacity allowed; focus of space reservations will be on internal academic and student-centered events; other events (donor, alumni, etc.) are permitted but may need to be held off campus if space is not available at the time a decision is needed; reservation requests with external attendees will be put on a waitlist and approved as health/safety guideance allows | |||
| On-Campus Events - Outdoor | 100 percent outdoor capacity | |||
| Event Attendees | decision pending additional health and safety metrics | |||
| Catering | (no change) Catering restrictions may be reduced or eliminated based on the event. Please check with Campus Reservations when reserving space. | |||
| Off-Campus Events | (no change) must match on-campus event restrictions; variations approved by department leadership | |||
| Libraries | up to 100 percent density in open areas; study rooms open to 100 percent occupancy | |||
| Research | return to pre-COVID lab and workplace conditions | |||
| University Sponsored Travel Policy | pending additional guidance | |||
| Classrooms/Labs | (no change) class occupancy returns to pre-COVID levels; faculty must keep a seating chart for contact tracing purposes | |||
| Residence Halls | (no change) maximum residency occupancy of 4,000; single and double occupancy only; Q&I space limited; floor lounges open with posted capacity; two LUC residential visitors per room | |||
| Worship Space | (no change) 100 percent capacity - masks are now required in all indoor worship spaces at all Loyola campuses. This applies to all students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors regardless of vaccination status. (Updated August 4,2021) | |||
| Dining Halls | 100 percent capacity | |||
| Campus Recreation | 100 percent capacity (internal only) | |||
| Shuttles & 8-RIDE | shuttle service and 8-RIDE back in operation at 100 percent capacity | |||
Phase 3: mid-Fall Semester (Late September/Early October)
| Mitigation Measures | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masks | pending further guidance | |||
| Vaccinations | (no change) all students required to be vaccinated or have an approved medical or religious exemption to access campus buildings; unvaccinated students without a medical or religious exemption will not be given campus access privileges; initial survey results indicate that 95 percent of faculty/94 percent of staff are or intend to be vaccinated | |||
| Building Access | (no change) campus access privileges will be restored to University IDs according to the new campus security plan in development and to be announced | |||
| Surveillance Testing | (no change) re-entry testing required of all UNVACCINATED residential students at move-in, and international students; VACCINATED population not required to test; regular surveillance testing of UNVACCINATED population required | |||
| Testing Compliance | (no change) compliance strategy is under development; non-compliance with testing will result in campus access privileges being revoked | |||
| Ventilation | (no change) A mechanical engineering consultant studied all University buildings to verify that ventilation rates, filtration strength, and outside air levels comply with guidance set forth by the CDC, ASHRAE, and the Illinois Department of Public Heath Environmental Toxicology section. Higher efficiency filters have been purchased and installed throughout campus, and Facilities is introducing additional outside air and increasing the turnover of air in the building above its standard levels to improve the indoor air environment. UV filtration fans have been installed in all high-rise elevators. | |||
| Signage | (no change) signage is in place throughout campus, indicating required compliance with personal safety practices, traffic flows, social distancing, and capacity limits; to request additional signage, please submit a work ticket: LUC.edu/facilities | |||
| Cleaning & Disinfecting | pending further guidance from CDC regarding post-incident cleaning; to request sanitizing supplies, please submit a work ticket: LUC.edu/facilities | |||
| Campus Scenarios | ||||
| Workspace | (no change) up to 100 percent density; kitchenettes available; shared office spaces allowed - please clean as you go; consult your department supervisor about your own return to work plans | |||
| Meetings | (no change) 100 percent occupancy of conference rooms, please clean as you go; 1:1 office meetings permitted | |||
| Visitors | TBD: visitors may be permitted for signature events (Alumni Weekend, Founders' Dinner, Opus Prize, Family Weekend), total numbers of attendees to be determined. Visitors/guests may be permitted for indoor/outdoor athletic events, total numbers to be determined. | |||
| Building Support | (no change) due to the limited duration of interaction, no limit on elevators, bathrooms, and support spaces; water bottle fillers will be turned on | |||
