Week of May 24, 2021
COVID-19 Update
Sent: May 24, 2021
To the Dickinson community:
I hope you all watched and enjoyed our Virtual Commencement yesterday. What a moving celebration. I am so proud of all our seniors and can't wait to see what they do next!
I thank all of those who worked so tirelessly to keep COVID-19 under control on our campus. We conducted nearly 32,000 tests since Jan. 22, with an overall positivity rate of 0.2%. That is an exceptional testament to the diligence faculty, staff and students have shown throughout this experience.
Beginning today, we no longer require fully vaccinated individuals to wear face coverings when they are outdoors on campus. Those who are not yet vaccinated should wear masks outdoors if they will be within six feet of others. This change follows updated health and safety guidelines.
Now that we have successfully closed out this spring semester, we are looking toward summer and fall. Students who plan to be on campus this summer, either in residence, doing research or working, must have their final vaccine by June 15.
As I have stated previously, we plan to be fully in-person this fall, and we will be requiring COVID-19 vaccines for all students, except those with health or religious exemptions. Students planning to return to campus this fall must be fully vaccinated before their arrival and preferably by July 15.
Once vaccinated, students must upload their vaccination card to their patient portal or email it to health@dickinson.edu.
At this time, we are highly recommending all employees get vaccinated as well. Employees may upload their vaccination card here, send a photo of the card to hrservices@dickinson.edu or ask their supervisor to make a copy of it for Human Resource Services. So far, 54% of faculty and staff have submitted their proof of vaccination. It is important that employees get vaccinated and share proof of their vaccination because once we reach an 80% vaccination rate, we can lessen safety restrictions. In addition, COVID-19 testing will not be required for vaccinated employees this fall.
Because we will have only a limited number of students on campus this summer, we have stopped updating our COVID-19 dashboard. Throughout the next several weeks, we will continue to evaluate health guidance and share any updates to our procedures and protocols.
I am inspired by this dedicated community of people who worked together throughout this pandemic and found a way to continue our mission against great odds. Thank you for following our health and safety protocols, and for making choices that protected our Dickinson community. I hope you have an opportunity for rest and renewal this summer.
Sincerely,
Margee M. Ensign
President