Oct. 1, 2020 – Vanderbilt Phase 2+ of Return to Campus Plan remains in place as Nashville moves to Phase 3
Dear Vanderbilt community,
Thank you for the resilience, determination and personal responsibility you have shown in adhering to Vanderbilt’s COVID-19 protocols throughout the fall semester. Our efforts are working, but we must be steadfast and commit to continuing to follow the practices we set forth to protect the most vulnerable and prevent the spread in our community and on campus as much as possible.
You may have noticed that the city has transitioned to phase 3 of its Roadmap to Reopening Nashville plan. We are reaching out to remind you that the university remains in Phase 2+ of the Vanderbilt Return to Campus Plan.
Although Nashville is changing its guidelines, we expect our Vanderbilt community members to abide by university protocols at all times, whether on or off campus. This includes wearing face masks/coverings, limiting gathering sizes and maintaining physical distancing in all parts of the city and surrounding areas.
Our contact tracing reveals that several cases of COVID-19 transmission among Vanderbilt community members have occurred due to interactions at off-campus residences and restaurants, and potentially other off-campus locations. The university has not had any COVID-19 transmission reported within classrooms, research spaces or dining halls.
In addition, the university continues to have lower COVID-19 positive-case percentages than the city and state. We urge the entire Vanderbilt community to remain vigilant, and to take special care off campus, to keep these numbers low and carry our success through the end of the semester.
If you notice other members of the Vanderbilt community not wearing a face mask and/or not physical distancing, we encourage you to talk to them in a respectful way about following Vanderbilt protocols. If you do not feel comfortable approaching an individual or a group, please consider contacting the Public Health AmbassaDore (PHA) hotline. The PHAs are available to provide community members with face masks, sanitizer, or more information as needed about best health practices on campus.
Members of the Vanderbilt community who intentionally disregard university COVID-19 policies and protocols will face disciplinary action under the relevant standards for students, faculty or staff.
Again, thank you for your continued partnership and dedication to helping us slow the spread of COVID-19 by Anchoring Down and Stepping Up.
Susan R. Wente
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Eric Kopstain
Vice Chancellor for Administration