Delay of In-Person Classes and On-Campus Work Until February 7, 2022

Dear Lewis & Clark Community,

Since our January 7, 2022, message to you with updates on our plans related to Omicron, we have welcomed some students and employees back to our campuses and have carefully tracked what is happening at other institutions. Based on the positivity rate that we are seeing in our own community and the experiences of our peers, we have decided to delay the start of in-person classes on all three campuses until Monday, February 7, 2022. Residential students now have the flexibility to return to campus as late as Wednesday, February 2, 2022, in order to be back in time for an entry testing clinic on Thursday, February 3, 2022.

This delay also applies to most employees. Employees should continue to work remotely to the degree possible until February 7, 2022, at which point most will return to the schedule they had prior to winter break. Employees and contracted staff who need to be on campus working prior to January 22, and who expect to have social contact, should still plan to attend the on-campus entry testing clinics on January 12 and 13; see this link for directions and sign-up details. Other employees do not need to attend this week’s testing clinics.

There are numerous details that still need to be worked out and shared with you. For today, we wanted to get you the new in-person start date in a timely manner. You can expect a much more detailed communication by the end of the week that we hope will answer your most pressing questions about the new in-person start date.

Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we work to keep our community safe and get back to campus as soon and as safely as possible. We are committed to getting back to in-person instruction and to learning and working in our community together.

Sincerely,
Executive Council