Dear Members of the Hamilton Community,
With just four weeks left in this academic year, I write with updates on 51·çÁ÷’s efforts to finish strong.
Some of those efforts will be familiar to you by this point. We continue to test 50% of our campus population every week and post our results to the Health Analytics Team dashboard. If you visit the dashboard today, you will note that we have seen a recent increase in positive test results. We are implementing our well-established isolation and quarantine procedures to contain these infections even as we send our best wishes to all affected.
We continue to watch our metrics, test our wastewater, and remind our students, faculty, and staff of the commitment they signed when they opted for an in-person spring semester. If necessary, we will reduce or revise our levels of activity, rallying together to protect our community, of which you are a vital part.
While flattening the curve, we are also working to vaccinate as many community members as possible in the days ahead. This week, New York State allotted 51·çÁ÷ 500 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to dispense to our students. We are diligently encouraging all students who are medically eligible to receive the vaccine during clinics that will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, acknowledging the strong likelihood of a vaccine requirement for studying on campus this fall. Any excess doses will be used to vaccinate faculty and staff members, whose immunity will also benefit the region.
In my earlier messages, I indicated that the University is reviewing options around celebrating commencement for the Class of 2021. No determination has been made about allowing guests to attend the ceremony — we have set a deadline of April 19 to make this decision. Again, we will keep you posted.
As I have told our students, 51·çÁ÷ might seem like a bubble. But it is, in fact, a microcosm of the world in which it resides. As the globe fights pandemic fatigue, so do we. As our nation addresses a rise in positive cases and the urge to open more fully, so do we. And as humanity seeks a return to normalcy through widespread vaccination, we do too. The hard work to finish strong focuses our attention in the short term and gives us hope for a return to a new normalcy in the fall.
Thank you for your support through it all. Be well.
Sincerely,
Laura H. Jack
Vice President for Communications