Dear Panthers,
I want to thank you for doing your part to keep our community safe so far this semester—with few exceptions, students have been careful and responsible, which has allowed us to continue to be together on campus without interruption.
This year, Halloween falls on a Saturday. I understand that in an ordinary year this might be a cause for celebration and an opportunity for larger gatherings to occur. However, we must remember that this year is different, and the coronavirus will not take the day off for this holiday.
It’s important that we do not abandon our diligent work this semester that has kept the virus under control in our community. Please be extra cautious and choose your activities wisely in order to protect yourself and others. With some creativity, I believe you will find many fun ways to celebrate Halloween while limiting the size of gatherings, keeping social distance and wearing a mask.
COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease, and a cluster can begin quickly. We’ve seen this in colleges and universities across the country and locally, and we do not want this to happen here.
So far, the efforts we’ve made have been working. Our testing program, social distancing, daily health checks, and observance of the Pledge to Protect ourselves and others have kept our infection rate low at Adelphi. We need to keep it up—and please know that those who violate our COVID safety policies will be held accountable, whether violations occur on or off campus.
I’m confident that we can continue to meet this challenge and have an in-person campus experience through Thanksgiving. Thank you for your commitment to making this possible.
Sincerely,
R. Sentwali Bakari, PhD
Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students
sbakari@adelphi.edu