Dear Marquette community,
As you have likely seen, COVID-19 cases are rising across the country, including here in Wisconsin and in Milwaukee County. In our Avenues West neighborhood, the City of Milwaukee Health Department is reporting 48 new COVID-19 cases among 18- to 24-year-olds over the past two weeks, from June 23 – July 7. It is our responsibility — whether we are on campus or elsewhere — to follow a new social contract to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and protect each other, particularly the most vulnerable among us.
All Marquette faculty, staff and students are expected to follow these important health and safety measures:
- Face coverings required: When in shared or public areas of campus and in the presence of others, a cloth face covering must be worn.
- Physical distancing: Individuals should stay at least six feet apart when in a public or shared setting.
- Hand washing: Wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds, and use hand sanitizer when you are unable to wash your hands.
- Limitations on gatherings in homes and public venues: The university discourages in-person social gatherings and will enforce the City of Milwaukee’s current guidelines related to gatherings in homes or public venues, which limit gathering sizes to no more than 10 people. This applies to any student parties or gatherings, including those in on- or off-campus housing. The university is currently not hosting events on campus.
- Voluntary COVID-19 disclosure form: The university is asking faculty, staff and students to complete this form to voluntarily disclose whether they have been diagnosed with COVID-19, are presumed positive or are in self-quarantine. This is very important because the university is working with local health departments to conduct contact tracing and notifications.
Marquette is currently in Step 2 of our five-phase Recovery Plan. The university’s residence halls (with the exception of a small number of students who require housing), academic and co-curricular spaces, and recreational facilities remain closed to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. In addition, all undergraduate summer classes are taking place online.
We are developing on-campus testing capabilities, and have instituted symptom checking, contact tracing, de-densification measures in classrooms and residence halls, and training for faculty, staff and students to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
The campuswide COVID-19 Response Team continues to plan for a wide range of scenarios this fall, including having an academic instruction plan in place to pivot to distance learning at any point in the semester if necessary. We do not have all the answers, but we are all doing our best to ensure we establish the processes and resources necessary to plan for on-campus instruction while mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in our campus and broader communities.
Please put our Catholic, Jesuit mission into action by complying with the above health and safety measures out of respect, care and concern for your fellow students, faculty, staff and community members. We are all responsible for the health of our community.
Sincerely,
Dr. Xavier Cole
Vice President for Student Affairs
Chair of Marquette’s COVID-19 Response Team
Keli Wollmer
Executive Director of the Marquette University Medical Clinic