Dear Tulane Parents,

Just when students are settling into a routine with their spring semester courses and other commitments, the celebration of Carnival in New Orleans can be a distraction. Encourage your students to stay on top of their assignments this month and use attending king cake parties and parades as breaks from studying--and not the other way around! It's important to maintain the momentum of their new year's and new semester's resolutions and progress toward their goals. They can register now to work on their career development goals over Spring Break. Look for the Tulane Takeover events article at the end of this issue for the details.

I hope you read Tuesday's email message * to parents from Vice President for Student Affairs Dusty Porter and Tulane University Police Department Chief Kirk Bouyelas about how to talk with your student about safety during Carnival season and the education, support and resources Tulane provides during this time. Two articles below provide additional information.

The first article addresses how Tulane is monitoring and implementing guidance from national, state and local health officials regarding novel coronavirus. Please be sure to read the information and linked answers to FAQs.

Warm regards,

We have an important message from Scott Tims, Assistant Vice President, Campus Health:

Dear Tulane Parents,

I'm writing to follow up my previous message sent on January 24, 2020, with an update on Tulane’s response to the novel coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China. Campus Health is working closely with many of the offices across campus, including Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response and the Schools of Medicine and Public Health and Tropical Medicine to monitor this evolving situation. There are currently no cases of the virus at Tulane or in New Orleans, and health officials continue to stress that the risk of infection in the U.S. remains low.

Campus Health has prepared a comprehensive FAQ to address questions from the campus community about novel coronavirus. We encourage you to read these FAQs and follow up with your healthcare provider if you have any questions.

Consistent with any influenza/flu outbreak, we must be prepared for the possibility that cases may be reported in New Orleans. Therefore, it is important to continue to take steps to reduce disease transmission, including frequent hand washing, covering of coughs and sneezes using a tissue or sleeve (not your hands), and staying home if you feel unwell. This is flu season in New Orleans and as is typical for this time of year, we have large number of students dealing with cold, flu, and sore throat.

Tulane University is monitoring and implementing all guidance from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, and local health officials. We are following all CDC infection Read more . . .