April 16, 2021

To the Dartmouth community,

We are encouraged to see the steady increase in the number of vaccinated people across the country and around the globe. To date, NPR reports that more than 198 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered throughout the U.S., fully vaccinating over 78 million people--more than 23% of the U.S. population. In New Hampshire, Gov. Sununu announced last week that beginning April 19, everyone age 16 or older will be eligible to receive a vaccine in the state regardless of where they reside. This is welcome news for us, our students, and their families, and we know it will create a safer campus.

NEW VACCINATION REQUIREMENT

Even with the federal government's decision to pause the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, overall availability continues to expand. In light of the increased access and the proven public health benefits, Provost Joseph Helble announced on Wednesday that Dartmouth will require all students--undergraduate and graduate--who will be on campus in September to be fully vaccinated with an FDA-approved vaccine. We understand that not everyone would like to receive a vaccine, and we will offer medical and religious exemptions. (Dartmouth Health Service will manage the exemption process, as they do for other vaccines.) The high transmission risk associated with congregate living on campus makes mandatory vaccinations prudent and in the best interest of our campus and Upper Valley communities. Students may choose to be vaccinated at home or after arrival on campus. Students who have already been vaccinated should forward documentation of their completed vaccination to medical.records@dartmouth.edu (thank you to those who have already done so). FDA-approved vaccines include the Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

We also strongly urge all faculty and staff who can be vaccinated to do so. Mass vaccination is critical for us to return to a normal campus experience. Without adequate herd immunity--estimated at this time by medical experts to be between 70 and 90% of the population--we cannot open up fully for fall, provide in-person classes, offer a full range of events and activities, allow people to eat together, and facilitate the research and collaboration that are hallmarks of a Dartmouth education. All employees are eligible to take time off to get their vaccine. We anticipate being able to offer vaccine clinics on campus in partnership with the state beginning the week of May 3 and will share additional information about that opportunity shortly. In the meantime, we encourage unvaccinated people to continue to pursue whatever vaccine resources are available to them.

INCREASED ACCESS TO ON-CAMPUS LOCATIONS

We will continue to reopen our facilities and spaces as vaccinations increase, and public health and safety permit. As Provost Helble shared, the running track at Memorial Field and outdoor tennis courts (the Topliff courts at Alumni Gym and those at Sachem Village) are now available for use by students approved for on-campus access, and for approved faculty, and staff. Non-enrolled undergraduate students who are employed in the Upper Valley community this summer and those working on research under the guidance of a faculty sponsor may also enter campus facilities as long as they continue to complete the daily temperature and self-assessment (TSA) screening and participate in regular COVID-19 surveillance testing.

TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS EASED

We are pleased that beginning April 19, there will be changes to Dartmouth-sponsored travel.

*** Sponsored travel will be unrestricted within the U.S. for all vaccinated faculty, staff, and students.

*** Sponsored travel within New England is also unrestricted for individuals who are unvaccinated; however, they must apply for a travel exception to participate in Dartmouth-sponsored travel outside of New England and will need to quarantine before returning to campus.

*** For health and safety reasons and to facilitate support during emergencies, all Dartmouth-sponsored travelers are required to enter domestic travel outside of New England into Dartmouth's updated travel registry. Further information is available at https://global.dartmouth.edu/travel-registry-waivers-exception-resources/travel-registry-and-exception.

*** Currently, all international Dartmouth-sponsored travel still requires a travel exception. Unfortunately, we must continue to discourage all non-essential travel for everyone regardless of vaccination status; when people are on the move, so is the virus, and we are committed to reducing disease transmission within our community. More information regarding travel policies can be found at https://covid.dartmouth.edu/travel#travel-exceptions.

Because of the prevalence of the more contagious B117 coronavirus variant and evidence that contracting the virus is still possible even after vaccination, it remains critical that we continue to wear masks whenever we are around others, observe physical distancing, maintain good handwashing hygiene, and avoid large gatherings.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we begin to implement changes that we have all been hoping for and which will move us toward a more open campus this fall. We are eager to welcome you home.

Sincerely,

Lisa V. Adams
Josh Keniston
Dartmouth COVID-19 Task Force Co-chairs