Dear Thornton Students:
Happy New Year to each of you. I hope your holidays were filled with joy and time with loved ones. I look forward to welcoming you all back to campus sometime soon.
The start of the new year coincides with a challenging phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I write to you with updated plans. As the Provost announced on Friday, January 7, the remote start to the Spring 2022 semester has now been extended. In-person instruction is set to begin on Monday, January 24.
We remain hopeful that this start date will not need to be extended any further. Still, we have learned that flexibility is the key to our success and we will continue to monitor this fluid situation. Our goal, as always, is the safety of the Thornton community while we look to provide our instruction in the least disruptive manner possible. In that spirit, I write with details about the start of the Spring 2022 semester.
NEW GUIDELINES FOR SPRING 2022 RESTART
Remote Teaching Period
As has been communicated, classes will begin on January 10 as scheduled, but the first two weeks of classes will be conducted remotely. It is anticipated that in-person teaching will commence on January 24. All in-person gatherings, such as orientation sessions, meetings, and the like will be postponed or held remotely until January 24.
Trojan Check
Be sure that you are fully set up on Trojan Check and give yourself ample time to complete your wellness assessment before attempting to enter campus.
New Mask Regulations & Booster Compliance
Be sure that you are fully aware of the changes to campus-wide masking requirements and booster compliance. These changes were detailed in memos to the campus community on December 28 and January 5. Students and visitors entering the campus without a compliant mask will be supplied with one at entry points to the campus. Students residing on campus will also be receiving a supply of compliant masks.
Quarantine and Isolation Guidelines
Quarantine and Isolation Guidelines have also changed, both for those who have been exposed to someone with COVID, and for those who test positive for COVID. Please familiarize yourself with this Isolation Quarantine Chart for important details for each scenario.
Guidelines for Practicing and Other Activities
Until January 24, only individual activities are allowed in Thornton facilities. We encourage individual practicing, individual recording sessions, and broadcasting from rooms for lessons, so long as only one person is in the room. Beginning January 24, all of the Practicing and Rehearsing Guidelinesthat had been in effect during Fall 2021 will be reinstated for the remainder of the Spring 2022 semester.
I thank you for your continued understanding and support. We will get through this together.
Gratefully,
Robert Cutietta, Dean
And your Restart Team:
Jeffrey de Caen, Associate Dean for Operations
Joanna Demers, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
Brian Head, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Susan Lopez, Associate Dean for Administration and Finance
Phil Placenti, Associate Dean for Admission and Student Affairs