Dear Students,

In early April, our campus returned to the vibrant campus that we are used to seeing, and our faculty and staff were re-acknowledging what learning on campus meant at Sophia University. However, a State of Emergency was declared in late April, and with surging cases of infections, we have once again had to limit activity on campus, including classes and events. Yet, even during this time, we have made efforts to increase in-person classes, based on careful consideration of the state of infections within our university and across society. Fortunately, we have received only a limited number of reports of infections among our university faculty, staff and students, and I am very grateful to you for your cooperation and understanding in pursuing the Sophia New Normal.

To our regret, however, the Government has decided to extend the State of Emergency; and therefore, the university has decided to maintain the current class format at the outset of the Second Quarter, which will begin on June 4th. English-taught courses will also be continued to be given in the current format. Students will be notified of any changes made. As a university, we have prioritized the safety of our members, including our students, faculty and staff, as you may well know, but we have also been strongly requested to take measures to reduce the flow of people across society, given the spread of mutant strains and the increase in infections among young people. I believe that a given level of social contribution is required of a university.

On the other hand, I am also aware that one or two months are not short periods of time in your student life. As I have repeatedly said, I am determined to constantly seek a better solution in regard to research and education activities on campus, based on a comprehensive analysis of the safety and health of our members, the status of your student life, and educational effectiveness. However, please understand that we have no choice but to keep our activities within a limited scope under the current circumstances. I ask for your patience and hope that you will pursue your current studies with enthusiasm.

I would like to extend my heartfelt prayers that you and your family will spend every day in good health.

Classes on June 4th (the first day of the Second Quarter) and onward

• The current class formats will basically continue, but should there be changes to the format, students will be notified through each course’s Class bulletin board.
  
  
• For those of you who have not applied to attend face-to-face classes online but wish to do so, please contact the professor in charge of the course.
  Note that this measure is taken for those who cannot come on campus due to reasons concerning the infection, not for personal reasons. Once applied or notified, the measure should in principle be taken throughout the semester.
  
  
• If you come to take face-to-face classes and also need to take online courses on campus due to your course schedule, the Learning Commons in the Library may be used, though the place may be crowded at times. We recommend that if there is a classroom allotted to the course (shown on Loyola’s Class information portfolio), to use that classroom when on campus.
  We have been asking you to refrain from using the campus network on certain conditions to avoid overload, but as of now, the number of students coming on campus has been limited and we have been monitoring the network usage. Under the current circumstances, we deem it possible for the students to take classes online on campus.