February 23, 2022

Dear VU Community:

As more and more states and institutions are announcing the end to mask mandate policies, the VU Executive Team has been reviewing data among our students, faculty, and staff, along with trends in our locations, as we evaluate options and potential timing for relaxing our current mandate.

VU’s case numbers have dropped significantly over the past three weeks among all groups, following the trend in many areas of Indiana and the U.S. At the same time, the majority of Indiana counties, including nearly all of Southern Indiana are still classified by the State as being in the highest Covid risk category, with a rating of 3 and categorized as “red.” In addition, it is yet unclear what impact the emergence of a new, more contagious strain of the Omicron variant will have on our locations. 

With those factors in mind, we will continue to monitor conditions and consult with appropriate health officials. Our hope is that if VU case numbers continue to remain low and continue to see improvement in local conditions across the many counties in which we operate, we can relax our current mask policy and other Covid protocols.

In the meantime, thank you for your help in observing VU’s current mask policy and other Covid safety protocols. 

Sincerely,

Chuck Johnson

President

Vincennes University