Dear Students and Families,
Today I am writing to share with you plans for the upcoming semester. As students returned to campus this fall, creative energy filled our studios and theaters, hallways, and residence halls. Every day this semester I have witnessed the extraordinary joy students share in their learning and in being in community with their peers and with faculty and staff. I’m looking forward to an even more successful and art-filled experience for students in the months ahead.
Classes, Registration and Advising
Following public health guidance, we are planning for largely in-person classes in the spring semester. Some, such as lecture-based classes, will take place in a hybrid format while a number of others will be fully remote. (The hybrid format relies on a combination of Zoom-based delivery of remote instruction and in-person learning, sometimes involving coursework in studios or labs.) You can find a description of the various class modalities on our website. Studios, performance spaces, exercise rooms, the SuperShop, the library, and other areas of campus such as Steve’s Café, the CalArts Store, and Tatum coffee lounge will continue to operate in person. We will continue to take advantage of Southern California’s beautiful weather by using large tents to facilitate in-person classes outdoors.
Winter session class registration will take place on Dec. 21, and winter session classes will begin on Jan. 10, 2022. Course advising day for spring semester classes, which begin Jan. 24, 2022, will take place on Jan. 6. Please watch for an email from the registrar with specific instructions.
Activities and Performances
We will continue to follow Los Angeles County guidance related to large gatherings, audiences, and performances. We have enjoyed many gallery nights; lectures; special events; and dance, music, and theater performances this semester. We have been pleased with compliance with our student codes for safety and health. As we move toward completion of the fall semester and toward spring, keeping the community safe will remain our top priority.
Staying Safe and Well
We attend regular, specific COVID-19 briefings for higher-education institutions sponsored by the state of California and Los Angeles County. As new mandates are announced, or other mandates are lifted, we will adjust any guidelines accordingly. We will continue to post updates on the CalArts Returns website.
While masks will continue to be required indoors on campus, including in classrooms, current health guidance allows for the removal of masks for vaccinated students to participate in performances such as acting and music. Audiences remain masked. Programs will continue to update you on these requirements and how they will affect instruction.
During January, and throughout the following months as needed, we will offer free clinics for flu shots and COVID-19 booster shots. Almost 99 percent of our students, faculty, and staff are fully vaccinated (booster shots are not included in this definition at this time).
Counseling resources are available during the winter break and will continue through spring. Information is available on the CalArts website. We believe mental health is as important as physical well-being.
Graduation
Graduation is scheduled for Friday, May 13, and is being planned as an in-person, outdoor celebration. Students will begin to receive information in January from the registrar and others about academic and celebratory preparations.
Although public health guidance may change, as we have seen throughout the pandemic, our goal is to have an exciting and productive spring semester. By requiring masks and having as many members of our community as possible vaccinated, we remain confident we can continue to do this for the remainder of the academic year.
Tracie Costantino
Provost