Dear Students,
The campus feels alive with students engaged with learning, exploring and re-connecting. On behalf of everyone in Student Life, we are thrilled and excited to see you all in person. To make sure I am staying in close touch and sharing important information with you, I plan to send this letter bi-weekly, and sometimes weekly, to inform you about campus issues and to remind you about health and safety measures. As you know, things can change quickly in a pandemic and so there will be times when we need to pivot and make changes. As always, helping to keep you and our community safe is our priority.
While we are so happy to see every student, I want to give a very special shout out to the red class of 2024! We know that your class is still getting to know each other and there are different ways that we are trying to bring you together. Your class photo was beautiful and we were proud to share it on Wellesley’s social media channels. I hope you enjoyed the plant give-away and we will look for you on Flower Sunday. There is also a Sophomore Resource fair coming up at the end of the month and a special laser tag event just for sophomores.
Before launching into the updates, I want to pause to ask you to consider a reflective question: As we emerge at this point in the pandemic, what kind of community do we want to be here at Wellesley this year? Do we want to be a community that trusts each other to make good decisions? Are we willing to hold ourselves and each other accountable to keep the community safe? Do we want to use kindness and care—or as our honor code calls for, Honor, Integrity and Respect as the way forward? I ask you to think about your role in upholding the honor code as you proceed this year, showing each other and the world that Wellesley students can thrive, even in a pandemic by caring for each other and the community.
Here are the updates and reminders:
Re-test right away! As you know we are using the pool testing method this year which might mean that you will need to retest the next day. If you get a message that says your pool result requires individual re-testing, please go to the College Club as soon as possible to get a BinaxNOW rapid test and an individual PCR test. Do not go to class, the dining hall, or leave campus until you re-test. Within a short while after re-testing you will be relieved to find out that your rapid test was negative (but be sure to wear a mask everywhere for the next 24 hours until your individual PCR result confirms this result), and you will be keeping the community safe if you find out that you tested positive and can isolate right away.
Close contact? No quarantine necessary! Also, since you are vaccinated, you are not required to quarantine if you are a close contact. You do not need to miss class. You should still wear your mask everywhere for the next seven days. Please check out the Keeping Wellesley Healthy website for more info.
Safety First! As you know, we do not have all the restrictions that were in place last year and as a result there is some confusion about mask wearing and about gathering. Let me explain. While everyone is vaccinated, there are still risks of contracting and spreading the virus. Since there is not “a Wellesley Bubble,” we know that the virus could be present and indeed we have had a handful of student cases on campus already. Therefore masks are required inside all campus buildings. This includes the common rooms in residence halls. Be mindful that if you are unmasked in the residence hall, and a group forms, you should all consider spreading out and putting on masks. Rather than handing down yet another rule for you to follow, I am asking you to pay attention to how many of you might gather in the bathroom or the hallway, or each other’s rooms—and do the smart and safe thing—spread out and wear a mask. Groups should not be eating together indoors except in the dining halls. Take advantage of the weather and eat outside together on our beautiful campus. Food is allowed at outside gatherings up to 50 people, with masks required (and no food allowed) at larger gatherings.
Another COVID-19 concern is the off campus activity that students are engaging in. When you go off campus, be safe and smart. Wear your mask and do not eat in indoor spaces off campus. Students at other local schools are having large clusters due to students socializing at off campus events. Wellesley students—you know what you need to do because you have all taken the COVID-19 training. Use your knowledge to keep yourself safe. And when you return to campus from off campus activity, wear a mask anytime you are within six feet of others until you get your second negative test.
Other campus updates: Wellesley Fresh has heard from students that there is concern about the lack of variety in lunch and dinner entrees at each culinary center. Due to COVID-related supply chain issues, they have had to limit the options this month. They are working on new strategies to vary the meal options between lunch and dinner at the entree station within the culinary center. Look for modifications in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you may want to visit other dining halls to try new items. Also, if you have dietary restrictions, feel free to consult Samantha Yunko, our dietitian on staff who can address your specific needs.
No guests on the bus. Some students have asked about guests on the Exchange Bus and the Senate Bus. Due to COVID-19, guests are not permitted on the Exchange Bus or Senate Bus. Only MIT or Wellesley community members may ride the Exchange Bus and only Wellesley students may ride the Senate Bus. The College will revisit this policy if at a later date students are permitted to have guests indoors on campus.
Other safety matters: I understand that there is some concern that the blue lights around campus are not functioning properly. We consider this a priority and are working on replacing these older fixtures with new blue light phones using modern technologies. We will also add blue lights in locations where they have not been previously. In the meantime, please be sure to add the campus police dispatch number 781.283.2121 and the campus police emergency number 781.283.5555 in your cell phone. Dispatchers are available 24/7 to answer your call.
As a final safety note, we are excited about the continued progress on the new science building, and want to remind everyone to exercise extreme caution when walking around the construction site. Please stay on paved paths, stay alert and off your cell phone, and please stay outside of the construction gates and give construction vehicles lots of room to maneuver. The new building will open for spring classes in January 2022!
Have a safe and fun weekend,
Sheilah Shaw Horton
Vice President and Dean of Students
