Event and Visitor Guideline Updates

I want to thank you all for your dedication and commitment to ready our campus for the start of the spring semester.  Your hard work and perseverance to creating an academic environment that provides the best possible experience for our students is nothing short of extraordinary.

As we are all well aware, the pandemic is unfortunately more present than ever.  We are already seeing a growing number of positive cases in our campus community, just a few days into the semester.  Keeping in mind our need to focus on mitigation and case response, our COVID-19 Action Response Team (CART), in coordination with University leadership, has reevaluated guidelines for events and visitors.  These updated protocols are based on recommendations and guidance provided by our public health partners at the local, state, and national levels.

Attached is a memo outlining the three new processes being put into place to keep our campus community safe.  We wanted to share these updates with you in advance of external communication to ensure you have the information you need as the semester progresses. Please note that these processes will be in place, effective immediately, January – February and then reevaluated at that time. In March, we may determine that we are able to return to more typical processes and we will keep you informed of any updates and changes as soon as they are made.

Following are the three updates that will be in place now through February.  For more detailed information about these changes, please review the attachment:

1. Large, organized, indoor events with external attendees now require proof of vaccination or negative test within 72 hours of the event.
2. Organized, indoor large events with external attendees of any size in which food and beverages are being served now require proof of vaccination or negative test within 72 hours of the event.
3. Third-party external events and event submissions (excluding events held in Woldson Performing Arts Center, Jundt Art Museum, Law School, Rosauer Center, and Athletics facilities) have been cancelled.

In addition to these changes, we recognize that there are many things that we as a campus community can do in partnership to keep our campus healthy.  When possible please:

• Use virtual meeting and event formats: To reduce the rate of transmission of COVID-19 during these months on campus, all Gonzaga community members are encouraged to utilize virtual options such as Zoom or Teams for smaller meetings and events when possible and appropriate.
• Reduce internal events/catering requests: To support students in isolation and quarantine, consider shifting events/activities that involve on-campus event space and/or catering to later in the semester or consider holding such events/activities in an alternative manner.

We will get through this if we continue to work together.  I thank you in advance for your understanding and patience as we navigate through these changes.  For more information on updated protocols and processes, please continue to visit our Zag On website.