The following message is being sent on behalf of Julie Ramsey, Vice President for College Life and Dean of Students.
Dear Gettysburg Students and Parents,
The status of COVID-19 in our country continues to shift on a daily, even hourly, basis.
In response to the communication you received yesterday, some of you have asked why we are encouraging students to come back to campus in such a short time frame, particularly now that President Trump has discouraged any groups larger than 10 people to congregate. Others of you have indicated that you feel it is unsafe or unwise to travel at this time or you are unable to return to campus by Saturday.
With that in mind, we would like to clarify the guidance contained in yesterday’s messages. At this moment in time, we are providing three options:
- If you feel it unsafe or unwise to travel to campus, please fill out the form that tells us you are “unable to return to campus.” Your belongings will stay where they are until we decide next steps. In this case, the college is willing to pack up your academic necessities (books, notebooks, computers and essential personal items) in a medium box and mail to you at no charge. If this is your preferred option, I encourage you to submit this form as soon as possible. Clearly, the goal to mail a package to each student can be in effect only as long as College employees are permitted to come to work to do the packing and mailing. If your materials are essential and you cannot come to campus, let us know that as soon as possible and we will do our best to get them to you. Please do not request any non-essential items.
- If you are able to travel safely and legally, come to campus as soon as possible to pick up all or some of your belongings. We will try to keep the residence halls available to you until Saturday as originally indicated, but that of course depends on factors beyond our control. Please visit the website for any updates.
If you cannot take everything home, we encourage you to pack up the rest, label it, and leave the packed items in your rooms. Items left in your rooms will remain there until we decide on next steps. This also applies to having a friend gather and pack up materials for you. If you want to store your own belongings or mail them home, you have that option. - Petitions to remain on campus for the remainder for the semester will be considered on or before Wednesday, March 18. These petitions must be submitted by March 18. Please contact committee chair Ron Wiafe if you have questions at rwiafe@gettysburg.edu.
Other important information:
- You can leave your car on campus. If you are here, you can move your car to the west end of the Stadium lot and stop by the DPS tent 8am to 8pm to let them know. If you are not coming to campus, please call DPS (717-337-6911) to let them know you are not coming, and where your car is located.
- Privately-owned fraternities including SN, SAE, and LXA should all vacate as directed by the College. The College has coordinated with your alumni corporations. please direct questions to the Office of Student Activities and Greek Life (osagl@gettysburg.edu).
- Off-campus residents are strongly encouraged to head home. Any questions or concerns from off-campus residents should be directed to Amanda Blaugher at ablaugher@gettysburg.edu.
- If you need to pick up a musical instrument, you can pick up your instrument from Schmucker. Please contact Shelley Stoner (mstoner@gettysburg.edu) or Lisa Graham Herrick (lgraham@gettysburg.edu) between 8am and 5pm to arrange.
- You can pick up athletic equipment from the Jaeger Center. Please contact Kelly Jones to arrange (kjones@gettysburg.edu)
Once again, I want to say how much I appreciate all the flexibility and resilience so many of you are demonstrating during this really challenging time. Today, in passing the College’s Majestic Theater, I was inspired by the sign on the marquee, which read, “Be Safe. Be Kind. Be Hopeful!”
My best wishes to you all,
Dean Ramsey