Message from President Maxey, Oct. 30
October 30, 2020
Dear Maroons -
I hope you will mask up and enjoy a safe Halloween weekend.
There’s a Unity Week event this afternoon at the flagpoles: Poems, Prayers, and Quotes that Remind Us of What Unites US.
And, I know the Campus Activities Board is sponsoring Halloween Bingo and a costume contest this evening on the Back Quad. Have fun everyone and whatever you choose to do this weekend, please be safe.
Following are a few tips from me and Tom Rambo, associate dean of student affairs and director of campus safety:
The Salem Police are traditionally out on Halloween enforcing laws. Please avoid large gatherings. Mask up! Even if you have on your best Batman mask, make sure to cover your nose and mouth. Keep your safe social distance. Six feet!
The health guidelines in place for this semester are part of the Student Conduct Code and include off-campus activities. It is important to avoid excessive drinking at all times!
COVID-19 status and new residence hall visitation policy
Regarding COVID-19, today, Friday, Oct. 30, the College has one active student case. I’m pleased cases remain low and want to thank each of you for doing your part to keep us safe and healthy.
With the low number of cases we have been seeing recently, we have decided current restrictions regarding visitors in residence halls will be eased. I have heard from many of you that this is a restriction you would like to see loosened. Starting Monday, Nov. 2, students living in residence halls may have one guest from another residence hall in their rooms. When visitors are present in a student’s room, all students in the room must wear a mask.
We hope this change will allow students to have more safe social interactions, and create opportunities for small group study sessions as we approach exam season. Our goal is to continue this through the remainder of the semester, as long as we do not see an increase in COVID-19 cases.
We have no documented community spread in any of our academic buildings. In other words, it is unlikely that any student or faculty member has gotten the virus while in an academic building.
President Mike Maxey
Looking forward to spring semester
As you know, we announced our plans for spring semester. Students, please watch your email for an important communication from ResLife over the weekend. You will need to reply by Friday, Nov. 6, 2020 at 4 p.m with your choices regarding:
- Living on campus or living at home;
- Choosing your move-in appointment;
- Informing us of extenuating circumstances that may require you to stay on campus during the winter break.
As we round the mid-point in the semester, I am very pleased with the safety measures set in place in order to reduce the spread of the virus. We have no documented community spread in any of our academic buildings. In other words, it is unlikely that any student or faculty member has gotten the virus while in an academic building, which is great news as we think about next semester and have more flex classes planned. We have been vigilant in utilizing safety measures in order to stay safe.
Remember, if you have COVID-19 symptoms or if you are worried about your health for any reason, please reach out to Student Health and Counseling Services at (540) 375-2286.
As always, you may visit roanoke.edu/covid19, where we report Roanoke College COVID-19 cases on a weekly basis. Questions may also be sent to questions@roanoke.edu or you may leave a voicemail with your question by calling (540) 375-2244.
Be well Maroons,
President Mike Maxey