Dear Students,

What a wonderful week it has been as we are greeting students as they move into Loyola housing! I am deeply grateful to all our Loyola professionals who have worked so hard to make this a smooth, safe, and enthusiastic welcome. I also want to thank our students and their families, who took so many steps to make the transition happen so efficiently. 

If you haven’t moved in yet, I want you to know how much we look forward to seeing you. There is a marvelous energy as students settle into their new homes at Loyola.

Healthy Hounds
I encourage you to take steps to keep yourself—and our community—safe and healthy. Wear your face covering, commit to social distancing, wash your hands and disinfect surfaces, maintain healthy spaces, monitor your symptoms using the Campus Clear App, and commit to being a Healthy Hound by signing the Healthy Hounds pledge.

Two members of the Class of 2021 offer tips on how to do that in a new Stay Healthy, Hounds video that I hope you’ll watch and share with your friends.

COVID-19 Dashboard
We have launched our Loyola COVID-19 Dashboard, where you can review the latest information about COVID-19 within our community.

Non-traditional Classroom Locations
We have some new classroom location codes for our non-traditional spaces and modular classrooms.

As you look ahead to the start of in-person classes on Jan. 21, I encourage you to think about where your classes are and where you might go to take your online classes, so your day will go smoothly. With social distancing, it is important to consider that it might take a little longer to move around campus. I know we’ll all be patient with one another—and ourselves—as we adjust to these protocols.

Remote Learners
Some students will be joining us remotely for the semester, and we will make sure they have an excellent online experience and are involved, thriving members of our Loyola community. Students who have registered for remote learning will not be able to visit campus for the semester because they are not part of the protocols for students who are participating in in-person classes on campus. Use of campus facilities is limited to students who have elected to attend in-person classes. I think it’s important for you to be aware that you do not have access to visit friends or participate in a campus event or job if you are a remote student.

COVID Tests for Students in Non-Loyola Housing
All students who will be living off-campus in housing not operated by Loyola and attending classes on campus are required to submit a negative COVID-19 PCR test in order to receive clearance to return to campus.

That PCR test must be dated between Jan. 4 and Jan. 18 so you can be cleared to return to campus when in-person classes begin on Jan. 21. Once you have been tested for COVID, you are strongly encouraged to self-quarantine to allow for decreased risk for exposure prior to coming to campus.

Proof of your negative PCR test needs to be submitted through this Pre-return COVID-19 Testing Clearance Link. Please do not submit your proof directly to Student Health Services. As a reminder, this test needs to be a PCR test only. Rapid antigen tests will not be accepted. 

Conclusion
I want to share this video message to welcome you to a semester that I hope will be enjoyable and rewarding for each of you. I encourage you to make the most of this time. Try different activities, make new friends, get involved in events that are offered, even if they are virtual. You can begin next week, on the final day of the Campus Arrival Restriction Period (CARP), by attending our virtual annual Martin Luther King Convocation, which features author Ibram X. Kendi.

I look forward to seeing you very soon.

Sincerely,

Rev. Brian F. Linnane, S.J.
President