Dear Yale Students,
We’ve given you a lot to read regarding COVID-19, so we will get right to the point with this message, which may be the most important one we send.
Please don’t party on campus or in town this fall. For the good of the Yale community. For the good of our beloved home city.
Or, more formally:
No student in the New Haven area, whether enrolled, withdrawn, or on a leave of absence, may host, invite others to, or attend a party with more than 10 people, whether on or off campus. Yale is prepared to enforce this policy with disciplinary action if necessary.
In addition, as a reminder, at any gatherings, everyone must wear face-coverings and maintain 6-foot distancing; in some spaces, even 10 people will be too many.
Please talk with friends and classmates about how to socialize responsibly. If you learn of an event that raises concerns, tell a responsible person in your school or residential college.
We’ve seen universities across the country have to reverse course for a simple, preventable reason: students partied, and people got sick. By not having parties (and by wearing our masks and social distancing), we are doing our part to keep others healthy. It’s a great way to show respect to those who make Yale, Yale—both across campus and across town.
This message and protocol apply to every Yale student—undergraduate, graduate, or professional—who will be living in or visiting New Haven. Some of you have enrolled in the Fall term, some of you are withdrawn, and some of you are taking a leave of absence. Regardless of their current status, all members of our community have responsibilities to one another.
We know from talking to many of you that you share our concern, commitment—and optimism. We’re grateful that Yale College Council President Kahlil Greene and Graduate Student Assembly Chair Meaghan McGeary were kind enough to record a very brief video with their thoughts on this issue.
Thanks very much for reading this—and, we hope, for listening to Meaghan and Kahlil. We are extremely excited to be able to have an on-campus experience this year. Let’s do ourselves proud.
We wish you all a great start to the year!
Sincerely,
Peter Salovey, President
Scott Strobel, Provost
Marvin Chun, Dean, Yale College
Deborah Berke, Dean, School of Architecture
Robert Blocker, Dean, School of Music
Jeffrey Brock, Dean, School of Engineering & Applied Science
Nancy Brown, Dean, School of Medicine
James Bundy, Dean, School of Drama
Indy Burke, Dean, School of the Environment
Kerwin Charles, Dean, School of Management
Lynn Cooley, Dean, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
Tamar Gendler, Dean, Faculty of Arts & Sciences
Heather Gerken, Dean, Law School
Ann Kurth, Dean, School of Nursing
Marta Kuzma, Dean, School of Art
Greg Sterling, Dean, Divinity School
Sten Vermund, Dean, School of Public Health