Dear Adelphi Community,
It has been great to have our community back together for the spring semester.
Between the anticipation of springtime weather and news of greater vaccine availability, it’s easier to feel a sense of optimism for the days ahead. However, we must not let optimism cloud our judgment—COVID-19 is still a very real threat to our community, and we must continue to conduct ourselves accordingly.
Today, we elevated our alert level from BLUE to YELLOW on our COVID-19 tracking dashboard, as we now have 50 active positive cases among our total on-campus population of 3,560 (reported on AU2GO over the last two weeks).
It is critical to note: Reaching 100 active positive cases among our on-campus population will trigger a campus shutdown, according to current New York state regulations for public health and safety.
The uptick in COVID-19 positivity is occurring at colleges across the country, not just at Adelphi. Relaxing our attitudes toward mask-wearing and social distancing threatens not just our students and campuses, but our surrounding community as well. If we do not remain vigilant, we put in-person instruction and our campus operations at risk.
Two factors are likely leading to this increase in positive cases:
- An increasing number of students socializing and/or dining in groups
- Lax following of the public health protocols that keep us safe, such as mask-wearing and limiting gatherings to your household/family unit
Our fall semester was successful because you carefully and responsibly followed health and safety protocols. Adelphi needs you to continue your efforts—behaviors that in the fall you helped prove to be effective. To help keep our on-campus active cases below 100 and our campus operations open, please renew your commitment to the following practices that protect our community:
- Take responsibility for your own health and the protection of others, and help keep our community safe from the spread of COVID-19 by taking the Pledge to Protect.
- Avoid in-person social activities, especially those that are indoors without masks, such as dining.
- When enjoying food or beverages, practice social distancing—and don your mask when finished, even if you are still seated.
- Avoid crowded spaces and gathering with those outside your household/family unit, especially if people are not wearing masks.
- Wear your mask, wash your hands and maintain social distancing whenever possible.
As the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine expands, you may also wish to check your eligibility to be vaccinated.
We’d like to remind you that Adelphi continues to require recurring COVID-19 testing and completion of the daily AU2GO Health Check, both of which help us to monitor and prevent the spread of the coronavirus in our community.
With your help, Adelphi can continue to have a successful spring semester. Thank you for all you have done, and continue to do, to keep our community safe.
Sincerely,
R. Sentwali Bakari, PhD
Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
Gene Palma
Chief Administrative Officer and Associate Vice President