ECL Reopening Statement and Practices | Fall 2021

Guiding Principles

The Centers for Equity, Community, and Leadership (ECL) are guided by values of collective responsibility for the safety and well-being of our students, staff, faculty and alumni.  We share the deep conviction that in our rapidly changing world higher education, as expressed in Stanford’s vision for Inclusion, Diversity, Education and Access in a Learning (IDEAL) environment, has a moral and political obligation to advance human welfare by promoting diversity throughout our institutions.

Our commitment to the health and safety of communities of color disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 is an expression of these values. Decisions we make affect not only Stanford students, faculty and staff but the surrounding communities and populations on which the university depends. As such, we will always base our decision-making on the following principles: 

1. Safety First
2. Community-Building
3. Advancing Diversity & Equity 

Informed by these principles, the following plan allows the centers to continue building community and a sense of belonging for our students, promoting their health and well-being, helping them to flourish and furthering diversity and equity at Stanford, goals that are foundational to our mission.

ECL Reopening Plan

*Center Usage: in Fall 2021,  ECL centers will be open to professional staff and student staff only depending on the space and ability to provide sufficient air filtration. In the interest of safety, they will not be open for public student use. 
*Center Staff: Safety and health conditions permitting, centers will have either professional staff and/or student staff present during work hours (9AM-5PM). All other community members (students, staff, faculty) are encouraged to meet with staff outdoors and by appointment.
*Old Union Courtyard: NACC, A3C, El Centro, and Markaz will use the Old Union Courtyard and other outdoor spaces for drop-in hours, hangouts, and events. The Nitery building door will be open but indoor El Centro and Markaz spaces are closed for public student use.  
*Fire Truck House: The WCC and QSR plan to create an outdoor lounge/meeting area behind the building and will be utilizing outdoor spaces across campus for drop-in hours, hangouts and small meetings. The Fire Truck House will be closed for public student use due to lack of windows and air ventilation on the first floor.
*Black House: The Black Community Services Center will utilize our outdoor deck space for events and meetings and will continue to utilize the inside of the Black House for lounge and drop in hours with limited capacity. The Henry and Monique Brandon Family Community Room will remain offline for the duration of the fall quarter. More information will be provided about the re-opening of this space at a later date.
*Events: All events throughout the quarter will be held virtually or outdoors on campus with social distancing and masking mandates in place.
*VSOs: Student organizations can book outdoor meeting and event space through their affiliated center (if available). Each center will communicate directly with its VSOs for further information on usage. 
* Staff meetings: Individual centers will determine the format and location of student staff meetings. 

Thanks for your support and assistance in ensuring that the Centers for Equity, Community, and Leadership can provide safe and healthy opportunities for engagement, both on campus and virtually, while we enter the 2021-22 academic year during the on-going pandemic.