Welcome Home and Thank You for Staying Vigilant

A Message from President Elaine C. Collins

Welcome Home, NVU Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Whether you are joining us anew, returning to campus, or studying or working remotely, we are excited to welcome you for the spring semester.

You will find our campuses looking beautiful amidst a blanket of snow. Although the temperatures have dropped, the sun is strong and warm, and I hear the skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing are great!

As we return, you probably share some level of anxiety about the health and welfare of our community. We had anxiety about the first semester too. Remember, our success was directly related to the actions you took to keep us all healthy and safe. You were amazing then, and we can do it again.

Now, I ask you to recommit to those health and safety practices. I cannot underscore how it is more important than ever for you to be vigilant.

Whether you are on our campuses in the communities of Johnson and Lyndon, or at home, show your care and respect for yourself and others—don the mask, keep that 6-ft. distance, wash your hands.

Show the world that you are part of the solution. Uphold that NVU Health Pledge, fill out your daily attestations screening—and wear the mask, wear the mask, wear the mask, no matter where you are. And, please review the cross-household visitation and travel warnings sent to you by Dean of Students Jonathan Davis.

Additionally, as a member of the NVU community, I ask each of you to join me in thanking our custodians and facilities crews who are working daily to ensure the campus is clean, safe, and disinfected. Their good work is critical to community health and safety.

At this time, I want to reassure you that this is one positive case out of 979 conducted since January 7. We know as we move through the semester that we will likely have more cases. We prepared for this and we have protocols in place. All students who interact with our campuses will have their Day 7 test on February 5 or 6.

Students, if you need to be on campus for classes, work, athletics, tutoring, meals, campus mail, or any other reason, then you must participate in the testing program. You may not engage with the physical campuses in any way without first receiving a negative test result and filling out the daily symptom check form every day.

In closing, I will ask you again, to:

• Re-commit to the NVU Health Pledge. It is required by the state of Vermont. Please review and complete the pledge if you haven’t done so.
• Wear your masks. They, too, are required at NVU.
• Submit your daily symptom check. NorthernVermont.edu/Screening.
• If you are living, teaching, working, or learning on campus, please test every week during the semester. View the schedule here at COVID-19 Spring Testing Schedule (scroll to the bottom).
• Students, no cross-household visitation of any kind is allowed. Follow the NVU and state guidelines.
• Visit NorthernVermont.edu/ReturnToCampus to stay up-to-date on notices and health and safety information.

#MaskUpNVU—We All Have a Part to Play

Elaine