Dear Tuskegee University Alumni:
To fulfill our commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy campus environment for our students, we examine ongoing public health risks and adjust our protocols and practices where necessary, e.g., mask-wearing, physical distancing, and strictly curbing the number of campus visitors.
Today, I am announcing additional restrictive measures related to our COVID-19 response. Attendance at home games for all intercollegiate sporting events occurring this semester will be limited to currently enrolled students, faculty, staff, and a designated contingent group from visiting teams. This policy will include this year’s homecoming football game.
Alumni events traditionally held during home football games, including homecoming, will be conducted virtually. More details regarding homecoming will be announced in the upcoming weeks.
This is a difficult but necessary decision. In recent weeks, public health indicators in our region have become more troubling and are trending in a negative direction. The current positivity rate for COVID-19 cases in Alabama has risen to 22% in the past two weeks. Deaths have risen sharply, hospitals admissions have gone up, and the number of available ICU beds has been depleted statewide.
Maintaining a strong public health posture for the safety of our students and faculty is vital to our success this academic year, particularly as we monitor the climate unfolding around us. Keep in mind that the university has taken numerous steps to reopen the campus for in-person learning for this academic term.
The university recently opened a state-of-the-art COVID-19 testing facility, a certified vaccination clinic, and we have distributed PPE and other equipment to strengthen our protective stance against the spread of the virus. As a result, we have been able to keep our current campus positivity rate at 5.90% for the semester thus far, which is below the current federal and state case positivity rates. These measures allow us to provide as “normal” of a campus experience as possible for our students, faculty, and staff.
Thank you for supporting Tuskegee University as we manage through the pandemic for the good of the Tuskegee community. As our public health environment improves, I look forward to returning to our in-person activities for the entire Tuskegee community. Until then, I hope to see you at one of our online events this fall.
Sincerely,
Charlotte P. Morris
President
