March 30, 2021 Update

Spring Term Welcome

Dear Students,

Welcome to Spring term! As I walked through Leverone on Thursday, getting my
own COVID test, I was surprised by how emotional it was to have so many of you
returning to campus.

I was thrilled to see the joy that reuniting with friends inevitably brings,
especially now. And it was also bittersweet, because it reminded me that so
many of you remain away from the Dartmouth campus.

And that summarizes the challenge: This letter is for all students, but
you're everywhere, not only here in Hanover. And I want to be optimistic,
because there is so much to be optimistic about! With each passing day millions
more people are vaccinated. Still, I also have to be realistic. The seven-day
average case counts are 56% higher than they were on the first day of classes
in Fall term.

To add to the challenge, we continue to ask that you adhere to the letter and
spirit of public health guidelines. Luckily, the rules are not confusing: 1)
follow quarantine guidelines, 2) avoid large gatherings, 3) wear your masks, 4)
practice physical distancing, and 5) get tested twice a week.

However, if we hope to maintain the anticipated level of on campus residency
this spring, we must all follow the rules. We learned first-hand in winter term
what can happen -- when even small numbers of us let down our guard.

One hundred fifty members of the student community were infected last term on
our campus. Some of them - five weeks later - are still suffering, having
barely managed to finish their winter term finals.

Of equal concern are the mental health consequences of such an outbreak. More
than one thousand students had to quarantine in their rooms as a result of the
recent outbreak for the 10 days leading up to finals, which caused spikes of
distress and anxiety throughout the community.

That said, I understand why these breaks in protocol are happening.

Everyone has a different understanding of COVID, of risk, of community, of
friendship, and about what it means to have a college experience. And everyone
has a different tolerance for the very things that are necessary to keep us all
physically safe and emotionally healthy.

And all of us, quite simply, are tired.

We're tired of physical distancing.

We're tired of masks.

We're tired of having to get to testing twice a week.

We're tired of seeing everyone on the flat 2D computer screen.

And, perhaps most importantly, we're tired of the fear, the anger, the
outrage, the loss, and the heartbreak which seems to have permeated nearly
every corner of our community.

This year we've all lost opportunities to pursue our passions, our hobbies,
our careers. Many of us watched as competitions, performances, vacations, and
internships alike vanished into thin air.

Many of us also lost family and friends. Too many. Too soon.

We watch with sadness and horror as the U.S. once again becomes center stage
for gun violence and hate crimes and the world continues to struggle under the
weight of economic distress, climate change and natural disasters.

And even among those few of us whose lives were brushed by only the slightest
disappointment, there is not a one of us who hasn't missed our families, our
friends, and our once taken-for-granted ability to connect whenever and however
we want. Especially now that quick conversations and drop-ins have been
replaced by formal appointments and pre-scheduled zoom meetings, is it any
wonder we're tired?

But yet, here we are, on the cusp of spring term, on the cusp of a return to
some semblance of normalcy. There are new signs of life, and new signs of
growth, even though, at least in Hanover, there are still piles of frozen snow
on the ground.

In order to get through it, these last remaining ten weeks of the most
challenging academic calendar in history, please again remember that no matter
where we are, we are all part of the same community of scholars, of learners,
scientists, artists, friends, classmates, and colleagues.

At the root of that simple idea, community, there are three important factors
we all need to keep in mind: caring, connection, and accountability.

You must care for yourself first, so that you can adequately care for others.
Most of us know what we need to do to care for ourselves and feel our best.
Let's do that. And then, let's together remember to care for those around
us.

Part of what it means to care for oneself and others is to stay connected. You
do this not just for your own benefit, but also for the benefit of those around
you. Every connection you make benefits yourself and the person with whom
you've connected. And then, let's together remember to also connect with
those who need connection.

And in a community, you are also accountable. This might mean many things. It
might mean, for example, being accountable to yourself by deciding, for
example, to play a game where you try to maximize your fun factor
simultaneously with public health guidelines, rather than trading them off
against each other.

It might mean, for example, being accountable to others by simply accepting the
consequences if it turns out you made a foolish choice. Being accountable
matters because the virus is invisible, and it quietly hides itself before
letting you know (with symptoms) that you've been exponentially spreading it
across all your activities. What may seem like a reasonable choice in the heat
of the moment may have unforeseen and possibly dire consequences for you, your
closest friends, and the entire campus and Upper Valley community. Let's
together remember to hold ourselves, and each other, accountable for our
choices.

That same morning, as I wandered from the Computer Store to Parkhurst, I saw a
parent snapping a photo while saying goodbye to their student through an open
window. The look on their face, intense happiness and joy, was also tinged with
a little bit of bittersweet. This moment in time seemed fitting somehow -
especially against the tableau of fog rising from the still semi-frozen ground.
And it made me remember that experiences are not just  as we find them, but
also how we create them, and what meaning we make of them.

This may not be the spring term that we imagined; this may not have been the
year that we imagined. It's certainly not the one any of us would have hoped
for. However, I am hopeful that we, too, can find moments of sweetness in the
weeks ahead that are not only safe, but also deeply satisfying and fulfilling.
As we head into the next ten weeks, I invite you to make the most of your
experience, no matter what it is or where it is occurring, within a context of
care, connection, and, yes, please, accountability.

Finally, and as always, please don't hesitate to reach out to campus support
resources if you need them. The Undergraduate Deans Office, Health Service,
Counseling, the Student Wellness Center and the Tucker Center stand by to help.
On-call resources are available through Safety and Security after hours and on
weekends, at 603-646-4000. If you have any concerns about symptoms or exposure or mental health support you can reach Health Service clinicians around the clock at 603-646-9440.

All my best,

Dean Lively