Marist Extends Campus Pause to March 31

Marist has extended the campus’ precautionary pause—which was instituted after COVID-19 cases exceeded 100 last week—until Wednesday, March 31. While precautionary quarantines lifted at Champagnat and Marian Halls, Leo Hall entered its own quarantine on Tuesday.

Originally, the pause was put in place on March 17 and was meant to last until Friday, March 26. Since the pause began, active cases peaked at 180, and the campus reached “Alert Level: Orange.” Cases on campus have not seen a significant enough decrease. 

In an email to students on Thursday, Vice President for Student Affairs Deborah DiCaprio noted that although there have been “encouraging trends” in COVID-19 case numbers since the pause was instituted, “we are not yet in a position to safely resume activities on campus.” 

There have been no changes to the guidelines already in place for students. All classes will remain remote until the pause is lifted, and the McCann Center is closed. Division I athletics are still suspended, as well as all in-person activities on campus. There is no in-person dining, but students can still access walk-up and takeout options at the main dining hall and other retail locations around campus. 

While no guests are permitted inside residence halls and students are required to stay within their immediate household, outdoor activities and essential errands are permitted.

DiCaprio’s email acknowledged the difficulty this extended pause creates. “Our students, who have faced so many challenges over the last year, are once again being asked to restrict their activities to help protect their community.  Please know that this decision is not taken lightly,” the email included, signed by DiCaprio, Executive Vice President Geoff Brackett, and Vice President for Academic Affairs Thom Wermuth.

The Marist community will be updated about the status of the pause, and when it will end, as more information becomes available. “Be assured that, as soon as it is safe to do so, this pause will be lifted. We all have a role to play, and if we work together, we will be able to achieve our goal and get back to more normal campus life.”

The campus-wide pause extends for the second time, and Leo Hall is placed under quarantine. Source: Grace Maeda ‘21