September 1, 2020
A message about decision-making process for campus operations
Submitted by Communications and Marketing
Dear K-State Community:
We heard from many of you regarding the increase of COVID-19 cases in our communities. Two of our key indicators, active cases and positive testing rate, are being carefully monitored due to the rapid increases. While these numbers are concerning, our decision-making process takes a holistic approach to what is happening in our communities. Initial planning took into account an expected rise in cases when students returned to our campuses.
At this point, we still have significant capabilities when it comes to COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. We also have significant capabilities for on-campus quarantining and isolation, ability to clean and disinfect our public spaces, hospital and clinic capacity, and personal protective equipment. The behaviors exhibited in our classrooms and university housing have helped manage the spread in areas we control. The determining factor in being able to continue in-person learning is likely the off-campus behaviors in our communities.
A decision to return to remote learning could be for a period of time or for the duration of the semester. The approach will be more nuanced than our spring shutdown — we've learned a lot about how to maintain some of our operations during this pandemic. Our leadership team is in daily discussions with medical and city, county and community officials. We will keep you apprised of decisions that affect our operations and your health.
Sincerely,
Richard Myers, president
Chuck Taber, provost and executive vice president
Thomas Lane, vice president for student life
Kyle Goerl, medical director for Lafene Health Center