End of Term Update
Dear Students,
We really are almost there. Only two more days of classes to go. Wherever you are around the globe, congratulations on getting to the end of our first "hybrid" term of remote and on-campus enrollment. As I always say at this time of the term, please take care of yourselves as you prepare for exams, and please don't hesitate to reach out to campus support resources if you need help.
The Undergraduate Deans and the Health Service counseling and primary care clinicians are standing by to offer assistance to all, no matter where you are. See https://students.dartmouth.edu/undergraduate-deans/ and https://students.dartmouth.edu/health-service/about/get-help-now/dartmouth-college-health-service-open. And as always, our dean and provider on-call resources continue to be available for emergencies after hours and on weekends. You can access them by calling Security at 603-646-4000.
We know how stressful this term has been for all of you - in so many different ways. And we know that the escalating public health crisis is another source of anxiety. Just today, the Governor of Vermont announced a new set of risk reduction requirements, including limiting any indoor and outdoor social activities to single households only, suspending recreational sports programs, and requiring quarantine for college students returning to Vermont. Cases in New Hampshire and the Upper Valley remain lower compared to other parts of the country, but are increasing. You can monitor the campus dashboard at https://covid.dartmouth.edu/covid19-dashboard.
Campus clinicians and the College's health and epidemiology team are actively monitoring developments and staying in close touch with state and federal officials. For those of you in critical areas across the United States and globally, our thoughts are with you and your families. Wherever you are, if you are traveling in the coming weeks, please take a look again at the Health Service travel advice message that you received from Dr. Reed earlier this week, at https://student-affairs.dartmouth.edu/resources/2020-2021-planning-information/community-messages/november-10-2020-update.
To those of you who are on campus or living locally in the greater Upper Valley, we can't stress this enough: Please continue to be vigilant. Wear your face coverings, maintain 6' physical distancing, observe facility occupancy requirements, comply with group gathering requirements, follow local and state guidelines for the community in which you live, do the daily TSA, and continue to test weekly at Leverone until you leave. We all need to do everything we can to reduce risk to ourselves, friends, families and community members.
Those of you approved for winter on-campus enrollment have been receiving your on-campus room assignments and arrival dates today. Please be sure to align your travel plans with your assigned arrival date. There will be no early or late arrivals. That is especially true now, as developments in New Hampshire quarantine guidelines have raised the possibility that our arrival quarantine period on campus may be shortened based on test results. We need everyone to comply with their assigned arrival date so that we can plan accordingly for the start - and end - of the arrival quarantine period. We are also reviewing other changes that may be possible this winter with testing increasing to twice a week. We will be posting updates and arrival planning information after the end of the exam period. I expect that we'll be in touch with you regularly as developments occur throughout December.
Finally, as we move towards Thanksgiving and the holiday break, please know how grateful we are for your efforts to keep one another, your families, and your communities safe. And please join me in expressing our deepest appreciation to all of the staff at the Health Service, who have been working tirelessly around the clock to support you, wherever you are. Their dedication to you and your wellbeing since this crisis began has been incredible, and they won't let up.
Best wishes as the term comes to a close, and to all, a very safe and happy start to your holiday season-
Dean Lively