Dear Carleton students,
This is a challenging and confusing time, and I remain grateful for your thoughtfulness and patience. This pandemic has impacted our lives in immeasurable ways. You may still have unanswered questions; please continue to send them along. The COVID-19 FAQ website is updated as soon as new information is available.
About 260 students will make campus their home from spring break through the first four weeks of Spring Term. Your health and safety remain one of Carleton’s priorities, and as part of our shared goal of limiting the exposure of COVID-19, here are some guidelines you should follow:
- Remain on campus or in the immediate Northfield community,
- do not bring any visitors to Carleton, and
- practice social distancing, self-quarantine, and self-isolation, as necessary.
You are likely wondering how social distancing can be facilitated on our campus. We are making changes to our services and facilities in a shared effort to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Among the recent changes the College has made for spring break (through April 5) are:
- The Rec Center is closed as of 12 p.m. today, Wednesday, March 18.
- Gould Library will close beginning Thursday, March 19. Library staff will continue to be available to you by email.
- All campus buildings will be locked and accessible only by OneCard, limiting our campus presence to faculty, staff, and students who have been permitted to stay.
- Dining hours will be limited in Sayles Cafe and Burton Dining Hall.
Finally, as an added service, Student Health and Counseling is moving to telehealth visits for students living on campus for spring break. These medical and counseling video sessions will take place during the hours of 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. Psychiatry telehealth will be available on Mondays and Tuesdays. All telehealth sessions will begin on Monday, March 23. Please contact SHAC via secure message to request an appointment. If you need assistance this week, please call 507-222-4080 or contact SHAC via secure message on the MySHAC portal. 24/7/365 phone counseling continues to be available for all Carleton students by calling 855-705-2479.
As we receive new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, the federal government, and the Minnesota Department of Health, sometimes the decisions we share with you may differ from an earlier message. Updates are highlighted in the FAQs for Students page on Carleton’s COVID-19 website. Please consider this site a central resource.
Take good care of yourselves, and let my office know if you need help. We will get through this together.
Sincerely,
Dean Livingston