Missouri S&T Chancellor Mo Dehghani sent the following message to the campus community on Aug. 28:

Distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Congratulations and my thanks to all of you for the successful launch of the fall semester. We had over 7,500 students enrolled as of Monday, the first day of classes. As I walk around campus, I’m encouraged to see so many of our students, faculty and staff taking the necessary measures to keep our campus safe. I’m also encouraged by the great energy and excitement among you as we begin this, the most unusual of semesters any of us have ever experienced. Thank you for continuing to follow the safety protocols to slow the spread of the virus.

With the continued rise in cases statewide, nationwide and locally, there’s little doubt that COVID-19 is going to be with us for a while. That’s why we are adjusting our strategy to manage COVID-19. With 21 confirmed cases now reported on campus, this is no time to ease up on our safety measures. Even though our confirmed case number is remarkably small in comparison to many other campuses in the state that have 10 or 20 times as many, I strongly encourage you to heed the advice of Dr. Goodman, our chief medical officer so that we can defeat this dangerous disease.

In addition, here’s what else we are doing to help keep the campus community safe and informed:

• Antigen testing for students is now available through student health services (SHS). We recently obtained new testing equipment to run the same kind of tests used by Major League Baseball to provide same-day results. Any student who would like to be tested for COVID-19 – whether you have symptoms or not – is encouraged to contact SHS at 573-341-4284 or covid@mst.edu to arrange for a test.
• Updates of reported cases are now posted online Monday through Friday for the campus and community. This practice began with the first day of classes and will continue throughout the semester. This information includes results from SHS tests as well as other test results reported to the university from public or private testing services. I encourage all students, faculty and staff to report individual positive cases to SHS to ensure that instructors and supervisors can make arrangements for remote learning or working while infected individuals are in isolation.
• Limiting on-campus events and gatherings to no more than 10 individuals continues to be our policy. Even so, there may be occasions when larger gatherings are permitted, as long as all necessary safety precautions are in place. To request an exception, please notify covid@mst.edu at least two weeks in advance of the event.
• Sanctions on those who endanger others. This semester is indeed off to a tremendous and safe start, and the great majority of you are following the required precautions. As a result, the incidence of COVID-19 cases on campus is relatively low. However, we must continue to follow our safety protocols. Any student, faculty member or staff member who disregards these policies or puts at risk the welfare of the campus community is subject to disciplinary actions as noted in the University of Missouri Collected Rules and Regulations Chapter 330 – Employee Conduct for faculty, HR-601 for staff, and Section 200.10 Standard of Conduct for students.

Stay here and stay safe

Finally, as we conclude the first week of the semester, I again want to thank and congratulate all of you for your efforts to make this university a safe environment to learn, to live, to teach and to work. As we approach the weekend, which is traditionally a time to unwind a bit, I implore all of us – students, faculty and staff – to stay in Rolla this weekend (or for those of you who live out of town, whichever community you call home) and stay safe. The more we can limit unnecessary travel, the safer we all will be, and the greater our chances of continued success. Help us remain insular; we owe it to ourselves and our families, we owe it to our university and we owe it to our community.

Sincerely,

Mo Dehghani
Chancellor