Much of The Hawk’s recent coverage highlighted the fact that life on campus is not exactly like it used to be. That’s so true – for all of us who live, work and learn on Hawk Hill. We’ve all had to adjust, work harder to do things that used to be so simple and we’ve had to create experiences that are completely new and unfamiliar. And frankly, some of them, like testing, physical distancing, wearing a mask all the time, quarantine and isolation, aren’t much fun. But the protocols we’ve developed (and are continuing to improve, through some bumps and missteps) are absolutely essential to keeping us on ground. And that’s what you told us you wanted. Eighty five percent of our undergraduate students opted for some form of in-person experience.
Nothing about this situation lends itself to perfection, ease, convenience or normalcy. We fully acknowledge some shortcomings in our quarantine/isolation process, and for that I apologize. As this situation continues to change-daily and sometimes hourly-we should all expect more glitches. Even so, you can trust that everyone charged with student health and safety is working with your best interests in mind.
As we continue to work through this together, there are a few things that we ask of you:
Be patient. As mentioned above, things that used to be simple are now extremely complex. No two circumstances for isolation or quarantine are alike.
If something goes wrong, or you notice something that could be improved, provide feedback and concrete, creative suggestions for improvement.
We ask that you carefully follow the quarantine and isolation instructions and contact information we proactively provide, answer your phone and, if it’s an important, time-sensitive need, contact Public Safety at 610-660-1111.
Most important, if you are symptomatic, let us know immediately. Fill out a self-disclosure form, and make an appointment with the Student Health Center. Don’t wait until you feel better or get a test result on your own without letting us know. Don’t wait because you don’t want to go to isolation. Just don’t wait. That way, we can begin contact tracing and testing, and potentially avoid putting more people in harm’s way. This is happening too often. Working together to manage the virus is the only way we will be successful.
When we say we are in this together, we mean it. Every day, through every new development, around the clock.
-Cary Anderson, Ed.D., provost and vice president of Student Life
