Dear Elmhurst University Community:
WE MADE IT! Tomorrow is the last day of classes, and finals begin next week, culminating in four graduation ceremonies. Back in August, many of us thought we wouldn’t get past the first two weeks. Look at us now. In one week, we will be saying goodbye to the 2020-2021 academic year and beginning a year-long celebration of our 150 years (sesquicentennial) as an institution of higher learning.
The Task Force would like to thank our faculty, staff, and students for their diligence, patience, and grace this past academic year. Collectively, we had to go with the flow on many occasions. “Pivoting” had to be one of the most frequently used words during the pandemic. Yes, we pivoted quite often. We are not sure what the future will bring, but we do hope that we will have to pivot less often.
The Task Force will keep the campus updated as new information is presented about the Bridge Phase and Phase 5. There is much to discuss moving forward, and we will do our very best to keep the campus informed.
Dr. Dean Pribbenow and I would like to thank the Task Force for their dedication and many insights over the past 15 months. It was definitely a team effort to get us to this point. As you depart campus for the summer, please stay healthy, get your vaccine if you have not done so, wear your mask, maintain physical distancing, and wash your hands often.
Testing:
- May 8, 2021: 42 individuals tested using the saliva test, 0 positives
- Saliva testing and PCR testing ended this week, except for athletes still in competition
- Elmhurst University has provided 9,812 tests for faculty, staff, and students
- Elmhurst University has received 272 reported positive cases of the virus from on-campus (59) and off-campus (213) testing since March 2020.
- To date, 247 students, 18 staff, and 7 faculty have tested positive since March 2020.
Alert Status:
- Elmhurst University remains in the Yellow Alert Level.
- The current positivity rate for DuPage County is 3.5%. This is a decrease from 4.4% last week.
- The current positivity rate for Elmhurst University is 0.0060. This is a very slight increase from 0.0059 last week.
Vaccines:
- 51.3% of the population in DuPage County has received a first vaccine dose. This is up from 49.46% last week.
- 42.1% of the population in DuPage County has received a second dose of the vaccine. This is up from 37.6% last week.
- The Task Force is requesting that as individuals become fully vaccinated, they submit their names to Phil Riordan and/or Dr. Dean Pribbenow. No further information is needed other than your name. This is not mandatory. We are trying to get some idea if people have been successful in getting the vaccine. Thank you to all who have submitted their names.
Today’s Inspirational Quote: “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” —Vivian Greene
Today’s Feel-Good Song: School’s Out, Alice Cooper
As always, please be safe and healthy. And let’s be kind to each other during these difficult times we live in.
Bluejay Proud,
The COVID-19 Task Force