January 20, 2022
Greetings Colleagues,
Happy New Year and welcome back to campus! I hope you all had a wonderful winter break and were able to enjoy some down time. I am personally looking forward to another great semester together. While we still face some challenges ahead, we continue to have much to look forward to with our new strategic plan and the opportunities it presents for us. Below are a few reminders to keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible this semester.
COVID-19 Updates and Reminders
Masks continue to be required on campus, including in classrooms, and we encourage everyone to wear the . While masks can be removed while eating, we ask that you distance while eating, and leave your mask on when not actively eating, such as between bites and sips.
Regardless of your vaccination status, if you're having symptoms of COVID-19, you should stay home, self-isolate and get tested. Start with to schedule a symptomatic test. If positive, follow isolation instructions provided. COVID symptoms may be mild, so it’s important to take any irregular symptom seriously.
If you've been notified that you're a close contact or were tested outside of IU and received a positive COVID-19 test, you need to report it via the and follow the guidance provided. If you take an at home test that is positive – be sure to take a picture of it for your report. Those not fully vaccinated are still required to test weekly.
Those who are fully vaccinated are welcome to sign up for free, . We also continue to offer COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters for free through our . Please take advantage of these resources! And, thanks to our HWC staff for their continued vigilance and service to our community.
As the situation with the virus changes, university policies will be monitored and continue to evolve. To confirm current guidelines, please visit the . This website contains information about IU policies, requirements, and processes as well as useful FAQs. Other helpful resources are the , which outlines multiple scenarios that may affect you or students and the previous , which are archived online.
Priorities for Spring 2022
Our new strategic plan was recently endorsed by the Academic Senate and work is already underway to start implementing it. Look for a formal rollout of the plan this spring.
At the December Coffee with the Chancellor, I shared updates on our enrollment and its impact on our budget. While we continue strong efforts to make improvements in our enrollment, the reality of the decline on our budget is one we will be addressing this spring. If you did not attend the December Coffee I encourage you to . I will be sharing more information on our budget activities this spring, including in our next Coffee with the Chancellor in February. While we will be faced with some difficult decisions, by working together we are well equipped to manage them to chart a sustainable path forward.
Thank you for all you do for each other, for our students, and for our community. Here’s to a successful spring semester!