Dear Bereans,

This is the campus update for Monday, October 18, 2021.

Quarantine, testing and vaccination update

We continue to have no on-campus students in any sort of quarantine; well done students!

As to on-campus employees, we have one quarantine in Facilities based on a positive test that ends tomorrow.  We also found, after the fact, that a faculty member in Danforth Technology had tested positive; that quarantine ended today.  We also have one Edwards staff member in close contact quarantine.  We also have one PFE employee who does not work on campus who has tested positive; that quarantine will extend throughout this week.

Our overall employee vaccination percentage remains at 90%, and, for non-PFE employees, our percentage again rounds to 92%.  Let’s keep going; we can continue to improve!

Kentucky and Madison County update

Declining case numbers continue in our county and state.  Madison County had a total of 246 new cases for the week ending yesterday.  This is down by 115 from last week and lowers the average number of new cases per day to 35.  We are still far into the Red Zone, now at about 45 cases per day per 100,000 persons.  The department also reports that at this point 50.6% of county residents have been fully vaccinated, up by 0.5% from last week.  The state has reported another death in our county, which brings the total to 145.

Kentucky reported 12,221 new cases for the week ending today for an average of 1,746 cases/day, down by about 16% from last week’s number.  The Commonwealth has reported 246 deaths over the last week for an average number of deaths/day of 35.  This number represents no change from last week, but the latest test positivity rate has decreased to 7.36%.  We continue to be heading in the right direction, but gradually.

Invitation to dedication from Rev. Dr. Loretta Reynolds of the Campus Christian Center

Dear Berea Family,

We invite you to join us on October 21st at noon for the dedication service of the labyrinth and the new memorial sculpture.  The memorial sculpture provides a physical, tangible way for us to celebrate and remember students, faculty, and staff who die while they are studying or working here.  The names currently on the memorial go back to 2012, the beginning of President Roelofs’ presidency.  The memorial/labyrinth area will be used as a sacred gathering place for vigils, memorials, and individual quiet reflection.

Please join us for the dedication of this sacred space on October 21st at 12:00 pm.  The location is between Hutchins Library and the Rogers-Traylor Art building.

Vaccination policy at other colleges and universities

As of this morning, the Chronicle of Higher Education lists 1,069 schools that are requiring vaccination in the current term, an increase of 9 schools over last week.

Stay safe, get vaccinated, stay in touch,
Lyle Roelofs, President
Berea College