Western Connecticut State University has announced a ban on institutional out of state travel and large events on campus. The policy changes are a response to updated coronavirus guidance from Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut State Colleges and Universities President Mark Ojakian, following the second confirmed case of the virus in the Danbury area on Sunday. The new policies stand to make a significant impact on student life.
The update from WCSU announced that the university is “canceling all out-of-state athletic, academic and student club travel at least through spring break.” The language in President Ojakian’s letter to all CSCU institutions is stronger: there will be “an immediate freeze” to all institutional travel out of Connecticut “until further notice.”
The large events ban may impact the remainder of the season for VPAC. The Theatre Department has two upcoming shows, The Who’s Tommy from April 17-26, and Animal Farm running from May 8-10. Performance majors across disciplines have Convocation and recitals throughout the remainder of the semester. University representatives could not confirm or dismiss concerns about the event policy, the VPAC performance schedule, and the potential impact on performance major and class requirements at the time of the reporting, citing upcoming meetings with University Vice Presidents Dr. Keith Betts (Student Affairs) and Dr. Missy Alexander (Academic Affairs, Provost) on Monday.
The ban on institutional travel outside of Connecticut includes WestConn Athletics travel, preventing teams from competing in out-of-state away games for the remainder of the season if the ban stays in place after spring break. “We are still figuring out the effect on athletics and how we will deal with it,” said Paul Steinmetz, Director for University Relations and Community Relations. “We did decide, though, that whatever the consequences, it was better to protect student health.”
Also covered in the update is a request from the university for students, staff, and faculty to avoid travel out-of-state over spring break. Those who do leave the state “may be required to not return to campus and be directed to self-quarantine for 14 days.” Students traveling out of state have been asked to email Health Services to make them aware of their travel plans.
Asked if the University has a method to track student travel over the break, Steinmetz said: “No. We’re hoping most will self-report. We can’t regulate personal and private travel. We are hoping that taking steps to regulate university-sponsored travel will help to slow the rate of infection.”
When asked about the impact of the above guidance to commuters and residents who live out of state and spend spring break at home, Steinmetz told the Echo that “this message does not apply to people traveling to their homes.”
The full text of the update from WCSU and the directives shared by President Ojakian from CSCU are available on the Emergency Management site and embedded below.
If you’re a member of our campus community and have thoughts or concerns about these policies, please comment below or email us at echo@wcsu.edu – we’d like to hear from you.
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