The VPSL Column | October 18, 2021

Happy Monday, Students!

Welcome to week 8. I hope you are all doing well. Last week, I had the pleasure of being a part of a student leadership “thank you” dinner hosted by President Wiewel at the Cooley House. We had over 70 resident assistants, New Student Orientation leaders, and ASLC cabinet members attend the gathering. It was truly a party and the first hosted event of its size at the Cooley House since the pandemic began. President Wiewel and his wife Alice hope to host a Thanksgiving gathering for some students who remain on campus over the break so be looking out for an invitation very soon.

Many of you have asked me about what you should do if you need to miss class due to COVID or having COVID-like symptoms. I know you sometimes feel great academic pressure that would lead you to attend class while symptomatic, but we do not want you to give into that temptation and risk infecting others. Symptoms of COVID in vaccinated individuals can mimic the common cold. You should not be attending class if you have any COVID symptoms. Even if you receive a negative COVID test but you are symptomatic, you need to miss class. You could be contagious with some other illness and could therefore infect others. The more students who are infected with upper respiratory illnesses, the more students will worry if they have COVID, then self-isolate, obtain medical consultation, and be tested—so the cycle just goes on.

If you need to miss class, you should do the following:

• Email your faculty. If you will miss a particular class for four or more consecutive class sessions (this will be true of anyone testing positive for COVID), contact the Health Service. They can provide the Office of Student Accessibility (formerly Student Support Services) with documentation that allows OSA staff to inform faculty of your legitimate absence.

I know this is hard to navigate, so try to avoid any risk of getting sick by washing your hands often, socially distancing whenever possible, and wearing your face mask.

Here is the latest regarding positive COVID cases:

• COVID-19 cases: Of the 261 community members tested so far in October, there have been 2 positive on-campus and 9 positive off-campus cases, which equates to a positivity rate of .77%. The higher positive rate as compared to September is reflective of the small number of tests we have conducted thus far.

Remember to continue filling out the SCARF form in the Health Information Portal if you experience any COVID-like symptoms. Thank you for keeping our community healthy and safe.

WeB4Me@LC.

Warmly,

Robin H. Holmes-Sullivan

Vice President for Student Life

Lewis & Clark College