March 17, 2021 – Faculty Return to Campus Update
COVID-19 public dashboard update
The COVID-19 asymptomatic positive rate for the week of March 7–13 is 0.28 percent, an increase from the previous week. The Vanderbilt community is strongly encouraged to remain vigilant in following all safety protocols. We continue to conduct contact tracing for each positive case to determine close contacts and to monitor areas of concern.
Summer session details announced
Last week the university announced details about its 2021 summer session, including information regarding online courses, experiential learning, in-person research and residential housing. Some highlights from this announcement include:
- All summer sessions for undergraduate and graduate students, including Maymester, will be offered online only.
- Information about summer sessions for professional students will be announced by the respective schools in the coming weeks.
- Undergraduate students participating in faculty-directed experiential learning and/or in-person research, such as through Immersion Vanderbilt or the Vanderbilt Undergraduate Summer Research Program, will be able to work and live on campus.
- Vanderbilt will not offer Maymester courses that involve travel, nor will study abroad programs through the Global Education Office be available.
- For undergrads not participating in faculty-led experiential learning or in-person research, residence halls will close for the summer at the following times:
- Wednesday, May 12, at 9 a.m. for nongraduating students
- Sunday, May 16, at 1 p.m. for graduating students
- Undergraduate students with verified special circumstances will be eligible to remain on campus during the summer.
- Complete information about the 2021 summer session can be found in the March 12 announcement.
Health and safety protocols to continue through summer 2021
Despite the encouraging progress being made to address the global COVID-19 pandemic, we must remain vigilant and continue to follow all protocols to help protect the health and safety of not only our campus, but also the Nashville community—especially the most vulnerable populations—as much as possible.
Health and safety protocols remain in effect for all groups, regardless of vaccination status, as we continue to be guided by the latest scientific research and data-driven evidence.
All Vanderbilt students as well as non-Vanderbilt students or volunteers participating in faculty-led experiential learning or research on campus this summer will be required to participate in the university’s mandatory asymptomatic COVID-19 testing and contact tracing programs and submit a signed acknowledgment form.
Students will be expected to continue safety protocols, including wearing face masks/coverings and maintaining physical distance.
Visit the Return to Campus website for the latest updates about Vanderbilt’s pandemic response and protocols.