Dear Lawrence Community,
We look forward to welcoming Lawrentians new and returning in the coming months! Below, please find information on our Fall 2021 plan, including updated mask and visitor/event policies.
When we decided that mounting a fall 2021 in-person session was of utmost importance for our community, we followed the science as we have throughout the pandemic. Currently, the COVID-19 vaccine is the best mechanism to mitigate risk of coronavirus spread in a community. Because of the inherent nature of proximity on a residential campus, which increases the risk of transmission of any sort, we decided to mandate full vaccination for our student population. Exemptions will be made for medical reasons, religious beliefs, or personal conviction. Faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated.
Lawrence is over 80% fully vaccinated as a community. This includes over 85% full vaccination for our on-campus student population from this past spring term and over 80% full vaccination among employees as of today. Thanks to this community-wide effort, and because we anticipate an even more fully vaccinated population this fall, we will meet the CDC’s definition of an institution of higher education with a fully vaccinated community. Following the CDC guidance for Institutions of Higher Education with a Fully Vaccinated Community, we are excited to share information on the Lawrence Fall 2021 plan:
- We will not mandate masking for any Lawrence community member when solely amongst our community.
- All modes for meetings/gatherings will be available, including: in-person, Zoom/Teams, and “Walk & Talks.”
- We will use full room capacity limits.
- We should each continue the practice of having a mask with us at all times.
- When an individual is in their own space (e.g., personal office, personal room), that individual determines if the space is a masked space. If the space is designated as masked, then anyone entering must wear a mask. If the space is not designated as masked, then mask wearing is the decision of the visitor. At any point, someone may wear a mask. Please note: Classrooms are considered meeting spaces where faculty may require masks at their discretion.
- We are excited to welcome back visitors from outside the Lawrence community to campus for certain events and performances. (More information on open events will be available before students join us on campus.) When hosting or attending events that include non-Lawrence community members indoors on campus (e.g., recital, athletics event, performance), we will require all spectators and/or participants (depending on the event) to wear masks.
As stated earlier, our decision to not mandate masking within our community is predicated on our assurance that we have a highly vaccinated population on campus. We will follow CDC guidance for “mixed” populations (combination of those vaccinated and not vaccinated) of people from both on and off campus which suggests masking in these settings. - In a peer group setting (e.g., student organization, department/division meeting), a request for collective masking can come from anyone and should be honored.
- We have designated quarantine and isolation space for those living on campus should the need arise.
- Disposable masks will be available in every building.
We continue to be thankful to those who committed to our efforts this past year, making our mitigation of the spread of COVID-19 a success.
One of the principles that facilitated our success was the community-wide agreement we all affirmed by Honoring the Pledge. We treated each other with respect and held each other accountable. Because the world is still living through the COVID-19 pandemic, we will continue to have a Pledge this fall outlining the living, learning, and working tenets for all in our campus community.
Highlights of the upcoming Pledge include:
- Vaccination and testing (as needed) adherence.
- Commitment to treating everyone with respect regardless of mask use.
- Quarantine and isolation protocols.
- Encouragement to stay home if feeling ill or wearing a mask if one must be on campus.
Please stay tuned for a future message with the updated Pledge as the fall approaches. Additionally, we will have information on the Return to Campus policy for our employees by the end of July, articulating how we are operating as a residential campus community.
We are grateful for all in the Lawrence community who have worked so diligently to bring us to this point – preparing for an in-person session. And again, we look forward to welcoming Lawrentians new and returning.
Find Lawrence University COVID information at https://blogs.lawrence.edu/covid-19/ and please reach out with any questions to coronainfo@lawrence.edu.
Regards,
Lawrence Pandemic Planning Team
