This update from the Ready & Resilient Committee offers details about the mask policy during Commencement ceremonies and other information.
Dear Members of the Elon Community,
We end the semester on a positive note! On the last day of undergraduate finals, we have 0 active cases of COVID-19 and 0 students, staff, or faculty in quarantine or isolation. As of today, more than 83 percent of undergraduates and more than 81 percent of all students, faculty, and staff have received at least one dose of the vaccine. We cannot thank you enough for your commitment to this community all year long.
Indoor Mask Policy Remains in Place
During this transition period, and particularly as we welcome to campus more than 12,000 Commencement guests from all over the world, the University will continue to require masks indoors. This includes indoor Commencement venues and all other indoor public spaces.
Commencement Policies
Please note the following as we celebrate Commencement events this week.
- Masks are required inside all buildings at Elon and at all indoor Commencement events.
- Those who are vaccinated may remove masks outdoors.
- Graduates at all Commencement ceremonies may remove their masks as they cross the stage, accept their diplomas and have their photograph taken by the professional photographer. They should put their masks back on when returning to their seats.
- Commencement speakers may remove their masks at the microphone.
- Because many people are not yet vaccinated or have health considerations, please be respectful of physical distancing and understand there are many reasons individuals choose to continue to wear masks outdoors and in other situations.
Alert Level and Dashboard
Elon’s current alert level remains at “Level 1 – Moderate Alert.” We anticipate lowering the level to Normal Operations on Monday, May 24 and sharing information regarding upcoming changes to campus mask and distancing policies, reflecting recent announcements from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the state of North Carolina. The COVID-19 Dashboard will be updated daily through this Friday, May 21. The dashboard will be available for archival purposes, but new data will not be tracked throughout the summer. We will update the university community later this summer about how we will track and report pandemic data during fall semester.
Thank you again, and we wish you a healthy and restful summer.
The Ready & Resilient Committee
- Jeff Stein, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Assistant Professor of English (Chair)
- Dan Anderson, Vice President of University Communications
- Ginette Archinal, Medical Director of Student Health and University Physician
- MarQuita Barker, Assistant Dean of Campus Life and Director of Residence Life
- John Barnhill, Associate Vice President for University Advancement
- Tom Flood, Assistant Vice President of Physical Plant
- Jason Husser, Associate Professor of Political Science and Policy Studies, and Director of the Elon Poll (Academic Council Representative)
- Deandra Little, Assistant Provost, Director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and Professor of English
- Paul Miller, Assistant Provost for Academic Operations and Communications and Professor of Exercise Science
- Kelly Reimer, Director of Teaching and Learning Technologies (Staff Council Representative)
- Carrie Ryan, Director of Auxiliary Services
- Kelli Shuman, Associate Vice President for Human Resources & Chief Human Resources Officer
- Gabie Smith, Dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Psychology
- Mary Southern, Project Manager for Provost and Academic Affairs Operations (Project Manager)
- Mike Ward, Deputy Director of Athletics
- Randy Williams, Vice President and Associate Provost for Inclusive Excellence and Assistant Professor of Education