To: Wellesley College On-Campus Students
From: President Paula A. Johnson
Re: Let’s Finish the Term Strong Together
Date: November 20, 2020
We have entered the homestretch. With just three weeks to go until the end of the term, I am so proud of where we are and recognize the tremendous amount of work and sacrifice that everyone in our community—including all of you—has made to get here. Nothing about this fall has been easy, but together, we have made it possible.
Wellesley is fortunate that we have not experienced the kind of spike in cases that has forced other colleges and universities to close or to impose temporary lockdowns. But the fact that hasn’t happened here doesn’t mean that it can’t or it won’t—especially when cases across Massachusetts are increasing.
Recently, we have seen an uptick in positive employee and student cases on campus. Regrettably one of these student cases resulted in 14 close contacts who are now in quarantine and another 52 secondary contacts who are observing “in-room restrictions,” meaning they will not be able to return to in-person classes until they have three negative tests. I need to be clear that if this kind of exposure happens again, we risk running out of quarantine beds and having to end on-campus learning.
I share this with you because I want to underscore how the decisions we make and actions we take everyday have a direct impact on our collective health and safety. The rules around eating with blockmates, limiting socializing in your room to only two blockmates, observing social distancing at all times, and the restrictions on going off campus to eat with friends and family are not designed to punish, they are designed to keep you, and the faculty and staff who are on campus to support you, safe. When students eat out of their block, they put each other at risk for the infection—and for required restriction or quarantine.
It seems that programs where food is provided are a major source of “out of block” eating. Therefore we are changing our policies on food at events. No food for consumption or distribution will be allowed at any programs or events for the rest of the semester. I understand that as the holidays approach this is a significant sacrifice. Unfortunately, it is necessary to mitigate the potential impact of an outbreak that would end our term early.
We have been able to make it this far because we have been clear about what we need to do as a community to stay safe, and overall, we have lived up to the trust we have placed in each other. Now, as we enter the homestretch, we need to double down and make decisions that will allow us to finish the term on campus.
This Thanksgiving, I am giving thanks to you—for your fierce love of learning, and your deep commitment to each other and to Wellesley. I also want to recognize students in our community for whom the day will be a day of mourning.
I look forward to seeing many of you on campus next week for the bulb planting and the several other activities that are planned. Be well, enjoy the holiday, and let’s finish this fall strong together.
