Dear All,

As we transition back to a fully in-person campus, I want to thank you in advance for your patience and commitment during what continues to be a challenging time. We have been asked to provide guidance surrounding masking use on campus, as we all come back to being together in offices, meetings, and events. Our guidance is based on the latest guidelines from the CDC for higher education and was articulated in Betsy’s memo to the campus on July 28. Please take a look, also, at the VassarTogether site for a full description of our protocols for Fall 2021.

The science at the moment tells us that the vaccines work well at preventing hospitalization and death from COVID-19. The CDC has said that, for highly vaccinated institutions of higher education, vaccinated individuals may be indoors without masks. Our vaccination policy creates for us at Vassar a very safe environment in which to work, meet and gather together, with close to 100% vaccination for the Fall semester.

Because Dutchess County is currently considered high risk, due to low vaccination rates, we encourage all of us to wear masks, practice safe distancing, and avoid large crowded locations whenever off campus.

Offices may request that visitors and employees wear a mask when entering. If your office chooses to do this, please make sure that signs are posted with masks available for those who may not have one. If your office needs masks to keep on hand, you may request them by submitting a ticket to Facilities.

Please continue to abide by masking protocols found on the VassarTogether site. Please also be mindful that a mask is not an indication of vaccination status. People may continue to mask if they are more comfortable doing so.

Additionally, we will be working to hold some of the College’s early large gatherings outside when possible, but some gatherings will be held indoors. If the public is invited to such a gathering, all those attending should mask. If the gathering is only attended by the Vassar community, masks are required for people who are unvaccinated and optional for people who are vaccinated.

Thank you again for your continued efforts to support our College community, including each other. Please feel free to reach out to Human Resources with any questions you may have at humanresources@vassar.edu or (845) 437-5820.

Warmest regards,

Carlos

Carlos L. García
Vice President for Technology and Human Resources
Chief Information Officer

Vassar College
(845) 437-7230