Dear Colleagues:
I am writing to update you on our classroom de-densification plan, which has been in place since the start of the fall semester. At this time, we believe that the pandemic environment in North Texas is beginning to improve and will continue to do so in the coming weeks. Further, our proactive testing program has shown that the incidence of active COVID-19 cases in our campus community remains very low, with a less than 1% positivity rate over almost 25,000 tests. Our daily health check and contact tracing programs have ensured that we are quickly able to detect and isolate possible COVID-19 cases.
As such, I am pleased to announce that following an extension of classroom de-densification through Friday, Oct. 1, we will resume full classroom density on Monday, Oct. 4.
Your cooperation in adhering to our plan and in following the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention makes our return to the full classroom experience possible. However, we must not let our guard down. We must continue to take the actions that we know will keep our campus safe for everyone: get vaccinated, wear face coverings indoors and practice good hygiene.
If you have not already done so, you are encouraged to get a COVID-19 vaccine and to register your vaccination status through our voluntary vaccine reporting form. Students can schedule an appointment to receive a vaccine at no cost through the Student Health Center. Students, faculty and staff are eligible for a $125 incentive when reporting their vaccination status through the end of the month.
I am very proud of our success in navigating the challenges that the current pandemic surge presented. Thank you for doing your part to safeguard our community, and thank you for being Comets United.
Sincerely,
Dr. Richard C. Benson
President
Eugene McDermott Distinguished University Chair of Leadership