Early Bird

Latest on Covid-19 and campus operations

An update on Safe Return Committee membership and how to get involved.

By Larry Sampler, chief operating officer

April 15, 2021

Dear Roadrunners,

On Wednesday, Gov. Jared Polis and the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment announced that on Friday the City and County of Denver will move to Level Blue on the Covid-19 dial. While this reduces restrictions on many businesses in the community, masks will still be required indoors, on public transportation, in all buildings on the Auraria Campus and outdoors on the Auraria Campus when in the presence of others.

Metropolitan State University of Denver will also continue to follow our health protocols, and anyone visiting campus should continue to complete a daily health assessment.

Additionally, I encourage anyone who is able to receive a vaccination to do so at their earliest convenience. I am proud of the progress our campus community has made in providing vaccination opportunities to faculty, staff and student employees, as vaccinating the vast majority of our campus community is a critical component to a safe return to campus this fall. Please note that as Colorado has entered Phase 2, Roadrunners can access the vaccine at multiple locations around the community.

That said, I understand that as this public-health situation evolves, you may have new questions with regard to the summer semester and the full return to on-campus operations for fall. We will work diligently to update information, resources and FAQs on the Safe Return to Campus website to align with public-health guidance and state and county decision-making. I encourage you to check the website often, but if you don’t see your specific question addressed, please submit it.

One recent change to the Safe Return to Campus website centers on planning and leadership. In the spirit of transparency and inclusivity, we have updated the Safe Return Committee page, outlining the group’s charges, guiding principles, members, work groups and lines of effort (progress from which will be highlighted in these articles). I am very grateful to this team for their hard work to prepare our campus community for a safe return. I encourage anyone who is interested in joining or supporting this committee to complete this brief survey. Your ideas, suggestions and feedback are valuable.

Please continue to watch the Early Bird and your email for more communications about the summer and fall semesters. As always, if you have questions or concerns about our Safe Return to Campus, please reach out through this form or via email at roadrunnersafereturn@msudenver.edu.

Sincerely,

Larry Sampler

Vice president for Administration, Finance and Facilities and chief operating officer