One Abilene University Is Requiring Masks for Students and Faculty Again
Phil Schubert, Ed.D., president of Abilene Christian University, has announced that ACU is implementing a two-week mask mandate for all students and faculty. The mandate began on Tuesday, September 7, and will be reevaluated on September 20.
Faculty and students will be required to wear masks indoors in classrooms, labs, studios, and Chapel gatherings, regardless of whether or not they are vaccinated against COVID-19. Masks will continue to be optional for indoor common spaces at ACU, like the Bean. Eating will not be allowed in classrooms, and students won’t be admitted to class without a face covering that follows CDC guidelines.
The new two-week mandate is similar in practice to ACU’s guidelines during the fall of 2020. ACU is asking event organizers to find outdoor spaces that allow for social distancing. Faculty and staff are still encouraged to wear face coverings and physical distance when in office settings and continue to use technological solutions like Zoom to conduct meetings.
According to Schubert, the two-week mask mandate is designed to protect and sustain student experience on ACU’s campus. The mandate comes about one week after Hendrick Health moved its COVID-19 Community Safety Dial to Level 6, Emergency. Taylor County has been categorized by the Center for Disease Control as an area of “high” COVID-19 transmission rates.
As of September 7, ACU has 59 active COVID-19 cases, and 74.6% of those active cases are unvaccinated. ACU strongly recommends that students and faculty get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible. Students can access vaccines and other health services through the ACU Medical Clinic.
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