Dear Vanderbilt Students,

As you return to campus, I want to remind you that we need your help to limit potential exposure to coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

For several weeks, the university has worked closely with infection control experts at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and local and state public health officials, and has been reviewing all guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While the university has developed protocols to limit exposure, we need your help to make sure they are successful.

The health and safety of all Vanderbilt community members and our visitors must remain a priority. We must especially think about those among us who have pre-existing conditions and whose health may be further compromised by this infection.

We continue to have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on campus. 

However, we have confirmed that one of our students who had been studying abroad has tested positive for COVID-19. That student has not returned to Nashville and is currently undergoing treatment in their hometown. We are working with public health officials to take appropriate actions and precautions related to this specific situation.

As we know that your Spring Break travels have taken you to many destinations both domestic and abroad, and you have experienced many interactions with a variety of people during the past week, it is vitally important that we all remain vigilant regarding our health and safety, and that of others.

Again, I want remind you that:

• Students who have had direct contact with someone who is infected with COVID-19, or who have traveled to China, South Korea, Iran, or Italy, are not permitted to return to campus until they have completed a 14-day self-isolation period and been cleared to return to campus. Campus residents without a place to stay off-campus should contact the Office of Housing and Residential Experience prior to arrival on campus.
• The Vanderbilt Student Health Center has monitoring protocols in place for students who have come in contact with a case of COVID-19 or who have traveled to China, South Korea, Iran, or Italy within the past 14 days. If you may have had direct contact with someone who is infected with COVID-19 or if you have traveled to China, South Korea, Iran, or Italy, please complete the self-report/monitoring survey at https://redcap.link/vustudentcovid as soon as possible.
• We also encourage you to fill out the self-report/monitoring survey if you have any reason to believe that your contacts or travels may have exposed you to COVID-19. The most important step you can take to help our shared community, and especially the most vulnerable among us, is to fill out the self-report/monitoring survey.
• Any student not complying with Vanderbilt’s notification and self-isolation practices will be subject to immediate disciplinary procedures through Student Accountability.
• If at any time we determine that you have failed to comply with a self-isolation directive that has applied to you, furnished false information to the University, or not reported complete and accurate information about your travel and personal contacts (or the travel and personal contacts of others), you may face major disciplinary action, up to and including separation from the University.
• So that we can continue to protect the health and safety of our broad community, if you know of other students who may have had contact with someone who is infected with COVID-19, please let the Office of the Dean of Students know right away.

We appreciate your cooperation to help us protect the campus community.

Sincerely,

Mark Bandas
Associate Provost and Dean of Students