A Message About COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

Dear members of the Emerson community:

While the health risk to our campuses from COVID-19 is low at this time, the pace at which the virus is spreading has understandably caused concern among members of our community in Boston, Los Angeles, and around the world. I have heard directly from concerned students, parents, faculty, and staff, and I would like to take this opportunity to inform all of you about the important work underway to prepare our community.

Precautionary measures taken by the College:

• In accordance with a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and out of an abundance of caution, students currently studying at Kasteel Well will return to Boston beginning this week so that they are able to complete their studies on our Boston campus. Plans are underway to bring students back by the end of this week; all Castle students will be guaranteed accommodations in our residence halls.
• The Office of Internationalization and Global Engagement has strongly advised all students and faculty (whether on the Boston, Los Angeles, or Netherlands campuses) against nonessential travel to China and South Korea as well as countries where there is a sustained community spread of COVID-19, including Italy, Iran, and Japan.
• We are undertaking a process to review and monitor our supply chain and ensure that critical vendors who regularly visit our campus are following appropriate safety procedures.
• We are putting into place contingency plans for critical operational areas in the College.

As individuals, all of us should continue to follow common-sense prevention measures that apply to any communicable virus. Please take a moment to review these preventative measures on the CDC’s website:

Students, faculty, and staff with individual concerns should reach out to the following offices:

• U.S. Students: Office of Campus Life: 617-824-8640, deanofcampuslife@emerson.edu, Jim Hoppe
• International Students: Office of International Student Affairs:  617-824-3598, andrea_popa@emerson.edu, Andrea Popa
• Faculty: Office of the Provost: 617-824-8265, michaele_whelan@emerson.edu, Michaele Whelan
• Staff: Office of Human Resources: 617-824-8580, hr@emerson.edu, Shari Stier
  

Please know that the College continues to monitor COVID-19, which is an unpredictable, changing situation, and we remain in close contact with local, regional, national, and global public health experts. College leadership are meeting daily to develop specific contingency plans as part of Emerson’s emergency response protocol, and we will communicate those plans and other pertinent information via email, on Emerson Today, and at www.emerson.edu/coronavirus.

Sincerely,
Lee Pelton

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