To Our Faculty and Staff:
We write today to share that University Health Services has seen a significant increase in student COVID-19 cases so far this week; as of Wednesday night, we had 72 undergraduate cases and five graduate student cases (as well as two employee cases).
Based on health services’ conversations, it appears that the overwhelming majority of student cases are among students who live together, with a smaller proportion appearing to come from social events.
To date, we still have no evidence of confirmed classroom transmissions.
Earlier today, we notified students of these numbers, and reminded them of the mask requirement in classes and teaching laboratories. As for other settings, we encouraged them to make their own choices regarding masks—and to respect the decisions of others.
We ask that you do the same for them, and for one another.
We also strongly encouraged students to remain in their residence halls or homes if they had any symptoms of COVID-19, both for their own health and to avoid further transmission. We ask that you give these students grace for such absences, just as you would do for other illnesses.
Finally, we want to remind you about the availability of free booster doses on campus. Eligibility involves those who are 50 or older or those who are considered immunocompromised; you can find more details about criteria on our COVID-19 website. Our vaccine clinic is in the Nursing Research Building at 2120 Cornell Road; those eligible also can get a free booster at a local pharmacy.
We will continue to monitor cases and provide updates as necessary. For now, we thank you for your efforts to help keep yourselves—and our students—as safe and healthy as possible.
Ben Vinson III
Provost and Executive Vice President
Carolyn Gregory
Vice President for Human Resources