Dear Students,
We’ve made great progress with safety measures for the first two weeks on campus and now we are about to transition out of the first stage of our health and safety protocols. I know that you are working hard to respect the health and safety protocols and our success thus far is evidence of your efforts. This note will outline what you can expect on March 1 so that we can transition safely to our next phase.
What you can expect:
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- While our gathering limits and space access are expanding, we must be mindful that testing, physical distancing, mask wearing and hand washing are essential and remain unchanged. If we experience an increase in cases or contacts, we may need to roll back these new measures.
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- Now that all students have transitioned to twice a week testing, there are some changes to the testing center schedules. Testing centers are now open Sunday through Thursday with no testing on Fridays and Saturdays. For specific testing center hours and more information on testing, please consult the Spring COVID Testing FAQs.
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- Students are now allowed to gather in-person in small groups—no larger than 10 inside and 25 outside. No food is allowed at gatherings, and all student led programs and gatherings of more than 10 people must be supervised by a campus representative or trained student staff. Check out WEngage to find out what is happening on campus.
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- Residential hall programs can proceed, including Quaran-tea and other events planned by the RAs and house presidents, as long as they follow the gathering rules and do not include food.
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- Enjoy the outdoors! You may now reserve the usage of the fire pits at Lulu and McAfee through 25live. Usage of the fire pits must be supervised by a Wellesley staff member. A few fireplaces in the residential spaces are also available for reservation and require hall supervision as well.
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- The KSC will be open. Check out the website for more information on activities.
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- You may have up to two block mates in your room. For ventilation purposes, the door must be opened, and if possible, the windows should also be open. Masks should still be worn and distance maintained as much as possible.
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- One caveat that is very important—group gatherings in your room continue to be off limits. If you have a group gathering in your room, it violates the health and safety rules and you will be asked to leave the residence halls. If you want to gather as a group, keep the group to fewer than 10 people and find a location that is large enough to allow for safe 6ft distancing. Ask your CD which rooms in your building meet this criterion. Masks must be worn and no food is allowed. All gatherings of more than 10 students must be supervised by a campus representative or trained student staff. Please check with Student Involvement or your Community Director if you wish to have a gathering larger than 10 students.
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- You may now reserve time to use the kitchens to cook or bake during CE time with the supervision of your RA. Ask your RA for details.
- Stone Davis Dining Hall will be available for study or for you to bring a meal to eat with your block from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Finally, a few words about keeping our bubble sealed. We have received a number of reports that students have been eating with friends who are not in their own block. This is a risky behavior because it increases the requirements for quarantine. Breaking the rules and eating with students out of your block needs to stop immediately. If we do not see change here we may need to go back to the reservation system for the dining halls. Also, please do not move the chairs in the dining halls. They are set with the appropriate distance for safety.
I’ve said it before, so I’ll say it again: Pandemic living=small groups and genuine connection. With our bubble being sealed, we are focusing on personal connections. We recognize that the quality of life on campus depends on our ability to create community and support. Please look out for each other. Knock on your neighbor’s door to say hello if you haven’t seen them lately. Remember that kindness is key during pandemic life. While eating with only blocks, and the sizes of groups are small, there still is plenty of opportunity to make new friends.
All best,
Sheilah Shaw Horton
Vice President and Dean of Students