| On-Campus Events - Indoor | decision regarding external attendees pending | |||
| On-Campus Events - Outdoor | (no change) 100 percent outdoor capacity | |||
| Event Attendees | decision pending additional health and safety metrics | |||
| Catering | (no change) Catering restrictions may be reduced or eliminated based on the event. Please check with Campus Reservations when reserving space. | |||
| Off-Campus Events | (no change) must match on-campus event restrictions; variations approved by department leadership | |||
| Libraries | (no change) up to 100 percent density in open areas; study rooms open to 100 percent occupancy | |||
| Research | (no change) return to pre-COVID lab and workplace conditions | |||
| University Sponsored Travel Policy | pending additional guidance | |||
| Classrooms/Labs | (no change) class occupancy returns to pre-COVID levels; faculty must keep a seating chart for contact tracing purposes | |||
| Residence Halls | (no change) maximum residency occupancy of 4,000; single and double occupancy only; Q&I space limited; floor lounges open with posted capacity; two LUC residential visitors per room | |||
| Worship Space | (no change) 100 percent capacity | |||
| Dining Halls | (no change) 100 percent capacity | |||
| Campus Recreation | (no change) 100 percent capacity (internal only) | |||
| Shuttles & 8-RIDE | (no change) shuttle service and 8-RIDE back in operation at 100 percent capacity | |||
Phase 4: Spring Semester 2022 (January 1)
| Mitigation Measures | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masks | pending further guidance | |||
| Vaccinations | (no change) all students required to be vaccinated or have an approved medical or religious exemption to access campus buildings; unvaccinated students without a medical or religious exemption will not be given campus access privileges; initial survey results indicate that 95 percent of faculty/94 percent of staff are or intend to be vaccinated | |||
| Building Access | (no change) campus access privileges will be restored to University IDs according to the new campus security plan in development and to be announced | |||
| Surveillance Testing | surveillance testing no longer offered | |||
| Testing Compliance | surveillance testing no longer offered | |||
| Ventilation | (no change) A mechanical engineering consultant studied all University buildings to verify that ventilation rates, filtration strength, and outside air levels comply with guidance set forth by the CDC, ASHRAE, and the Illinois Department of Public Heath Environmental Toxicology section. Higher efficiency filters have been purchased and installed throughout campus, and Facilities is introducing additional outside air and increasing the turnover of air in the building above its standard levels to improve the indoor air environment. UV filtration fans have been installed in all high-rise elevators. | |||
| Signage | n/a | |||
| Cleaning & Disinfecting | pending further guidance from CDC | |||
| Campus Scenarios | ||||
| Workspace | (no change) up to 100 percent density; kitchenettes available; shared office spaces allowed - please clean as you go; consult your department supervisor about your own return to work plans | |||
| Meetings | (no change) 100 percent occupancy of conference rooms, please clean as you go; 1:1 office meetings permitted | |||
| Visitors | visitors permitted for all purposes; must attest to being fully vaccinated or negative test result no more than 72 hours pre-arrival | |||
| Building Support | drinking fountains turned back on | |||
| On-Campus Events - Indoor | 100 percent occupancy of event space; no restrictions on events; both internal and external events permitted; must be scheduled through 25Live or Room Scheduler | |||
| On-Campus Events - Outdoor | (no change) 100 percent outdoor capacity | |||
| Event Attendees | external attendees permitted | |||
| Catering | no catering restrictions | |||
| Off-Campus Events | no restrictions | |||
| Libraries | (no change) up to 100 percent density in open areas; study rooms open to 100 percent occupancy | |||
| Research | (no change) return to pre-COVID lab and workplace conditions | |||
| University Sponsored Travel Policy | pending additional guidance | |||
| Classrooms/Labs | return to 15 minute passing period; no seating chart required | |||
| Residence Halls | (no change) maximum residency occupancy of 4,000; single and double occupancy only; Q&I space limited; floor lounges open with posted capacity; two LUC residential visitors per room | |||
| Worship Space | (no change) 100 percent capacity | |||
| Dining Halls | (no change) 100 percent capacity | |||
| Campus Recreation | (no change) 100 percent capacity (internal only) | |||
| Shuttles & 8-RIDE | (no change) shuttle service and 8-RIDE back in operation at 100 percent capacity | |||