Dear Bereans,

This is the update for Wednesday, March 1, 2023.  (It’s the first COVID update since November 22, 2022, exactly 99 days ago.  At COVID-19 day 1088, we are just 13 days from completing COVID-19 YEAR 3.)

I’ve chosen to send this update, because today I have an important policy decision to report.

As you know from prior emails, the Administrative Committee invited campus community input regarding our student vaccination policy for Fall 2023.  I am happy to report that we received quite a number of responses from students, staff and faculty; a total of 105 as of the deadline of last Friday.  You will not be surprised that not everyone agrees on the question of whether COVID-19 vaccination should be mandatory for students or just strongly recommended.  Of those 105 responses, 40 supported continuing with requirements, while 61 urged changing to strongly recommended.  (The other four gave responses that did not clearly express a preference for one or the other choice. Interestingly, quite a number of the 40 faculty and staff who preferred staying with the required policy also indicated that they thought the vaccination requirement should be extended to all employees as well.)

The AC examined all the anonymized input carefully, and, after consideration, decided that for Fall 2023, Berea College would move to a policy of “strongly recommended, but not required,” thereby agreeing with the majority of respondents, and as well with almost all other colleges and universities in Kentucky.  So, to be clear, for the Fall 2023 term:

1. We will move to strongly encouraged as opposed to required vaccinations for students.
2. We will treat COVID vaccination like flu vaccination and no longer collect the COVID vaccination status of students.
3. In order to reduce the probability of outbreaks, we will still expect all symptomatic students and employees to test for COVID and to quarantine in the case of positive results.  (Students should note that quarantine space on campus will be limited.  Since vaccination reduces the likelihood of getting COVID, this represents a significant incentive for being fully up to date with vaccinations.)
4. We will arrange for the purchase of masks to make available to students so that faculty, labor supervisors, and others could still request that spaces under their responsibility operate with an expectation of masking.
5. And finally, as usual, we will need to reserve the right to alter the policy should conditions change significantly.

The COVID policies web page will be updated accordingly.

Next I’ll provide some of the usual information you are accustomed to from prior reports.

Quarantine update

Numbers of cases on campus have been under good control over the last weeks and months.  As of today we have two students in quarantine, one on campus and the other off.  Among on-campus workers, and we now have only one employee quarantining with a positive test.  That individual works in Knapp Hall.

COVID-19 Community Level

For most of the past 99 days, Madison County has been in the “Green” COVID community level, and some overall improvement in Kentucky seems apparent from the maps, which are released by the CDC each Friday.  Last Friday, Madison County actually moved into the “Yellow” COVID community level.  (The current state map is below.)

Kentucky update

The situation in the Commonwealth has been fairly stable over the last couple of months, with some gradual overall improvement.  Last November, I reported that we were averaging about 5000 new cases per week in the Commonwealth, and it has decreased to something close to 4000 per week now.   The number of deaths in the state had dropped to about seven per day, last November, but it has been gradually increasing and now amounts to about twice that every day.  I am not sure what it means that the death rate is increasing while the number of cases is decreasing; decreased reporting of cases might be the explanation, or perhaps the virulence is increasing, or perhaps both.

I know I am a little early, but I do wish everyone an enjoyable Spring Break.

Stay safe, stay connected,
Lyle Roelofs, President
Berea College