DLSPH Open: Update on Fall Term
June 6/2022
Dear DLSPH Community,
I’m pleased to share an update on DLSPH plans for the Fall Term – our first fully in-person term since the start of the pandemic.
Classes will be fully in person beginning in September, with very few exceptions. This means faculty members and students should plan on being within commuting distance to campus for the start of the Fall Term.
Classrooms and other spaces in DLSPH buildings will be operating at full capacity, and students will have the option of booking study space. The University currently requires masking, but this requirement is set to expire on June 30. We will communicate closely with you over the summer about any changes to the University’s COVID regulations, and we are prepared to reinstate any public health measures deemed necessary.
Many of our staff and faculty members are already back in their offices. We’d like to help with the adjustment by offering opportunities for you to become familiar with our buildings and staff — or get reacquainted after the long absence. We’ll have drop-in days to meet our graduate office staff, ask questions, and receive support over the summer. Our Registrar, Jabeen Aslam, will be available to meet with students individually. And we are working to establish a peer mentoring program which will help students to adjust to the shift to in-person learning.
I am very much looking forward to regular “Coffee With the Dean” sessions. Students will also have a chance to attend casual coffee chats with our associate deans for Research (Prof. France Gagnon), Academic Affairs (Prof. Dionne Gesink) and Public Health Sciences (Prof. Carol Strike), as well as IHPME Director Audrey Laporte. Stay tuned to learn how you can sign up!
We are planning monthly wellness and networking events for students, staff and faculty members, such as yoga, meditation, and nutritional awareness. And if you haven’t yet checked out our all-digital 8th Floor Lounge, watch this space for opportunities to chat and get support.
In recent weeks, I’ve noticed a renewed energy in the building that’s nice to see. I’m eager to welcome all of our new and returning students this fall, and to see everyone again in our halls and classrooms. In the meantime, I wish you a restful and fun summer – I hope everyone has a chance to take a break in the coming months.
Sincerely,
Adalsteinn (Steini) Brown
Dean