Week of January 18, 2021
Subject: Campus Update
January 22, 2021
To the Dickinson community:
It is wonderful to welcome our first group of students back on our campus! Move-in, though different this semester, is going smoothly and we have succeeded in performing COVID testing on all students as they returned. To date, we have received no positive results for students who have returned to campus. However, students are still moving in and we have many tests still being processed.
We are eager to continue one of our most important traditions—signing in to the college, this weekend. On Sunday, our first-year and new transfer students will sign in to Dickinson at designated times and with other students from their pods. Attendance is limited to those signing in because of COVID restrictions.
The pandemic is ongoing, positivity rates are still very high in our community, and we must follow health protocols such as wearing a mask, staying physically distant and avoiding crowds. I am confident we will have a safe and successful semester if we all work together, remembering that each of our actions impacts our entire community.
Stay-at-Home Period
As we have said, on-campus students must observe a stay-at-home period during which they are required to stay on campus and can socialize with members of their pod, enjoy physically distanced outdoor activities, get food from the Grab & Go and pick up mail and books. Classes will begin remotely Monday for all students. Videos on stay-at-home expectations and other COVID measures are available here. All students have signed a campus compact; we will hold students responsible for upholding that compact. It is crucial that we all follow the necessary health and safety measures, and work for the common good.
During the initial stay-at-home period, only the Holland Union Building (HUB) and the Wellness Center will be open. The Dining Hall, Union Station, the library and the Kline Fitness Center will be open with limited occupancy after the stay-at-home period has passed. Faculty, staff and students can view real-time occupancy for each of those locations at www.dickinson.edu/occupancy. In addition, there will be a display at the entrance of each location that will show the current occupancy as well as the maximum occupancy for each building. If the color-coded display is red, that means students, faculty and staff must wait to enter.
We will be posting information on the hours other buildings will be open on our campusreopening pages. Also, beginning Monday, we will post a COVID dashboard that will provide information on testing and positive cases that will be updated daily.
More Information
Please be sure that you are filling out the daily symptoms tracker whether you are on campus or not, and be sure to download the COVID Alert PA app.
I am extremely pleased to announce that Sadler Health Center, which has been doing exceptional work throughout this crisis serving our community and has been a very active member of our Community Action Network (CAN), is expecting to receive another 100 vaccine doses and has reached out to see if any of our staff and faculty are eligible to receive the vaccine at this time. Those who are included in the current vaccine phase include anyone over 65 and anyone between 18-64 with a chronic health condition. If you fall into these categories and are interested in receiving the vaccine from Sadler, please complete this form as soon as possible. The Pennsylvania Department of Health COVID Vaccine Provider Map lists by zip code health centers and hospitals that have, or are expected to receive, the vaccine. Sign-up information is provided for each location. In addition, area Weis markets have announced that they will be offering the vaccine to those currently eligible.
We will continue to provide you with regular, updated information as the semester progresses. While we will need to adjust to a COVID-19 normal, I know that we will pull together and make this a meaningful experience.
Thank you for all you are doing, and welcome back.
Sincerely,
Margee M. Ensign
President