Dear students and faculty members,

While it’s not the start to the semester we may have been expecting, it is great to see the people on the quad and around campus and to be able to stop and chat. I’ve missed that. Although we’re no longer physically distancing ourselves, the Delta variant of COVID-19 has required us to put our masks back on. Further than that, as I’m sure you are all aware, all Rochester faculty, staff, and students (who do not have a medical or religious exemption) are now required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

For those who are unhappy with the current conditions, everything we do in response to COVID-19 is based on keeping people safe and healthy. If the risk of spread changes, so will our response. The health of this community remains our primary concern. We owe our students a debt of gratitude, as they are in 100 percent compliance with the vaccine requirements. Thank you for doing your part to keep us safe. To the students looking to do even more, consider taking—and sharing—the COVID-19 Commitment. I would also like to thank the faculty and staff members who have received their vaccines; we’re hoping to have full compliance here, too, by the end of the month.

Another example of mitigating risk is the unfortunate cancellation of the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Sloan Performing Arts Center. The center’s completion is deserving of a proper celebration, and this just isn’t the right time. However, that doesn’t mean we won’t be making use of this new wonderful facility. If you haven’t already, head over to check out the beautiful 60-foot-long dandelion mosaic by artist Jay Yan.

In addition to the performance space, this semester we’re welcoming new faculty members in departments that include the brain and cognitive sciences, chemistry, Earth and environmental sciences, and English. You can “meet” them here. And on September 9, we launched the Sawyer Seminar, a series of lectures, workshops, and other events that are funded by the Mellon Foundation. If you missed the opening, “Unbordering Migration: Causes, Experiences, Identities,” the next lecture will be held on September 23—Serena Parekh, a professor of philosophy at Northeastern University, will discuss the global refugee crisis.

To close the loop on COVID’s continued presence on campus, I’d like to offer a thought I shared with our first-year students at an orientation event. Some of the work we do is undoubtedly easier when we can do it in close proximity to each other. But being here is about more than being in the same rooms; it’s about being in the same place—Rochester. We’re all having similar experiences, pursuing similar goals, and working through similar challenges whether it’s on the River Campus or over Zoom. We’re doing it as one University community. We’re all in this together. Remember it. Embrace it. Enjoy it.

Meliora!

Gloria Culver
Dean
School of Arts & Sciences