Dear Monks,

As of Monday morning, we have 25 active cases of COVID-19 on our campus with a number of these cases being new within the last 72 hours.

Our goals remain: finish the semester in person and hold our in-person Commencement. However, quickly rising cases are putting those goals at risk.

Another issue concerns your mental health and for some, rising cases = rising anxiety.

We know that better learning happens in the absence of anxiety. If you feel that you will learn more effectively through remote instruction, you can and should make the decision to return home for the remainder of the semester.

We have confirmed through the Academic Office that most students may transition to remote learning this week. Nursing students should check with the Nursing Program Director/Chair for direction.

In light of all these things we advise you of the following:

  • If you choose to leave, fill out this form. It is expected that your room will be empty and clean upon your departure. If you leave campus during the hours of 9am-6pm please return your key to the Residential Living office in the Heffernan Center.  If you leave campus outside of those hours keys may be dropped off with the Campus Safety office in Standish Hall.  Failure to return your room key may result in a charge to replace the key/lock.
  • Exit testing is required. Please stop by the Health and Wellness Center on your way home to have your final antigen test. We want your families to be safe.
  • If you are a senior who decides to go home, you may return for Commencement. You may not return for Senior Week.
  • Underclassmen who leave will not be permitted to return to campus this semester, but we’ll look forward to welcoming you back in the fall. Those who have been approved for summer housing may return on May 10th provided they have received a negative COVID test within 72 hours of their return to campus.
  • Questions about housing fees and early departure can be answered by going to this link: https://www.sjcme.edu/prepared/financial-policies/
  • We will be discussing other responses to this situation over the next few days, and will update the community as decisions are made.

We are at a critical juncture and now more than ever we need to uphold safety measures, including mask wearing, social distancing, and disinfecting. We are all in this together. Take care of yourselves and take care of each other.

Be Safe,
The Pandemic Response Team