June 24, 2021
Dear Students,
On May 27, the Cabinet announced that a number of on-campus health and safety guidelines that have been in place for the 2020-2021 academic year would be lifted once the summer residential student population reached an 80% vaccination rate. I’m glad to share that as of today we have reached that vaccination benchmark, and as a result will be updating the campus guidelines below.
Screening Testing
Effective July 1, residential students and students accessing campus who are fully vaccinated (two weeks after your final dose) will no longer be required to test for COVID-19 on a weekly basis. Unvaccinated individuals or those who have not yet completed their vaccination process will still be required to test each week. Students must upload vaccination documentation to the Bentley Health Portal to be exempt from screening.
Residence Hall Guests
Effective immediately, guests are allowed in all residence halls with face coverings and physical distancing optional for those who are fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated individuals or those who have not yet completed their vaccination process are still required to wear face coverings and observe physical distance when visiting residence halls.
Post-Travel Re-entry
Residential students returning to campus following domestic travel no longer need to provide a negative pre-arrival test result and are not required to test upon arrival.
As always, it’s important that we respect the choices of all members of our community when it comes to the continued use of face coverings and requests for physical distance. In some cases, students, faculty or staff may make a personal choice to continue to wear a face covering, even if fully vaccinated. Regardless of why someone chooses to wear a face covering, please show care and respect for their choices at all times as well as their wishes to maintain physical distance. This includes masking up anytime you need to interact closely with someone who expresses a preference for face coverings, whether you are a guest in their space or need to invite them into your space. We are one community, and it’s important that we always stay true to our values and treat one another with care and respect.
Thank you for all that you have done to keep our campus community healthy and safe during these challenging 15 months. I’m looking forward to when we can be together again in full this fall and am excited to have finally made it to the brighter days.
Dean Shepardson