Follow-up information for First-Year Students

Keira Kant ’95, Associate Dean of College Life, summarized the requirements for First-Year Students who will be part of the residential cohort in the fall 2020 semester.

Email announcement

Dear First-Year Students,

I know you have received many email communications these past days from the College with lots of information about health, safety, de-densification, residential cohorts, plans moving forward, etc. We have received a number of questions about next steps for first-year students. I realize there is a lot to take in and I want to highlight a few points from previous communications.

First, as a member of the Class of 2024, you are part of the residential cohort going forward this semester. We are looking forward to having you in residence and in order to best prepare for the rest of the fall semester, we need you to indicate if you are planning to stay in residence. Please fill out this form to let the College know of your plans to study on campus or remotely for the remainder of the semester. You can also find more detailed information about the Residential Cohort here.

Second, some of you have asked if you may return to your homes for a short time during this coming week and how to proceed. We would prefer that students who are part of the residential cohort remain on campus, but if you choose to go home for a bit, please follow these instructions:

• Fill out the travel form to let us know you’re going.
• You should return to campus no later than 8am Wednesday morning (September 9). The College will be testing the residential cohort on Wednesday and Thursday of next week. You will receive more detail about timing, location, etc. soon.

Finally, departments across the College are committed to work together to offer a positive and engaging experience while you are on campus; the First-Year Class officers are already working on some ideas with Student Activities. Some opportunities may include shared experiences for the entire class, programming in response to needs and feedback from students, support from student leaders and campus departments, outreach from First-Year Seminar (FYS) instructors and Student Success Advocates (SSA), etc. You will hear more about your continuing First-Year Experience in greater detail in the coming days.

I hope this email provides clarification on some key questions you and your family may have, as well as give you some insight into plans going forward for the rest of the fall.

Thank you and be well,
Keira

Keira Kant ’95
Associate Dean of College Life