Changing College guidelines regarding COVID, July 2021

Dear Colleagues and Students,

As we prepare to welcome more students and employees to our campuses in the coming months, we are carefully considering the safety protocols that will protect our community, while creating a respectful and inclusive campus environment.

During the pandemic, we have worked to follow guidance and requirements from the State of Michigan, the Centers for Disease Control, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, and the Wayne County Health Department. Much of our country and state are opening up and removing previous restrictions. And guidance from the government and health experts is evolving.

College campuses are approaching the Fall semester in very different ways. There is no single standard of best practices. Our approach and goal at HFC will always be to create a safe environment to deliver our curricula, while also being respectful and welcoming.

To accomplish this difficult analysis and implement appropriate measures over the last 16 months, we have been well served by gathering input and information from a diverse group of experts and stakeholders, as seen in our Return-to-Campus Core Team and its various subcommittees. This team of teams has informed the Cabinet, the President’s Office, and the Board of Trustees in developing and implementing our plans during the pandemic. We will continue to use this decision-making process going forward.

Vaccinations

Public health experts have stated that getting vaccinated is one way to protect each other and help make our community safer. We recognize that there are differing views on the COVID vaccine, and that some people are hesitant. If you are hesitant, talk to a trusted health care provider. We encourage you to protect yourself and others by getting vaccinated. Public health experts have stated that the three widely available vaccines are safe and effective. Here is more information about how to get vaccinated.

Public health officials say that being vaccinated is becoming even more important due to the emergence of highly infectious variants of the COVID virus, such as the Delta variant.

Changes to HFC face-covering regulations

For more than a year, the College has required face masks in all indoor settings, except closed, private offices. Your leaders and the Return-to-Campus Core Team have evaluated multiple options, as well as evolving standards at other institutions. Beginning today, we will adjust our face mask policy as follows:

1. On both HFC campuses, we strongly request and recommend that people who are not fully vaccinated continue to wear face masks in all indoor settings where others are present.

2. For those who are fully vaccinated, wearing face masks or face shields is now optional.

3. Fully vaccinated means you are at least two weeks past the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks past the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

When you come to campus, you will see people around you wearing face masks, and others who do not wear face masks. We can create an inclusive campus community by treating everyone with kindness and respect.

We continue to ask that our community make efforts to social distance where possible. We recommend that you wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer.

Voluntary vaccination reporting

In July, we will circulate a form asking about your vaccination status. This form will not be required, but your participation will help us understand more about whether we are approaching a level of greater safety based on increased vaccination percentages.

Daily screening form is still required

We continue to require all students and employees to complete the daily health screening form before coming to campus. This will help us be aware of people experiencing COVID symptoms, and it will remind us about the importance of keeping each other safe.

Do not come to campus if you are sick, have been exposed to COVID, or are experiencing any symptoms listed on the form.

Continuing changes

The 16-month period of the pandemic continues to bring many changes to our College and our lives. We will continue to monitor best practices nationally and response procedures at other public institutions. We will follow updated government and health regulations. We will likely make additional changes to our response plans and procedures as we emerge from the pandemic.

We appreciate your patience, care for each other, and willingness to help us all continue inventing our “new normal” together.

Russ Kavalhuna
HFC Cabinet
HFC Return-to-Campus Core Team