To our campus community:

State officials announced a record 2,292 positive cases of coronavirus on Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, an alarming count at the start of a weekend that includes a holiday that traditionally involves social gatherings.

Our campus community needs to understand the serious implications of this news and to act accordingly to help our state break this upward trend in coronavirus cases, which is severely straining our hospitals. Coronavirus is spreading rapidly in our state and almost every county is now listed as a high transmission area.

We want to strongly ask you to not gather in large groups—more than 10 people—over the weekend, especially if you are planning to celebrate Halloween, and to instead participate in virtual events being hosted by our student organizations.

Now is the time for all of us to strictly follow health protocols: Wear a face covering at all times; wash your hands frequently; maintain a physical distance of 6 feet from others; quarantine yourself if you have been exposed to someone diagnosed with coronavirus; and stay home if you are sick.

We must act now to protect the health and safety of our entire community—an ethic we know our campus embraces.

Ruth Watkins
President

Mike Good
Senior Vice President for Health Sciences

Dan Reed
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Lori McDonald
Vice President for Student Affairs