New COVID-19 Mask Policies

Dear Goucher Community,

As promised, the COVID Task Force met earlier this week to assess the status of the COVID-19 pandemic on campus, in Baltimore County, and the State of Maryland, and discuss any changes to the College’s current masking policies. We are happy to report that recent wastewater tests conducted by Goucher’s Campus Operations team have revealed no SARS-CoV-2 virus present on campus for the past several weeks. In addition, positivity rates in both Baltimore County and the State of Maryland have declined significantly and have remained below 2.0% since March 2, 2022.

With these factors in mind, I am happy to announce that beginning this Friday, April 1 we will move to a “mask optional” policy on campus for the remainder of the semester. This is no April Fool’s joke. We have reached this stage because our community has continued to demonstrate care and mutual respect for one another by adhering to our COVID-19 policies and protocols.

This new change means that students, faculty, and staff can choose whether to wear a mask or not indoors, with some exceptions; for example, masks will continue to be required in the Student Health Center. If you decide to continue to wear a mask, please wear only N95, KN95, or KF94 masks. We have purchased ample supplies of these masks distributed free-of-charge to our community and obtainable at multiple locations across campus. Simple cloth masks have proven to be ineffective in preventing the spread of the Omicron variant and should not be worn.

Faculty and staff members can choose whether to require masks in their classes or office spaces. Violations of individual mask mandates can be reported using this form.

I've had the pleasure of attending several accepted student events across the country this the past month, and I have heard again and again from prospective students and their parents that the kindness and respect they experienced visiting our campus was one of the major factors in their decision to attend Goucher. As you can imagine, this sentiment is cause for a great sense of pride.

Now, as we head into the last months of the semester, I look forward to acknowledging and celebrating the many accomplishments of our graduating students, and seeing everyone’s smiling faces no longer hidden behind masks on our beautiful campus for the rest of the semester! I want to thank you once again for your cooperation and support, and, as always, please reach out to the COVID Task Force at COVIDTaskForce@goucher.edu should you have any questions.

Go Gophers!

Kent 

Kent Devereaux
President