Students,
We thank you for your flexibility, patience, and support as the university readies for the fall semester and plans and adapts as needed. As we have stated throughout the pandemic and in our most recent communications, we continue to closely follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), as well as transmission levels in the communities in which our campuses are located. As fluctuations occur quickly, we appreciate your responsiveness and adaptability.
We will communicate any updates in a timely manner and direct you to smumn.edu/covidplanning, which is the best source of up-to-date information. There, we have resumed our COVID-19 tracking dashboard and have added a question-and-answer section that we are updating as new questions arise. We will also be restarting the COVID-19 newsletter Wednesday, Aug. 18, for faculty, staff, students, and undergraduate parents.
We appreciate everyone remembering that masks are required on all our campuses when inside buildings and outside when social distancing is not possible. Please also remember to stay socially distanced (6 feet apart) and wash your hands frequently.
We can hope that as transmission levels decline, we will be able to lift some of our current protocols. It’s important to note that the MDH has asked these measures not be changed until two weeks after transmission rates move to “moderate.”
“Together and by association” we will support each other as we prepare for the fall term. Thank you for remaining steadfast and resilient in the coming weeks and beyond.
Ann Merchlewitz
Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Ben Murray
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer