Dear Students,
As we complete week two of classes, we received results of this week’s asymptomatic testing. The results are posted to the college’s COVID-19 Dashboard.
Our positivity rate is lower than last week, and that’s good news. Thank you for continuing to follow our health and safety procedures. Our health and safety plan is working by identifying positive cases through testing and isolating their possible contacts. We cannot let our guard down now. We must all continue to do our part to keep our community healthy.
The Week Ahead
We have seen the great benefits of our entire community being focused on health and safety. Please stay vigilant about proper masking, social distancing, and symptom monitoring, especially as we head into our second weekend. In the week ahead, we must work as a community to ensure the following:
- Continue to connect through your COVID-19 pod and be extra careful when you’re eating. In addition to masking and social distancing at large, this may be one of most effective things you can do to help stop campus spread.
- Do not move campus furniture. Students have been moving furniture in the library, BCLC, and other common spaces on campus. The furniture has been set up to support proper social distancing. Do not move it. If you are moving furniture to accommodate a group then the group is too large, and you are in violation of the Lynx Promise. If we continue to see movement of furniture, then we will have to consider closing spaces like the Library and BCLC down.
- Continue to assume everyone is contagious and act accordingly. Wear your mask when interacting with others and keep at least six feet of distance. If you have symptoms: isolate yourself immediately, and contact Health Services. The Symptomatic Student Protocol can be found here.
- Continue to report for twice a week asymptomatic testing required. Failure to report for weekly asymptomatic testing requirements will result in your not being permitted on campus. An updated testing schedule can be found here.
Outdoor Athletic Events
I hope you will come out this weekend to support your fellow Lynx as we kick off some of our outdoor seasons. Come out in your pods to support Softball and Football, which will be held outdoors. Masking and social distancing is required. Spectators are not permitted for indoor competitions, such as Men’s and Women’s Basketball, but you can cheer on both our basketball programs via free online streaming. The Rhodes Athletics schedule and streaming information can be found here.
Super Bowl Gatherings
As we head into the weekend, I know that the Super Bowl is a big event for many of us. As a reminder, gatherings will be highly problematic and may constitute a violation of the Lynx Promise. If you want to watch the game with friends it can be streamed live wherever you are with services such as FuboTV, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu with Live TV, and AT&T TV. Here are a few suggestions on how to stream safely:
- Watch the game with your 3–4-person pod.
- Connect with a small group in the McCallum Ballroom (BCLC) where the game will be available.
- Stream the game with one or two friends (no more than 4) in other spaces on campus where distancing can occur including residence hall common rooms and open spaces.
- Connect with a larger group via zoom while individuals or small groups are watching the game.
- If you do gather with a small group (no more than 4), stay masked and minimize your time eating and drinking mask-less. Celebrations with eating, cheering, and hanging out unmasked and not socially distant could become super spreader events no matter how good the commercials and half-time show are.
- Social distance as much as possible.
Large Gatherings
A number of student leaders have asked me this week, what the consequences are for hosting large gatherings. This is an important question given the serious nature of the Lynx Promise violation. The Lynx Promise indicates that all community members should refrain from organizing, hosting, or attending large gatherings that are likely to increase the risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19.
Given this is such a serious concern let me try and provide some clarity:
- Hosting or attending gatherings that are considered large either by the total number of attendees at any one time or over the course of the event may result in sanctions up to and including suspension and dismissal from the college.
- Additionally, and equally important: misleading or lying to contact tracers about such activity will result in sanctions that may include suspension and dismissal from the college.
Over the last two weeks, I have asked the student body to minimize gatherings to 2-4 people OR no more than the number of students living together in a residence hall space or off-campus residence. As such, any gatherings of over four people or beyond the number of residents may be reviewed through Community Standards as a violation of the Lynx Promise.
As we move through the semester and conditions improve, my hope is that number will be able to increase and larger gatherings may be permitted. Our success at stopping the spread in early February will chart the course for our success this semester. If we are successful and our number of infections continue to drop, then we can begin scaling back some of these restrictions and allow for larger gatherings. If cases spike again, then we will need to implement additional, more immediate and aggressive campus restrictions.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me and the Student Life team at studentlife@rhodes.edu or by phone at (901) 843-3815.
I want to end by thanking each of you for taking our shared commitment seriously. You truly have embraced the Lynx Promise. We can do this.
-mhw
Meghan Harte Weyant, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Life