Renewed Commitment to Community Covenant of Care

Friends,

We’d like to welcome back those who are returning, and those who are joining us for the first time, for this spring semester of study.

As we prepare for this new semester of in-person learning on our Berrien Springs campus, I wanted to draw your attention to the Andrews University Community Covenant of Care. That Covenant will continue to guide how we gather together on our campus, and it speaks to what principles and practices are essential so that we can safely live, learn, worship, study, share meals and be together in community this new semester.

I strongly encourage you to review the entire Andrews University Community Covenant of Care online, but I also want to share the heart of that Covenant in this letter and invite your participation and full support of these measures designed to respond to the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic. As you review that Covenant, I also invite you to read and fully commit to the Statement of Shared Responsibility.

These guidelines, and our shared commitment to reducing the threat of COVID-19, are only more important and urgent at this moment as the world seeks to understand the risks connected with the much more easily transmitted UK COVID-19 variant (with another significant COVID-19 variant identified in South Africa). The UK variant, which while highly contagious does not appear to be more fatal than the original COVID-19 virus, has been found in some places in the United States.

As you study these documents online, these are the three key commitments at the heart of the Covenant:

1. CARE FOR MYSELF

• Conduct a daily health and exposure self-screening, taking body temperature and reporting any symptoms of COVID-19 to the #CampusClear app (such as a fever of 100.4 F/38 C or higher, dry cough, difficulty breathing, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, digestive symptoms, or loss of taste or smell) and contact with a probable or positive COVID-19 individual. If you don’t already have the #CampusClear app on your mobile device, download the Android version here and the Apple iOS version here.
• Be prepared to show your "good to go" green check mark upon request.
• Practice good hygiene by washing my hands often with soap and water, using hand sanitizer and coughing or sneezing into the bend of my arm or a tissue.
• Practice healthy habits to build my immune system (through proper diet, exercise, sleep hygiene, water intake, fresh air) and seek support and care for my mental health.

2. CARE FOR OTHERS

• Respect personal space and maintain appropriate physical distancing on and off campus (ideally, six feet/two meters or as directed by the University), especially in public indoor spaces and vehicles, as well as in occupied outdoor spaces.
• Wear an appropriate face covering as the University requires on campus as well as off campus.
• Stay home if I feel ill or after exposure to someone who is ill or has tested positive for COVID-19.

3. CARE FOR THE ANDREWS COMMUNITY

• Actively participate in cleaning and sanitizing shared common equipment and spaces.
• Actively participate in testing and contact tracing to preserve the wellness of the community.
• Carefully adhere to instructional signage and University directives.

While we still face the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic and its spread throughout the United States, this Covenant reminds us that we can face those threats and reduce them by our full commitment to the Community Covenant of Care and its Statement of Shared Responsibility.

We are glad you are here on our Berrien Springs campus as we prepare for this new semester, and we want to thank you for your understanding and sincere support of the Andrews University Community Covenant of Care.

Frances Faehner
Vice President for Campus & Student Life