Dear undergraduates,
We are following up on President Price’s earlier message to reiterate a few key points and let you know where you can find more information as our fall plans continue to take shape.
As President Price said, things will be different at Duke this coming academic year. COVID-19 continues to disrupt all of our lives in unpredictable ways.
As each of you solidifies your fall plans, we ask that you and your families think carefully about your commitment to the health and safety of our Duke and Durham community—not just for yourself and your peers, but also for your faculty members; the staff who support you in residence halls, dining facilities, buildings, buses, and across our campus; and our neighbors in Durham.
If you elect to come to Duke and Durham for the fall semester, know that you are committing to take these steps:
- Wear approved face coverings in all campus spaces (outside your room), at all times.
- Maintain six feet of social distance from others—your classmates, faculty, and staff—in all spaces outside your room.
- Accurately and consistently report your symptoms on a tracking app every day.
- Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.
- Comply with contact tracing efforts, isolation protocols, and quarantine terms as directed.
- Limit social gatherings—either on- or off-campus—in groups of more than 10 people.
In the coming weeks, Duke will provide additional information about the Duke Compact and we will update the Duke Community Standard for the 2020-21 academic year.
The takeaway for both: you will need to comply with COVID-related guidance in order to keep yourself and others safe.
In the weeks ahead, we’ll introduce educational efforts and harm reduction strategies designed to help you adhere to these guidelines. Note, though, that any student’s flagrant disregard of the safety of our Duke and Durham community—including your peers, faculty, staff, our neighbors—will result in that person losing the opportunity to remain on campus.
Over the past few weeks, we have talked to many students who are focused, understandably, on returning to campus and spending time with their peers. We know you miss this aspect of Duke, along with your research, studies, and community engagements. Our teams will work to make some in-person social engagement possible this fall—mostly outside and in small groups, always wearing face coverings, and consistently following social distancing guidelines.
For anyone who might not be able to get to campus due to travel restrictions, health concerns, or other constraints, we want to ensure that you have a full and robust experience this fall. Our faculty and academic leaders are designing course options that are maximally engaging and inclusive. Our teams are working to develop meaningful opportunities to engage in co-curricular, club, and other extracurricular activities virtually. As you and your peers devise new ways of maintaining social connections throughout the semester, we are ready to support you in those efforts as well.
If your financial circumstances have changed since the pandemic has hit, we encourage you to contact a counselor in the Karsh Office of Financial Aid and ask for a review. Many students and families have additional questions about costs and financial support, including how to affordably navigate the new elements of the Duke experience. We remain committed to addressing the inequities that impact our campus population.
As our nation faces a “triple pandemic”—undergoing a racial reckoning, dealing with a wrenching economic and employment situation, and battling COVID-19—we recognize that the confluence of these circumstances can take a toll on students’ mental health. Know that Duke is here to support you, no matter how far you may be from campus. We encourage you to utilize Duke-provided mental health resources, which are listed at the bottom of this message.
Finally, please check out the new FAQ page that is being developed in partnership with the incredible students on our 2021 Student Advisory Board.
We will be updating this site regularly as our fall plans become more clear, and in response to the changing nature of the pandemic. In the weeks ahead, we will do our best to provide you with cogent guidance about what’s expected of you this fall. Please be on the lookout for more details on open information sessions for all students to be held in late July.
As we re-engage in person this fall, we recognize that you are being asked to do your part and sacrifice aspects of a college experience that you have worked hard to attain. Further, we appreciate all the ways you’ve already navigated great uncertainty and loss at Duke and at home. Thanks for being in this with us; thank you for bringing your individual and collective best to this challenge, for being resourceful, adaptive, and resilient. We will be in touch again soon.
Thank you and go Duke!
Gary Bennett
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
Mary Pat McMahon
Vice Provost for Student Affairs
