This email was sent to neighbors on August 6 from Clay Adams, Associate Dean of Students
Dear Neighbors,
We hope that this email finds you healthy and well. Today I am writing to our surrounding neighborhood association leaders to acknowledge the beginning of our upcoming 2020-2021 academic year. Normally, I write to acknowledge the energy of move-in day, traffic impacts, and share upcoming large-scale orientation programs. I still write to express our excitement for the coming academic year, but the process for move-in, orientation, and campus expectations will look significantly different this year.
In order to promote a safe and healthy environment for students and campus staff, incoming and returning undergraduate students will experience a phased return to Durham and campus, with our official move-in process for undergraduate students running from Thursday, August 6, through Saturday, August 15. Please note you may see additional traffic around campus during this time period. The normal orientation events that produce amplified sound will not be occurring this year, as almost all programming will be done virtually. For more information about new student orientation please visit the following:
https://studentaffairs.duke.edu/new-students/orientation/first-year-orientation
We have heard some concerns about how the return of students could impact the community and want you to know that Duke takes these concerns very seriously. The institution worked closely with city and local health officials in developing the plans for resuming educational operations this fall, and developed a number of new policies and programs to support community health measures. To that end, I want to make you aware of the Duke Compact, which outlines the commitment all members of the Duke community make to one another and to our neighbors and community. The Duke Compact is rooted in our shared values and emphasizes our collective responsibility to wear face coverings in all public spaces, maintain distance of at least six feet from others, wash hands frequently and monitor symptoms daily, in addition to adhering to local and state ordinances to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including avoiding large gatherings.
There are also additional expectations for students, whether they live on- or off-campus, and these include special provisions limiting the size of gatherings, both indoor and outdoor, to ten people. Students must acknowledge, attest, and adhere to their individual school’s COVID-19 Policy Plans.
If you have any questions or concerns or observe students whose behavior does not adhere to these policies, please call 800-826-8109, option 3, the Duke “Speak Up” reporting line, or email conduct@duke.edu, which goes to the Office of Student Conduct in the Division of Student Affairs. Submissions by phone and email will be sent to the appropriate department for follow up.
Warmly,
Clay