Dear Southwestern community,
We are officially a week into the semester! As of this morning, we are nearing our goal of a 90% cumulative vaccination rate. Currently, 87.1% of our community is partially or fully vaccinated, with 87.2% of students, 95.2% of faculty, and 82.7% of staff partially or fully vaccinated. We also have two students isolating on campus, two students quarantining on campus, four staff members quarantining off campus, and three staff members and one faculty member isolating off campus. You can find real-time campus health and safety updates by visiting our
COVID-19 dashboard.
I want to thank everyone for all your efforts to keep our entire SU community safe. Please remember that masks are mandatory when indoors (unless dining). Masks should fit snugly against your cheeks and cover your mouth and nose. Check out our latest
Masks 101 video to learn more about proper mask usage. Also, don’t forget to practice physical distancing. Desks in our classrooms are currently spaced three feet apart, but whenever possible, it is recommended that individuals maintain up to six feet of distance from others as an additional measure to help reduce the spread of COVID-19
In our continuing efforts to support public health and increase our vaccination rate, the University will host a vaccine clinic on campus on Wednesday, September 8 between 11:00 a.m and 3:00 p.m. in Prothro room 162, where you can receive a single dose of Comirnaty, the now-FDA-approved Pfizer vaccine. You can select either a first dose of the two-shot regimen or your second dose if you have proof you have already received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at least three weeks prior (i.e., on August 18 or earlier). If you choose to receive the first dose, a second-dose clinic will be held on campus later in September; we will announce that event as soon as we have the available details to share with you.
To ensure that the provider brings an appropriate quantity of supplies, we must inform them of how many people will participate in the clinic. Students wishing to make a vaccination appointment should contact Connie Hicks,
hicksc@southwestern.edu, and faculty and staff should contact Peggy Freitas,
freitasp@southwestern.edu, by noon on Wednesday, September 1. There will be no out-of-pocket cost for the shot. Anyone who receives the vaccine will also receive a coupon for a free box of donuts.
Thank you for your continued efforts to keep SU healthy! Your willingness to follow our Pirate Precautions allows us all to enjoy on-campus living and learning as we navigate this constantly evolving pandemic together.
Sincerely,
