March 4, 2022
Dear Students,
Happy Friday!
There is much talk in the news about removing masks and lessening of Covid restrictions. I urge you to be careful now that you can unmask in the residence halls because our Covid numbers are still higher than they were in the fall. That said, we have seen overall improvement since the start of spring semester and therefore are able to make some additional adjustments that we hope will contribute to student wellness.
Guests Policy Change
Our Covid guest policy has only allowed vaccinated guests in our buildings if they are on College business. Students have been allowed to have guests on campus as long as they stay outside. We are amending this policy for the next few weeks to allow students to entertain vaccinated guests in the residence halls. Guests will continue to be restricted from other campus buildings including academic buildings, the library and the science center. All other rules regarding guests will continue to apply.
This change to the policy will be launched as a pilot between March 7th and March 25th (the end of spring break). We will re-evaluate after the spring break re-onboarding. If our Covid positive numbers do not increase, we should be able to resume having guests in the halls.
- Residential students will have the opportunity to invite up to three vaccinated and masked guests into their residence hall. If a student has a roommate, they must discuss with the roommate and seek the roommates’ agreement prior to inviting a guest into their room. Guests are not allowed into parties in the residence halls or other programs coordinated for residents.
- Prior to arrival, guests must upload their proof of vaccination and booster in the portal. This must happen at least 1 business day prior to arrival. The student host and the guest will receive an email with a green checkmark to confirm that they have been approved. If you do not have a green checkmark email for each guest, your guest(s) are not approved.
- Guests in the residence hall must be masked. Guests are not permitted in any dining hall and must use a predetermined guest designated bathroom in each residence hall. Please consult with your House President to confirm where the guest bathroom is located.
- Your guests should be with you at all times while in the residence hall. Be mindful that custodians or others who work in the halls may not be aware that you have guests.
Keep our numbers low by testing regularly and be attentive to symptoms. Our ability to open our residence halls to guests requires that students be attentive to their own symptoms and test regularly. Please keep up with your regular pooled PCR testing on campus. If you find out that you are a close contact of a positive case, you can go and test without an appointment that day, and you should be sure to test again on your next regular testing day. If your pooled test result requires individual re-testing, please go to the College Club and re-test as soon as possible.
If you are feeling sick and think you have Covid, please call health services immediately. They will give you advice on how to assess and manage your symptoms. Don’t wait until the evening – call as early as possible. Do not go to class; do not go to the dining hall. Ask a friend to get your meals. We do not have transportation to the hotel in the evening, so it is best that you call early so that you can be safely moved to isolation space at the hotel if you test positive.
Need a PCR test before you travel? The college is not able to provide individual PCR tests for students before they travel. In most instances, the negative result from your pooled PCR test will qualify for travel purposes. Check out. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/find-a-covid-19-test for locations
Please respect the Signs. I have heard numerous complaints that students have been eating in classrooms and other spaces in the Science Center. Please respect the signs and only eat in designated areas. For students, the only designated area in the Science Center is the Farroll Focus. Faculty and students who might be immunocompromised must enter these spaces and want to feel safe.
Other Happenings:
March is Asian Awareness Month – While this is our opportunity to learn about and celebrate our Asian and Asian American cultures, it is also a time to recognize and condemn the incidents of Anti-Asian hate that have occurred across our country recently. I hope you will take time to learn more about the experiences of our Asian and Asian American sibs on and off campus. Event Calendar List for Asian Awareness Month
Please complete the NCHA Survey: Your experiences matter! Be sure to check your emails for the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) before 3/7/22 to take part. The NCHA is a national confidential research survey about college student health behaviors and perceptions (topics include sexual health, mental health, nutrition, movement, etc.) and your answers will provide important information to help shape health and wellness programs and initiatives at Wellesley. Additionally, ALL participants will receive a prize bag with wellness items from Burt’s Bees, SunBum, and more as well as 5 additional students will win gift cards to local businesses! Students will be able to pick up their prize bags at the Student Wellness Open House on Wednesday 3/9 from 10am-2pm in Billings; stop by for prizes, cookies, and more! For questions, please email studentwellness@wellesley.edu
Looking for something to do? The Davis Museum at Wellesley College will reopen to the public on Tuesday, March 8 for the first time since closing due to the pandemic on March 6, 2020. Visitors will once again have the opportunity to explore the encyclopedic permanent collections, as well as five new special exhibitions. One of the oldest and most acclaimed academic fine arts museums in the United States, the Davis Museum is a vital force in the intellectual, pedagogical, and social life of Wellesley College. It seeks to create an environment that encourages visual literacy, inspires new ideas, and fosters involvement with the arts both within the College and the larger community.
Here’s hoping you have a restful weekend. Look out for your friends. Take time for gratitude and kindness.
Sheilah Shaw Horton
Vice President and Dean of Students
