Sent on behalf of Dr. Tom Ormond, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Barry McClanahan, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs

Dear Campus Community:

We have worked together collectively as a University — students, faculty and staff — to open amid a global pandemic. We have embraced the challenges, invested in technology and overcome our fears and anxieties to provide in-person and remote classes dedicated to the mutual goal of enjoying campus life and achieving academic success. Thank you for your role in allowing us to successfully reach the seventh week on campus.

During this past week, while the count is still low, we have reached a total of 16 positive Covid-19 cases. I applaud our students who have been tested and reported their results. Your commitment to the health and well-being of our university family is commendable. We are committed to respecting your privacy and encourage all members of the campus community to get tested whether or not you are exhibiting symptoms. Further, we have followed guidance and have taken appropriate steps in cleaning, quarantining and isolating to mitigate exposure.

These cases coincide with what is being called a second wave of cases in other areas around the country.  We have done a great deal and have been successful.  Keeping our campus open requires a deeper commitment by all. Everyone. Everyday. In every circumstance. 

A portion of this spike in cases can be traced back to behavior that is identified as high risk and in direct violation of the Raider Respect pledge. This includes students congregating in close proximity to each other without wearing masks for prolonged periods of time, traveling to high risk areas, and interacting with people not wearing masks.

We are hopeful that our positive cases will remain low. However, we can expect that our cases will continue to trend up if we do not reaffirm our commitment to social distancing, mask wearing and living the Raider Respect pledge. This cannot be overstated.

We are thrilled that our students are enjoying a campus experience during these challenging circumstances and urge everyone to minimize exposure, get tested often, and embrace our Raider Respect!

We are dedicated to academic and social success this semester. We will continue to monitor the case counts. The actions of each and everyone one of us will determine the next steps the university may take to protect the health and well-being of our community.

I will continue to connect with you, and work with the SU COVID office to keep you  informed as we monitor the case counts.

Our fall2020 website remains the source for information as we move forward.

We are in this together and will emerge from this together. Thank you for everything you are doing for this great institution.

Sincerely,

Tom Ormond

Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs

&

Barry McClanahan

Associate Vice President for Student Affairs