Anne Ehrlich, VP for College Life and Dean of Students, and Jen Lucas, Executive Director of Human Resources, update the campus community on its COVID-19 status, testing protocols, mask wearing, and upcoming special events.
Dear Members of the Gettysburg College Community,
We write today to update you on our campus community’s COVID-19 status, as well as to look ahead to our celebratory events planned for the end of September.
We are pleased to report that moving into the third week of classes, we continue to hold steady at a Baseline Alert Level. However, due in part to the items highlighted in this email, we will continue to keep all COVID-19 policies in place, including the indoor masking requirement.
In monitoring the broader COVID-19 landscape, we continue to observe trends that necessitate our collective vigilance and patience. One glance across higher education underscores the reality that the virus and its variants remain a persistent threat to college campuses, with several schools experiencing outbreaks. While this is not the case at Gettysburg, the appropriate course of action for our community is to maintain our current policies at this time.
As announced in early August, given the limited number of students and employees who are required to participate in testing, the College is no longer maintaining a public COVID-19 dashboard on the website. If at any point we approach the Moderate Alert Level, we will publish a public dashboard.
Testing
Any employee who experiences symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should stay home from work, isolate themselves from others, and be clinically evaluated for COVID-19 by their health care provider. Employees who test positive for COVID-19 or are a close contact to a positive case are required to notify the Human Resources Office immediately.
Both vaccinated and unvaccinated students who are concerned about potential COVID-19 symptoms are encouraged to test as soon as possible. Students have two options for testing:
- At Health Services, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- At the campus COVID-19 Testing Center at 53 West Stevens Street (the building next to DPS)
- Mondays, 7 a.m. - Noon
- Tuesdays, 7 a.m. - Noon
- Wednesdays, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Tests are free to students at both locations. Unvaccinated students should continue their weekly testing at the Testing Center.
Indoor Masking Reminders
As a reminder, please be sure to cover your nose and mouth when wearing your mask indoors. Likewise, remember to place your mask on before entering campus buildings and, if within a Dining facility, after you finish your meal. We thank you for your compliance.
September Celebratory Events
The College will host three marquee events at the end of the month. These cherished traditions were canceled previously due to the pandemic. We are pleased to be in a position to offer these events this fall for our fellow Gettysburgians.
- First-Year Walk, Class of 2024 – On Thursday, September 23, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Chapel, Gettysburg will host a First-Year Walk for our sophomore class. We encourage our entire community to line the sidewalks of North Washington Street before 6:30 p.m. in support of our Class of 2024.
- Homecoming Weekend – On the weekend of September 24-26, the College will host a modified Homecoming Weekend for our alumni. The weekend’s events will be held exclusively outdoors and attendees have been informed that they are expected to follow all campus COVID-19 policies, including indoor masking. Please be sure to offer a warm welcome to our Gettysburg alumni.
- Commencement, Class of 2020 – On Sunday, September 26, beginning at 11 a.m. outside of Pennsylvania Hall, we will celebrate the long-awaited in-person Commencement ceremony for our Class of 2020, featuring Gettysburg alumna and trustee Lauren Bright ’90 as the Commencement speaker. We hope you will join us for this event.
Recognizing the increased activity on campus this month, coupled with the greater COVID-19 landscape on college campuses and in our town, it is even more reason to keep the indoor masking policy in place for the remainder of September. During the first week of October, the policy will be reassessed.
Finally, as you know, last week President Biden announced a COVID-19 action plan. We are closely monitoring the OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard on COVID-19 and what it may mean for higher education. Please know that we will update our College employees if these developments prove to directly impact Gettysburg College and our policies.
Again, we want to thank you for your care and commitment to keeping our community safe. If you have any questions, please visit the COVID-19 website or contact covidupdates@gettysburg.edu.
Sincerely,
Anne Ehrlich
Vice President for College Life and Dean of Students
Jen Lucas
Executive Director of Human Resources