Will I have access to different services depending on whether I am at home or in Berkeley?
All student-athletes, regardless of sport and whether they are at home or in Berkeley, will have remote access via Zoom to:
- Medical consultations
- Medical care for conditions caused by athletic injury
- Athletic Performance staff consultations (Athletic Trainers, Strength & Conditioning Coaches)
- Athletic Study Center and academic support services (Advisor, Tutoring, etc.)
- CAPS/Mental Health Services
- Cameron Institute services and programming
In addition, student-athletes will have access to any service that is open to every student on campus, including classes, and University Health Services in-person or remote medical services (which include a fee for service).
For additional fall and spring sports, there will be no access to athletic facilities, in-person treatments or meetings, study areas, laundry or additional nutrition for student-athletes until after Jan. 1, 2021.
We will not be able to test or provide COVID-19-related medical care for fall and spring sport student-athletes during the fall semester. Any student-athlete who is symptomatic will have access to the Tang Center and associated testing resources,
as all students on campus do.
What services will I have access to if I am a student-athlete in a sport allowed to train on campus this fall?
Winter sports (men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s swimming & diving, and men’s and women’s indoor track & field) and football student-athletes remaining on campus will have access to:
- Adjusted medical services based on Berkeley Public Health guidelines (emergency, limited PT and non-urgent services). All medical consultations with athletic trainers or physicians will be conducted remotely by appointment only, other than emergency care.
- Field/court/pool/gymnastics facilities in a limited way, as dictated by Berkeley Public Health and campus protocols
- Athletic Performance coaching (strength & conditioning) -- will vary by sport depending on facility access and sport-specific needs
- COVID-19 testing at a frequency dictated by NCAA/Pac-12/campus recommendations
- Sports Medicine services related to COVID-19-positive isolation housing/quarantine housing
- Nutrition will be provided for student-athletes training on campus. Your coach will provide details when they become available.
If I am a fall or spring sport student-athlete who has signed a contract to live in an on-campus residence hall and I choose to remain at home, can I cancel my housing contract at this point?
Yes, the deadline to cancel on-campus housing contracts with no financial penalty was Friday, Aug. 14. You will also have the ability to enter into a spring-only contract by applying for housing by Oct. 22.
Cancellation Process
To cancel your contract for on-campus housing for 2020-21, you must submit a Contract Cancellation Request form. Please follow the steps below:
- Go to portal.housing.berkeley.edu
- Select UC Berkeley Log In in the top left
- Select Login with Calnet and use your CalNet Credentials to log in to the Housing Portal
- Select the Online Forms tab near the top left
- Select Cancellation Request
- Select Continue on the Residence Hall 20-21 Academic Year application
- Read the Cancellation Request policy
- Indicate your Reason for Cancellation (COVID)
- Select Save and Continue
Why is there a limit on the number of student-athletes Cal can currently support on campus?
Compliance with campus and Berkeley Public Health COVID-19 protocols currently in place limits our capacity to host no more than 250 student-athletes due to time constraints, facility limitations and the personnel necessary to administer required testing, physical distancing and cleaning. Cleaning supplies and COVID-19 tests are finite resources. We need to ensure that we have sufficient supplies to support those student-athletes training on campus.
Because workouts must be run outdoors in groups no larger than 12 under the current Berkeley Public Health order, we unfortunately do not have enough facility space nor hours in the day to conduct practices for all of our student-athletes.
Only when health conditions improve and regulations change do we believe we will be able to support more teams and return to a sense of normality.
When should I return to campus?
For student-athletes in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s swimming & diving, men’s and women’s indoor track & field, and football, your coaches will be contacting you with specifics on the timing of returning to campus for training.
For student-athletes in traditional fall and spring sports, we recommend that you decide with your family and coach where you believe that you can thrive academically and athletically during the fall semester. Note that if you decide to return to campus for the fall semester, you will need to follow campus and public health orders. Academic and medical services will be provided remotely regardless of where you are living.
If I am in a fall or spring sport, when should I expect to return to campus to begin training for a 2021 season?
As of now, we are anticipating that the earliest traditional fall and spring sports would return is no earlier than Jan. 1, 2021.
Will I retain my scholarship this year if I don’t want to participate?
