BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)
Happy Friday, Deac families. It’s grey and drizzly this morning as I write this; hoping for sunnier skies tomorrow.
Big news today is our update on the governor easing some restrictions and the operational impact on campus; see message here. Will pull out the BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front), but the entire message is worth a read.
– The governor of North Carolina has issued a new executive order easing some statewide COVID-19 restrictions, including lifting the statewide curfew.
– On-campus residential students may host one other residential student in their living space.
– More intramural and club sports will begin play pending approval of safety plans completed by student organizers.
– Outdoor athletic venues can now host fans at 30 percent capacity, meaning more Wake Forest students can attend baseball games (ticket details).
– More information about Commencement 2020 and 2021 will be shared on March 16.
One of the things you will see in this message is we have not changed the family visitation policy: “no change has been made to the family visitation policy, and only students, faculty, and staff have card access to drive on to campus. We ask that families not visit their students as we need to be mindful of reducing the spread of new strains of the virus, especially from locations where the strains have been more prevalent.” We tell our students “please do not travel unless it is essential. Minimizing these activities reduces the risk of exposure to COVID-19 and its spread in our community,” and that is good advice for families as well.
We also say that “students should continue to avoid bars, restaurants and social gatherings regardless of the time of day,” and we welcome your help to reinforce those messages. We’ve had a couple of questions in the Call Center about ‘Is it a conduct violation to go to a restaurant or a bar?‘ and the way I would answer that is this: while it may not be a conduct violation, in order to reduce COVID risk, students should avoid being places where they are unmasked indoors, or in crowds. That includes bars and restaurants, or any place where you are unmasked, indoors, or is crowded.
As a residential campus, the virus has the ability to spread quickly. To prevent a resurgence of cases, we need students to do all they can to lower their risks. That’s the right thing to do for the health of our whole community.
The goal for all of us is to return to Yellow Operating Status. Our individual behaviors all contribute to the collective health of our campus community. By consistently and continually abiding by all public health guidelines, we will be in a good position to return to Yellow.
Final note: now that we are past the surge, our Call Center is resuming its normal operations, which is Mon-Fri 10 am-3 pm. You can reach us at 336.758.7500 during those hours. There is always our COVID form for questions, and you can visit our After Hours page if you have urgent situations that cannot wait until administrative offices reopen Monday.
With that, hope you have a great weekend, Deac families!
— by Betsy Chapman, Ph.D. (’92, MA ’94)