August 17, 2020 | UNCW Closely Monitoring Campus Conditions
This message is being sent by the Office of University Relations on behalf of Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli, Provost James J. Winebrake, and Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Brian Victor.
Dear Seahawk Community,
As you likely know by now, UNC Chapel Hill, one of our sister institutions in the UNC System, has decided to modify operations for the fall semester. This decision reflects conditions on their campus. Currently, 177 Chapel Hill students are in isolation and 349 are in quarantine, both on and off campus.
Although UNCW has not yet encountered similar circumstances on our campus, we understand this turn of events may cause concern for our faculty, staff and students, especially our residential students and their parents. We want to assure the Seahawk community that we are doing everything we can to monitor COVID-19 conditions at UNCW.
We are closely observing our campus for similar trends, and we are prepared to pivot to an online modality should conditions warrant. Most of our students moved into campus housing this past weekend, and our classes are scheduled to begin on Aug. 19. As outlined on our data dashboard, fewer than 10 positive cases were identified last week. As of today, only 10 of UNCW’s 150 quarantine spaces are being used; each one of those is for travel-related quarantine.
As UNC System President Peter Hans said, “The decision to adapt operations applies to UNC-Chapel Hill only because no other UNC System institution has reported information, at this time, that would lead to similar modifications. All students must continue to wear facial coverings and practice social distancing as part of their personal responsibility, particularly in off-campus settings. Taking personal responsibility and enforcing community standards are essential for the success of this semester and for protecting public health. Each campus is different, and I expect situations to evolve differently. In any circumstance, we will be grounded by reliable public health data and prevailing local health conditions. I will continue to stay in close contact with our chancellors and fully support their efforts to fulfill our core educational mission in safe learning environments.”
Seahawks, we need you to be vigilant in your efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Closely follow health and safety protocols outlined on our Best for the Nest website. Take the daily health assessment, and if you feel ill, contact coronavirus@uncw.edu for assistance and next steps. Students, you are the heart of our Seahawk community, and we implore you to practice the 3 Ws: wear face coverings, wait 6 feet apart in support of physical distancing, and wash your hands diligently. Avoid large gatherings, both on campus and off. Respect each other, respect our campus and respect the greater community that surrounds and supports UNCW. We know you are making good decisions to keep yourself and our community safe from this virus, and we ask you to be extra vigilant in helping your friends to do so when you see them stray from good practices. We encourage all students, faculty and staff to explore what it means to "be a safer Seahawk," both on and off campus, by enrolling in this online course.
Thank you for your continued attention to these important matters. Students, please share this message with your parents and families so that they will have the latest information from UNCW as well. As always, continue to monitor your campus inboxes, the UNCW website, the Best for the Nest site, and UNCW’s official social media channels for the latest COVID-19 information from the university.