Student-athletes who are concerned about their safety due to COVID-19 and want to opt out of athletic activities will have their scholarships honored and remain in good standing with their teams. Student-athletes will make their individual choices on whether to return to campus based on what they feel most comfortable doing at this time, and Cal Athletics will support them in their decisions. There will be no judgment should a student-athlete not want to play this year.
Student-athletes who receive housing stipends as a part of their scholarship agreements will continue to receive those funds in order to pay expenses in Berkeley regardless of whether you are able to return to campus. For students who choose to stay at home and do not have rent to pay in Berkeley, please change your status to the commuter rate on CalCentral.
What will happen with my eligibility if I don’t compete this year due to COVID-19? If my season was canceled or postponed, how does that affect my seasons of eligibility and 5-year clock?
If you do not compete this year due either health concerns or because a season is canceled/postponed, you will retain your scholarship. The NCAA announced on Aug. 21 that fall sport student-athletes (field hockey, football, men's water polo, men's and women's soccer, volleyball) will receive a season of competition waiver for the 2020-21 year, regardless of whether they participate in any competitions. Thus, 2020-21 will be treated as a redshirt year whether they play 0 games or a full spring season. Such student-athletes will also receive an Extension of Eligibility waiver to extend their clock beyond five years, if that is necessary, for them to be able to participate in four seasons of competition.
What is the Berkeley Public Health Order and how often is it updated?
The Berkeley Public Health order guides many of our protocols and can be found at https://www.cityofberkeley.info/covid19-health-orders/. Updates to the order will be posted to the website, and we will update our guidelines as allowed.
What facilities at Cal are accessible under the current Berkeley Public Health order?
Under the current Berkeley Public Health order, we are able to offer outdoor workouts only in cohorts of 12 and with no shared equipment. Thus, all indoor spaces are off-limits - Haas Pavilion, the Simpson Center and the Golden Bear Rec Center - as well as all locker rooms, weight rooms, athletic training rooms, study areas and offices. Berkeley Public Health has also not approved pool activities, so both Spieker Aquatics Complex and Legends Aquatic Center are closed.
How do these Pac-12 decisions affect programs not sponsored by the Pac-12?
Cal sports that compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, America East and other conferences will be affected by these decisions in the same way as those programs that are sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference.
If I am a student-athlete training on campus and I have COVID-19-related expenses, how will they be covered?
The NCAA Board of Governors decided on Aug. 5 that member schools, in conjunction with existing insurance standards, must cover COVID-19 related medical expenses for student-athletes to prevent out-of-pocket expenses for college athletes and their families. For additional information from the Board of Governors, please see this link.
What happens if I contract COVID-19 while on campus?
If student-athletes contract COVID-19 and are participating in countable activities, then it becomes the responsibility of the athletic department to carry through with treatment, care, appointment, housing moves, contact tracing, food delivery, additional testing, medical check-ups and return to training.
We will not be able to test or provide COVID-19-related medical care for student-athletes prior to their official return date, even if they remain on campus. Any student-athlete who is symptomatic will have regular access to the Tang Center and associated testing resources, as all students on campus do.
How will the decision to postpone sport affect the department’s budget?
Since the start of the pandemic, we have been thoughtful in our budget planning and are considering a number of measures to ease the effect of the pandemic. We are adhering to a hiring freeze and merit freeze implemented by the campus, and are working closely with campus leadership on possible additional steps. Our intent is not to make permanent changes because we anticipate a return to normal operations within 12-18 months. Given the decision to pause fall competition was announced on Aug. 11, we expect we will need some time to understand the potential impacts before we finalize actions for the road ahead. Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton and Chancellor Christ have said all along that cutting sports would be a last resort under any circumstances.
What are the expectations of me as a student-athlete, whether or not I am training with my team?
Whether you are on campus or at home, you are expected to follow all local, campus, department and team rules related to the conduct of any Cal student and student-athlete, including guidelines in the Student Code of Conduct and as outlined in the Student-Athlete Handbook, which you will receive when classes start. In addition, you should follow all local public health orders (Berkeley Public Health order), and campus, department and team rules related to COVID-19. There are also specific protocols if you are attending an officially sanctioned Cal Athletics activity, you should follow communicated rules on entry and participation with the understanding that there can be campus and department repercussions if you fail to do so.
Additional Questions
For additional information, please see the Cal Student-Athlete Virtual Resources Site.
