Dear Southwestern community,
I hope you all had a restful and joyous holiday season and mid-year break. Once again we find ourselves and our world in the grips of COVID. We will safely sail through this recent squall as we have been doing now for nearly two years.
Your continued care for yourselves and caring for all our Southwestern community members is deeply appreciated and you have my deepest gratitude.
As you are all aware, the highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus continues its uncontrolled spread across the United States. We have been closely monitoring the situation in Texas and in particular Williamson County, which is currently experiencing a high level of community transmission and currently has a high COVID test positivity rate of 17.14%.
Thanks to you, with the protocols we have in place and our nearly 90% University vaccination rate, we will start our spring semester on January 10 as scheduled. Based on the information available to us at this time, from the CDC and other sources, we can expect to see an increase in positive cases in the coming weeks. Therefore, after careful consideration and with the health and safety of our community as always our highest priority, classroom instruction will be offered both remotely and in-person through January 21.
Faculty will communicate with their students in the immediate future about their course schedule—whether it will begin in an online, hybrid, or in-person format prior to the start of the semester. The plan is for all classes to transition to 100% in-person learning on January 24. The Health and Safety Committee, comprised of faculty, staff, and administrators, will continue their weekly meeting to monitor the situation and follow the science and the course of the pandemic. This approach is a conservative one that will allow for a safe start to the spring semester.
The majority of courses will begin in person, therefore, students are expected to return to campus prior to the first day of classes unless they have received a positive COVID test result.
Residence halls will reopen on January 7 at 10 a.m. as previously planned, and students may return anytime throughout the weekend IF their negative PCR test results have been submitted. All students must submit a negative PCR test taken no more than three days before your return. If this timetable is difficult to adhere to please contact the dean of students, Shelley Story, at
storys@southwestern.edu to discuss the specific details of your situation.
We all know how to prevent the coronavirus from spreading—masking, social distancing, washing and sanitizing hands frequently, and being vaccinated and now receiving a booster shot. For the safety of everyone, please isolate and practice masking and social distancing after taking your test.
All faculty, staff, and students will be tested again on campus. Testing is tentatively scheduled to occur Wednesday, January 19. The test will be paid for by the University. More details will follow.
Staff have returned to work today. In-person meetings remain our normal mode of operation; however, virtual meetings can be scheduled if the circumstances (such as quarantine or isolation) warrant it. The University asks that anyone experiencing symptoms of illness contact their supervisor. Faculty and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 during the winter break or have members of their households (or others who they may have been exposed to) who have tested positive recently, need to share this information with HR immediately for information about isolation and quarantine protocols.
In addition, we are updating our isolation policy in accordance with new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We will continue to update the policy as new guidance from the CDC becomes available.
View the policy here.
Vaccination remains the best protection against serious illness and hospitalization. Nearly 90% of our community members have been vaccinated, and we encourage all students, faculty, and staff to receive a booster shot. We will hold a vaccine clinic on campus on January 21 for first, second, and booster doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Any member of the community who is not fully vaccinated will be tested each week throughout the semester. This follows President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement that all businesses with 100 or more employees must ensure all unvaccinated workers, including student workers, are tested weekly and wear a mask.
Our current health and safety policies will remain in place for the spring, including wearing masks indoors (KN95 masks are strongly recommended), practicing physical distancing, and maintaining good personal hygiene habits such as the use of hand sanitizer. Athletic competitions will proceed as scheduled. To see the latest updates, including our COVID-19 dashboard, please visit the
Campus Health and Safety webpage.
We are all looking forward to welcoming SU students back to our beautiful campus. We have completed a number of facility improvements over the last several months, from needed repairs to mechanical upgrades and boiler/generator replacements to new amenities like the library decks and outdoor basketball and sand volleyball courts.
We have proven that we have the ability to live, learn, and thrive safely amid the most trying of circumstances. As COVID moves toward assuming an endemic status in our global health ecosystem, with everyone caring for each other, our campus will remain a safe environment. Our mission is to provide a world-class in-person liberal arts education, and we continue to do so with your help.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely yours,
