Dear Kent State University Students, Faculty and Staff,
As we prepare for a lively, in-person fall semester, we continue to refine our health guidelines to ensure a safe start to the new academic year. Consistent with new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which recommends face coverings indoors for all, and considering the rapidly spreading delta variant, we are revising our guidance for face coverings. Beginning today, we strongly recommend face coverings be worn by both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals when interacting with others indoors.
Let’s do all we can to ensure a safe start to the fall semester by wearing a face covering when you are indoors and around others. If you are working alone in an office setting, you do not need to wear a face covering, and instructors who are in a classroom actively teaching may choose not to wear a face covering.
As part of Kent State’s COVID-19 prevention plan, our academic buildings on all campuses have needlepoint bipolar ionization units to enhance air purification and filtration. This technology has been proven to purify indoor air by reducing airborne particles, odors and pathogens as well as inactivating up to 99.4% of the COVID-19 virus. In addition to classroom spaces, this technology has been installed in student rooms, dining facilities, athletic facilities, elevator cabs of five stops or more, and other locations.
Remember, the best way to put Flashes Take Care of Flashes into practice is to get vaccinated against COVID-19. We strongly recommend all members of our university community get vaccinated. The COVID-19 vaccine is the single most effective way to protect our community and return to normal interaction.
COVID-19 vaccines are available at no cost to all members of the Kent State community and their families at the DeWeese Health Center on the Kent Campus. University Health Services offers vaccines Monday through Friday, at varying hours between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Use this link to schedule an appointment, call the health center at 330-672-2322 to schedule an appointment or visit the state’s vaccination portal to find another vaccination location near you. Remember, you are not fully vaccinated until two weeks after your final dose of the vaccine.
As always, if you are feeling any symptoms of COVID-19, please stay home. COVID-19 symptoms may resemble those of the common cold or allergies. Employees showing symptoms of COVID-19 should leave work immediately and seek medical evaluation by calling their primary care physician, the DeWeese Health Center at 330-672-2525 or their local urgent care center. Students showing COVID-19 symptoms should isolate themselves from others immediately and seek medical evaluation by calling the DeWeese Health Center at 330-672-2525 or their primary care physician.
We appreciate your understanding and flexibility as the state of the pandemic continues to evolve. Please continue to demonstrate how Flashes Take Care of Flashes by following the Flashes Safe Eight safety principles.
Fall semester is right around the corner. We look forward to being together on our campuses once again!
Sincerely,
Manfred van Dulmen, Ph.D.
Associate Provost for Academic Affairs
Dean, Division of Graduate Studies
Chair, Pandemic Leadership Committee