The Spring 2022 semester is finally here and our campus has already begun to spring back to life with the return of our students from what I hope was a rejuvenating and restful Winter Break. We’ve had a smooth start to the extended arrival process and hope to continue the trend with this week’s check-ins.
Before I talk about the semester ahead, I want to reflect on what’s been accomplished and lessons learned in the fall. Our return to face-to-face instruction and the full Ithaca College experience was quite successful. Prudent public health policies such as mandatory face coverings indoors, frequent hand hygiene, and responsible social interactions helped us navigate the fall semester with low incidence of COVID-19 within our community. High vaccination rates among members of our campus community helped ensure that most cases of COVID-19 that did occur at IC were mild.
We know these tools work in helping to contain the harshest impacts of the pandemic.
However, we experienced what can happen when we grow complacent in adhering to personal public health practices. The Omicron variant hit our campus hard during the semester’s final days and it continues to fuel a surge in cases throughout the United States and abroad.
It is imperative that we recommit ourselves to practices we know keep COVID-19 at bay. A strong start in 2022 is achievable, but we must be #ICinThisTogether.