fbpx

12-15-21: Campus Community Message

COVID-19 Community Message graphic for December 15, 2021

Dear Students, Families, and Colleagues,

I write as our fall semester comes to a close, with great gratitude. Thanks to the incredible commitment and hard work of everyone in our community, we have had a remarkable semester, with good health and a fully-operating campus for our students. Students were able to learn in-person, and also to participate in our vibrant campus life – from dance, theater and musical performances to the International Culture Show, athletics, student organizations, and much more. We accomplished this by following the recommendations of public health professionals on COVID protocols, with vaccinations, testing and masking providing multi-layered protection that allowed us to provide a full Wooster experience while keeping our community safe. (As always, you can see our dashboard here.)

As we prepare for the break, we are also planning for the spring semester. It’s clear that the core components of our public health strategies – vaccines, masks and testing – will be important next semester as well, but we are always reviewing the specifics of our policies in light of new science. We are carefully tracking the emerging science, public health, and clinical experience on the Omicron variant, as well as the increase in cases due to the Delta variant over the past month. As we shared just before Thanksgiving, we will make our decisions based on the fullest picture we can get of the public health situation and expert recommendations to maintain a healthy campus community. We will continue to track those carefully as they develop over the coming weeks, review our policies and practices, and share updates with you in early January.

As we review our policies in light of new science, please act on what is already clear about protecting yourself and others. Both US and international data indicate that vaccinations, including booster shots, are extremely effective at preventing serious illness from COVID. If you have not been vaccinated for COVID, I urge you to do so. If you have been vaccinated but have not yet received a booster shot, please get one as soon as you are eligible. New studies suggest that boosters are very important in protecting against the Omicron variant, and they are also clearly important in protecting against the Delta variant which is causing the current increases in illness in our region.

I wish you all the very best for a healthy and restorative holiday. And again, my thanks to all of you for what you have made possible this fall.

Sincerely,

Sarah Bolton
President

Posted in Community Message on December 15, 2021.