Flyer Families

Dear faculty, staff and students: 

With COVID-19 cases surging across the nation and stricter new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about face coverings, the Path Forward team offers this urgent update for the campus community about the state of the pandemic and changes to our protocols.

The more contagious delta variant is causing pandemic conditions to change rapidly. While vaccination has proven safe and largely effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death, medical science is discovering that fully immunized people as well as unvaccinated individuals can transmit the virus to others. 

Our current approach is intentionally a balance of two imperatives: help protect physical health and support the mental, social and emotional health of our students. We learned much last year about the effect of some protocols on some students — especially first-year students — to acclimate to the University, build relationships and maintain good social and emotional health. 

Based on these changing conditions, and after consultation with our medical advisory panel and public health officials, everyone, whether vaccinated or not, is required to wear face coverings in most shared indoor spaces on campus effective immediately.

• Face coverings are required in academic, classroom, studio, lab and related spaces, and all dining facilities when not actively eating or drinking. 
• You do not need a face covering if you are alone in a non-shared workspace, such as a private office or cubicle with sides extending above your head on at least three sides.
• We strongly encourage everyone, whether vaccinated or not, to wear a face covering in shared residential areas on campus such as common areas, lobbies, etc.
• You can read the University's updated guidance on face coverings here. 

In addition to wearing face coverings in these indoor settings, please also do the following to help protect yourself and others on campus and in the community:

• DO NOT come to work or class if you are not feeling well or have COVID-19 symptoms. If you are not feeling well, it's important to determine as quickly as possible whether you have COVID-19 and notify the University’s health reporting team so contact tracing can begin. Contact tracing helps stem the spread of the virus to others. 

• Rapid COVID-19 testing is available for students at the Student Health Center and will be available at “Premier After Hours” in Marianist Hall when it opens Aug. 23. Employees and students can search this Ohio Department of Health database for testing centers near campus, or visit your state health department’s website to schedule a test. 

• Use UD's online health reporting form to disclose if you have tested positive, or have been a close contact of someone with COVID-19. These measures are designed to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. 

• Unvaccinated people are at the greatest risk for serious illness, hospitalization and death, especially as face covering and physical distancing expectations have eased in many communities. Increasing the total vaccination rate is essential for combatting the virus. In Ohio, you can schedule an appointment for the vaccine at hundreds of locations through the state's streamlined vaccine tool, or book directly with a local provider, such as Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County or Premier Health. New appointments are posted regularly. For other areas of the country, the CDC has a vaccine finder along with other information on COVID-19 vaccines. 

• UD will offer a vaccine clinic for students and employees in late August; watch your email and news digests for information. 

• If you are not vaccinated, we strongly encourage you to schedule your appointment so you are fully vaccinated before fall semester begins. When you receive your vaccine (even if you've only had one dose of a two-dose vaccine), please upload your record to UD's confidential portal so we may better monitor conditions on campus. 

At the current time, we are planning for normal capacity, without physical distance restrictions, for dining, classrooms, events, gatherings and meetings. Guests will be permitted on campus and in student residences, provided they follow our protocols for face coverings.

We have re-instituted the vaccine dashboard, showing the level of vaccination for the campus community. We expect the vaccination rate to fluctuate throughout August and September until enrollment numbers are finalized. The vaccination rate is not the sole factor the University considers when instituting or easing COVID-19 protocols in consultation with our medical advisory panel and Public Health - Dayton and Montgomery County. 

As we near the start of school, please watch your email and weekly digests for communications and updates. Check out our streamlined COVID-19 webpages (dashboard | A-Z index | general FAQ | health resources), for the most updated information on changing conditions and requirements. You can continue to find the most important links at the top of every UD webpage. 

We will continue to carefully monitor pandemic conditions and the latest CDC and public health guidance. As we've stated, protocols may be revised on short notice as conditions change; all options are on the table as we continue to strive for an active and engaged campus environment, with safety as a top priority. 

We are calling on every member of our campus community to take personal responsibility for their own health and wellbeing and to protect our colleagues, classmates and extended UD family. Remember: students, faculty or staff members may return home each day to unvaccinated and vulnerable young children, aged parents or immuno-compromised friends and family. 

Let's use the resources and tools we know are effective — get vaccinated before fall semester, wear face coverings — to help protect ourselves, our campus community and our loved ones. 

Sincerely, 
The Path Forward Team

We did it! Our campus community met the Build Immunity in Our Community Challenge and will be able to ease COVID-19 safety protocols.

While the danger from the virus and its variants continues, the 70% immunization rate we achieved will provide an appreciable level of immunity and should help protect our entire campus community. We will continue to encourage those of you who have not been vaccinated to schedule your vaccine appointments before fall semester so that we optimize our health and safety as a community. While the University is working on organizing vaccination clinics for the campus community when students return in August, each of us can improve our individual immunity if we are fully vaccinated before returning. 

Please remember, if pandemic conditions change, safety protocols for campus may be reinstated at any time on short notice. 

Effective immediately:

• There is no general mask requirement on campus, except in health care and other specialized settings. Mask wearing continues to be a valuable form of protection for those at higher risk of infection and should continue for people who are not fully vaccinated, especially indoors and in crowded settings. Please support and respect unvaccinated, vulnerable individuals, and others who choose to wear masks.
• There is no six-feet physical distancing requirement on campus. Classrooms, meeting rooms and dining facilities will return to full capacity. 
• Meeting, gathering and event protocols on campus are no longer in effect. 
• Group travel for everyone, vaccinated and unvaccinated, is now possible with certain restrictions and additional risk review (additional details forthcoming). All will be required to follow all regulations governing travel to your destination and, if traveling abroad, your return to the United States; and, if applicable, any organizing or sanctioning body such as the NCAA. 
• Guests are allowed in student residences.

The following protocols remain:

• Do not come to work or class if you're experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Contact your primary care physician or the student health center for evaluation and possible testing.
• Please use UD's online contact form to disclose if you have been a close contact of someone with COVID-19 or have COVID-19. 
• Unvaccinated individuals and all who test positive will still be required to quarantine and/or isolate based on the University’s protocols in consultation with its medical advisory panel, e.g., following any travel, if identified as a close contact, if presumed positive, etc.
• Anyone in quarantine or isolation must coordinate with their supervisor or class instructor regarding time away from work or the classroom. Remote learning is no longer an automatic option for students.
• Individuals may be subject to surveillance and targeted testing the University, in consultation with its medical panel, determines is appropriate based on the nature of the pandemic on campus, including suspected clusters in specific areas or populations.
• If you have completed your vaccination (even your first dose of a two-dose vaccine), upload a photo of your vaccine record to UD's confidential portal by scanning it or taking a picture with your phone.

We ask for your patience and understanding as it will take time to remove and update signage around campus and to update webpages with current COVID-19 information. 

Facilities management has been diligently preparing campus facilities for full occupancy. Air filters in HVAC systems are being changed on a regular basis under the preventative maintenance program. Building water systems have been flushed and tested as appropriate to eliminate stagnant water. Alpha and Omega, UD’s custodial contractor, has continued cleaning and disinfecting, including daily cleaning of surface areas in common areas, restrooms, elevators, stairwells and other high touch points. Facilities management will provide more information as the fall term approaches.

We also ask you to be inclusive and respectful of your colleagues and classmates who choose to continue certain practices, such as continuing to wear face coverings, maintaining physical distance, or avoiding handshakes or hugs.

If you have specific questions about returning to campus, employees should consult with their supervisor or email pathforward@udayton.edu, and students should contact their dean's office or email pathforward@udayton.edu.

Congratulations and thank you, Flyers! See you on campus!

The Path Forward Team