With the rise in COVID cases nationally and locally, Wittenberg’s COVID Response Team (CRT) announced today that Wittenberg will begin its spring semester remotely starting on Jan. 10, 2022.
Students will remain in their current off-campus residences during the first week of classes with the entire academic program being delivered remotely from Jan. 10-14. Students will then return to campus Jan. 14-16 before the Martin Luther King holiday. Residential students will receive an email from Wittenberg’s Residence Life with instructions for move-in.
All members of the community will also be tested before the start of the semester beginning with employees on Jan. 11. Residential students will be tested on arrival between Jan. 14-16. Information regarding the required COVID-19 tests will be sent to students and employees soon.
Wittenberg’s CRT has been meeting throughout the holiday break to monitor the situation. In light of omicron’s spread,the physicians on the team believe that by beginning the spring semester remotely, any infections stemming from holiday gatherings will be better contained. The employee testing and the student testing times will also allow Wittenberg to get a baseline on community infection rates prior to beginning in-person learning on Tuesday, January 18. The Office of Residence Life will also work with all students for whom this change may pose a travel-related issue at housing@wittenberg.edu.
The first weeks of the new semester will be a critical time for the Wittenberg community. Masking in all non-residential buildings and on-going vaccinations/boosters are essential in containing the spread of COVID-19 across the University. The CRT asks that everyone remain vigilant in adhering to all health and safety protocols and continue to remember the most vulnerable in the community.
As a reminder, Wittenberg is now requiring that everyone on the University’s vaccination pathway receive their booster as soon as they are eligible. Until eligible, Wittenberg may require that all vaccinated and non-vaccinated students and employees be tested weekly. More information on this expectation or any adjustments will be communicated prior to the start of the semester.
Any and all questions may be directed to covid@wittenberg.edu.
