Do your part: COVID-19 and your responsibilities

Dear NC State Community,

It is exciting to see you, and the energy you bring, back on campus. Our thanks to the many students, faculty and staff who are doing all they can to Protect the Pack by wearing face coverings, keeping physically distant and adhering to our community standards.

Unfortunately, over the past few days we’ve also witnessed far too many occasions where students are not taking measures to keep themselves or others safe from COVID-19. We’ve received many calls and emails reporting unacceptable behavior, on and off campus, where students have been ignoring state mandates and university safety rules and guidelines. We’ve seen social media posts showing the same. This behavior puts all in our community at risk.

To ensure health and safety, the university must and will hold students accountable for behavior inconsistent with our COVID-19 rules and guidelines. Students not complying with NC State’s required community standards will be subject to referral to the Office of Student Conduct and disciplinary action.

Please review the standards and the university’s related rule.

This is a serious matter of public health, as well as one of respecting all in our Wolfpack and beyond. It is our individual and combined responsibility to limit the spread of COVID-19, keep our community safe and keep our campus open for learning and living.

First and foremost, we must all wear our face coverings. This is required in our state and throughout our campus, and is not limited to being indoors. If you are outside and cannot guarantee you’ll be six feet away from others at all times, you must wear your face covering. Additional signage is being posted in open areas around campus as a reminder.

Hundreds of NC State employees have been working tirelessly over the past several weeks to make this campus, and your experience here, as safe and positive as possible.

But now it is up to each of you to do your part.

Wear a face covering. Engage in physical distancing. Wash your hands. Be a responsible, respectful member of our Pack. Failure to do so could not only result in individual disciplinary actions but also in the spread of COVID-19 and the closure of campus, sending us all home again.

Please spend time reviewing the valuable information, resources and important updates on the Protect the Pack site. The university has also recently established a COVID-19 Operations Line where faculty, staff, students and visitors can report any nonemergency concerns, complaints and suggestions or make comments on issues related to COVID-19.

This semester brings many new challenges; it also has the promise of many wonderful learning and life experiences at NC State. However, to experience all this great university offers, we must do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep everyone in our community safe. Please uphold your obligation to protect the Pack.

Randy Woodson, Chancellor

Warwick Arden, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor

Lisa Zapata, Interim Vice Chancellor for the Division of Academic and Student Affairs