Dear Students,

Spring is arriving, and the best part of the Spring 2021 semester awaits us, particularly when you return from Easter/Spring Break in a few weeks. Although we will have a Campus Arrival and Restriction Period (CARP) for the first week back on campus, we have so much to look forward to enjoying together as a community on the Evergreen campus. Easter truly will come with rejoicing this year.

CARP Update
We continue to implement CARPs in residence halls where we are seeing a concerning number of cases—or a concerning connection among those cases. These decisions are made in consultation with local health officials and our medical experts.

Bowman Hall: With 16 active cases among Bowman Hall residents, we are extending the CARP for residents of Thea Bowman Hall until Thursday, March 25, at 6 a.m., and we will retest all Bowman residents early next week.
Butler Hall: During the past week, 11 of the residents of Butler have tested positive. As a result, we are implementing a CARP beginning today, Friday, March 19, at 8 p.m., through Thursday, March 25, at 6 a.m. We will also test all Butler residents early next week.
Campion and Newman East: We concluded testing of the residents of Campion and Newman East today. After we have all the results, we will let the residents in those buildings know whether we need to extend the CARPs before 6 a.m. on Monday, March 22.

Just to clarify, since some students and parents have asked questions about this, when a student tests positive, that student immediately moves to isolation space outside their residence hall. Some members of our community thought students who tested positive were continuing to live in their residence halls and potentially exposing other students to COVID-19.

Students who live in residence halls that will be under CARP this week as Easter/Spring Break approaches do have the option to leave to go home if they are tested prior to leaving, email covidtesting@loyola.edu, and arrange with faculty individually to attend their classes remotely during that time. If you plan to return to campus prior to Sunday, April 4, you must show proof of a negative PCR test that was conducted within three days and sent to covidtesting@loyola.edu prior to your return to campus.

Update on In-person Instruction
After assessing the results of the tests of Campion and Newman East residents, the University will decide whether to continue all classes online early next week. That decision will be communicated prior to 6 a.m. on Monday, March 22.
 
Exceptions to CARP
We are changing the CARP guidelines slightly to allow for exceptions for students who have reached full vaccination status or recently tested positive for COVID-19. Students who have been fully vaccinated, including the two-week period after their final vaccine shot, and students who are within 90 days of having tested positive (but have been cleared from isolation) will be able to attend in-person classes, including labs; go to other in-person events, including Masses; and participate in athletic practices and competitions.

Once students reach day 91 after their positive COVID-19 test, they return to CARP (if their residence hall is in one) and the surveillance testing pool. Vaccinated students will remain in surveillance testing until further notice, per guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Students requesting an exemption should reach out to covidtesting@loyola.edu. Student Health Services (SHS) will review the request and respond within two business days. Until students have a confirmation from SHS, they should comply with all CARP guidelines. Anyone who tested positive through Loyola in the past 90 days does not need to submit a request for an exemption.

Easter/Spring Break
All students are welcome to stay on campus for the Easter/Spring Break, and we will conduct surveillance testing of students who stay on campus. All undergraduate students who are taking in-person classes will participate in CARP and testing during the week after Easter. All classes and events will be held online until everyone has been tested and the results have been assessed. All meals will be grab-and-go beginning on Easter Sunday evening. We expect to end the CARP during the weekend of April 10. We will communicate the end date and time that week. 

Conclusion
Today we celebrated Maryland Day at Loyola, marking the anniversary of the first Mass celebrated in the State of Maryland—by a Jesuit priest, Father Andrew White. Maryland Day offers a wonderful opportunity to reflect on what we appreciate most about being members of the Loyola community. It’s also a time when we consider all the excitement that lies ahead for the rest of the semester.

As we look ahead to the weekend, please continue to make safe and healthy decisions for yourself and our whole community.

Sincerely,

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