President H. James Williams, Ph.D. announces the Mount's return to in-person instruction and campus-based work operations on Monday, January 24th.
January 19, 2022
Mount St. Joseph University Faculty and Staff & Students,
I am pleased to announce that the Mount will return to in-person instruction and campus-based work operations on Monday, January 24th. I want to thank each of you for your adapting so quickly to the needed instructional and operational shift for these two weeks; it certainly accomplished the goal of reducing positivity rates and the spread of COVID-19 on campus.
Campus data on positive COVID-19 cases reflects a sharp drop from the peak last week. Hamilton County has also reported a significant drop in positivity rates over the last 4 days. Based on these facts, we believe we can safely return to campus, together, on Monday.
However, we remain in the midst of a pandemic and know that some in our community will, unfortunately, continue to test positive for COVID-19. Therefore, each of us should anticipate some adjustments moving forward—perhaps, the need for some courses to temporarily shift to In*Sync, the need for some temporary adjustments to office hours, and the need for some temporary reductions in staffing—as a result of future positive cases. Still, due to the current trends, we do not expect future positivity rates to cause significant interruptions of campus operations.
Nonetheless, our experiencing the full in-person Mount experience we all want and enjoy remains dependent on each of us doing our part to protect ourselves and each other, by
- monitoring our health and not coming to campus if we are sick;
- reporting COVID-19 symptoms, exposures (when not up to date on vaccinations) and positive test results;
- wearing masks over our noses and mouths at all times when indoors on campus; and
- securing our booster vaccinations as soon as we are eligible.
Beginning Monday, January 24th, all students should report to classes in person, unless in isolation or quarantine, or unless you are contacted by your instructor about the need for a temporary In*Sync instructional format. Likewise, on Monday, January 24th, all faculty and staff should report to campus for work unless in isolation or quarantine.
This is excellent news and we have much to which to look forward, together, this spring. I certainly look forward to seeing each of you in person on campus next week!
Please continue to take necessary health precautions and stay safe.
Go Lions!
Sincerely,
H. James Williams, Ph.D.
President