As we begin the 2022‑23 academic year, our community is familiar with the guiding principles of our Healthy at Transy action plan, namely that we prioritize individual empowerment and community responsibility among our students, faculty and staff.
Throughout the COVID‑19 pandemic, our Healthy at Transy protocols have reflected federal, state and public health guidelines with emphasis on the current impact within our local and campus communities. Doing so has allowed us to create a safe campus experience for our students, employees and visitors.
Earlier this year, the guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control shifted from looking only at COVID incidence rates to a more holistic view of risk within a community. That guidance takes into account incidence rate, hospitalizations and hospital capacity. Our Healthy at Transy plan for 2022‑23 will inform the campus of changes in the community COVID level on a regular basis and, if necessary, will determine any additional mitigation measures.
Community COVID levels will be updated weekly on digital signage across campus and on the Healthy at Transy website.
Emphasizing individual empowerment and encouraging community responsibility, we ask students and employees to follow our updated Healthy at Transy guidelines for community COVID levels, as well as for quarantine and isolation and when to notify campus officials of a positive diagnosis. At any point these guidelines are updated by the CDC, Transylvania will follow the new guidance.
With regard to mask requirements on campus, any student or employee may choose to wear a mask anywhere on campus at any time for any reason and are encouraged to do so if they have a cold, other symptoms or a recent exposure to someone with COVID. We ask that our community be mindful of those who choose to wear a mask and those who choose to not wear a mask.
Under our Healthy at Transy guidelines, faculty, staff and students have the right to require others to continue mask use in their personal spaces, including classrooms, offices and residence hall rooms. We ask our community to respect the wishes of those who require others to use a mask in those spaces.