President Wippman’s Writings & Remarks

Beginning Hamilton’s 210th Year

August 26, 2021

Tags Public Statements

Dear Colleagues,

As we begin Hamilton’s 210th year, I want to thank you all again for the extraordinary work you do to support our students and our educational mission. Never has your commitment to the College been more visible and appreciated than during the past 18 months.

As you know, we are not out of the COVID woods yet, but I remain confident in our ability to deliver safely the education and campus experience that make Hamilton such a special place. Our current COVID-protection measures include near-universal vaccination, masks indoors, arrival testing, weekly surveillance testing, enhanced air filtration and air exchange in campus buildings, and contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine as needed.

We have restarted the campus COVID dashboard so that anyone who is interested can follow our case numbers. As you will see, we have conducted 2575 student tests and 663 employee tests since August 15. With the exception of two asymptomatic student positives early in our arrival testing, all of these tests have come back negative, although a small number of employees have tested positive in off-campus, third-party tests. Even with these cases factored in, our numbers so far do not suggest a need for additional COVID restrictions.

If our weekly testing, changes in local conditions, or new public health guidance indicate a need to adopt more stringent precautions, we will act promptly. You can find on the operating status grid the factors the COVD-19 Task Force will consider in deciding whether to shift from one status to another.

We understand that the uncertainties surrounding this pandemic are creating stress for everyone, as they did last year, but I know that working together we can have another highly successful year.

David