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We have now completed the second week of our phased, gradual return to campuses and the District Office. There is a sense of routine taking hold. For many, this return to routine brings comfort alongside renewed energy in various areas of scholarship, enrollment, and open-access opportunity.
Yet, I commit to you that we are not ignoring current events. The trustees and I are still very concerned about new developments in the COVID-19 crisis, and we are considering multiple ways – including new steps on face coverings and vaccines – to keep our students, faculty, staff, and managers safe.
When dealing with human behavior, the benefit of any action really relies on two parts: effectiveness and enforceability. We want the actions proposed to make a meaningful difference in the course of the pandemic. Additionally, we want mechanisms in place to ensure that everyone follows the same rules.
Without effectiveness and enforceability, we risk a false sense of security. As exhausting as constant vigilance may be, complacency is not a viable option during a deadly pandemic. This is why we are carefully considering our path in the Coast District while continuing to strongly recommend masking and vaccination in the meantime.
Until this pandemic is over, all reasonable options remain under consideration. This pandemic remains a crisis, and we must continue to treat it as such.
Be well,
John
John Weispfenning, Ph.D.
Chancellor
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