December 23, 2020
Dear Spelman Students,
Spelman College and our partner Atlanta University Center Consortium member institutions are looking forward to welcoming groups of students back to our campuses this spring.
Like you, we are eager to resume our traditions, connections and commitment to each other. To prepare for the spring, we have taken some important steps to protect the health and safety of Spelman students and all AUC students, faculty and staff.
Implementing these changes will make it possible to resume some campus life safely.
Here’s what to expect:
Testing protocols: Getting a COVID-19 test enables us to identify the presence of infection and isolate that case for the safety of the community. You will need to take a COVID-19 PCR test 72 hours prior to moving in and another test after you arrive. There will also be additional testing during the semester.
Protecting yourself and others: We depend on you to do your part to protect yourself and others by wearing masks, washing and sanitizing your hands, and distancing yourself from others. You’ll be able to use a cell phone app to log how you feel every day and report symptoms. There will also be limits on the number of students for gatherings. We’ll need you to pledge to do your part.
Starting safe: Once you move in, there will be a five-day “Pause and Prepare” period during which time we will limit any gatherings and ask that, except for meals, you stay in your residence hall. This pause period enables us to make certain that there is no evidence of coronavirus in the residence halls. You can take this time to practice self-care, rest up and get ready for the semester.
New health facilities: You will have
access to a brand new, state-of-the-art health and wellness center right up the street to address your specialty health care needs. Faculty at the center are managed by our AUC colleagues at the Morehouse School of Medicine.
This spring, we are looking forward to continuing the Spelman sisterhood, a culture of caring in which we look out for one another. Everything outlined above is designed to enable us to protect each other as we protect ourselves.
We are confident that, as always, our AUC community will be a national model of excellence. We are also mindful that the evolving public health situation may lead us to change our approaches and requirements and we are counting on you to be flexible with us.
Let’s get ready for a semester to remember.
We will share more specifics about Spelman’s protocols after the first of the year.
Warmest regards,
