Dear Vanderbilt Students,

As we move out of the Commodore Cares period, I want to express our gratitude for your resilience and commitment. By sheltering in place during this time you helped keep the positivity rate low in our campus community. I want to also take this time to remind you of the importance, now more than ever, of following campus COVID-19 protocols. Let’s continue our positive momentum by keeping gatherings small (8 people or less), masking up, and maintaining 6 feet of social distance. These measures will help to ensure a successful spring semester.

As we spend more time outdoors due to COVID-19, please be aware this weekend temperatures are expected to fall into the teens and low twenties. Temperatures are not expected to rise above freezing until sometime Tuesday. Should you wish to gather outdoors following campus safety protocols, please consider using one of five heated, Wi-Fi equipped tents on campus. During this time, please also be mindful of the dangers of hypothermia. Hypothermia occurs in conditions of exposure to low temperatures when the body loses heat faster than it can produce heat. This can result in dangerously low body temperature. Warning signs of hypothermia are confusion, shivering, difficulty speaking, sleepiness, and stiff muscles.

During cold weather:

• Wear appropriate clothing, layer your clothing, and wear a hat and mittens.
• Avoid drinking alcohol to a state of intoxication. Drinking alcohol raises the risk of hypothermia by increasing blood flow to the skin resulting in a feeling of warmth while actually increasing heat loss. Drinking too much in cold conditions can be very dangerous.
• Take care of your friends. Watch for signs of intoxication and/or hypothermia and seek help!

Be smart and safe this winter.

Mark Bandas
Associate Provost and Dean of Students