Dear All,

As students will begin arriving back on campus shortly, I am writing to remind us all of our roles in maintaining health and safety on campus.  This is particularly important now, as positivity rates in the communities surrounding Vassar are far greater than they had been during the fall semester, meaning there is more virus present, and the chances of infection are increased. 

Just as we did in the fall, we have the ability to curb the spread of the virus by taking just a few simple steps.  Please review the following reminders, and also visit the VassarTogether website, much of which has been revised for the spring semester:

• If you plan to work on campus and have not completed your registration, please do so here.  Employees who are not reporting to campus can temporarily unregister from the daily health  questionnaire by sending an email to Linda Wessberg in Human Resources (lwessberg@vassar.edu). The email must include when you are scheduled to return to campus, if applicable.
• Employees registered to work on campus must complete the daily health screening questionnaire every day that they are working.  The questionnaire can be accessed via:
  • The VassarTogether screen in Vassar Mobile (download for iOS | Android)
  • go.vassar.edu/healthcheck
  • Workday
  • Daily reminder emails from HR
• Whenever we are on campus, we must follow the community care standards. Important highlights from the standards include:
  • Maintain 6 feet of distance from others at all times.
  • Wear a mask at all times, except when alone in your room or private office, or stationary outdoors with 6 feet of distance from everyone else.
  • Avoid unnecessary travel.  If you travel outside of New York State, you may be subject to strict testing and/or self-quarantine requirements before returning to work on campus.  Pay careful attention to this in the daily health screening questionnaire, as New York State may revise these rules from time to time.
  • If you are concerned that people you encounter on campus may not be following the community care standards and are putting others at risk of harm, notify your supervisor and/or contact the Community Care Team (CCT) via the form on the community care standards site, linked above.

Important information and FAQs from Human Resources are available on their website and on the VassarTogether screen in Vassar Mobile (download for iOS | Android). If you have any questions, this is a great place to start.  Vassar Mobile also has quick links to many important resources such as the daily health screening questionnaire, on-campus work registration, PPE request, Community Care Team assistance form, key contacts, and more

Finally, let’s remember, “We Precedes Me.”  I am asking for your help.  Please do everything you can to help us all maintain our health and safety, so that we can continue in-person learning, living, and working together during this semester.  We did it before, and we can do it again.  And thank you so much for your continued commitment to Vassar.

Warmest regards,

Carlos

—
Carlos L. García
Vice President for Technology & Human Resources