University Of Alaska Anchorage: Return To Campus Aug. 2

Press release from the University of Alaska Anchorage:

July 29, 2021

Dear Anchorage Campus Faculty and Staff,

I look forward to this coming Monday, Aug. 2, when the campus will open to all faculty,
staff and students. This is a moment to be celebrated after more than 16 months of
mostly remote work. It is also a time to remain vigilant about protecting ourselves,
each other and UAA against COVID-19.

Every team member in UAA leadership cares deeply about your health and safety. UAA
personnel have worked diligently these many months to ensure the health and safety
of all Seawolves and will continue to do so through this next transition. UA system
and UAA leadership all take into account CDC guidance and local conditions when establishing
and updating COVID-19 protocols. As you likely know, the CDC published new guidance
related to masking in indoor spaces, even for those already vaccinated, due to high
transmission rates of the delta variant.

In light of this, I, along with your UAA leadership, have been working closely with
members of our on-site campus operations team and consulting with members of our campus
community — including the Faculty Senate E-Board, staff, administrators, the USUAA
president, deans, directors and others — to address concerns about returning to campus
safely next week.

UAA, UAF and UAS have also been in discussions with UA President Pitney regarding
what this means for the system overall. I anticipate more information will be available
in the coming days regarding how the CDC’s guidance will impact campus operations.
Please stay tuned.

The good news is we are all learning how to adapt in the safest manner, and this is
part of our path to defeating the coronavirus.

Sincerely,Sean Parnell, UAA Chancellor

This press release was produced by the University of Alaska Anchorage. The views expressed here are the author’s own.