Skip to main content

Dear Campus Community:

I hope this message finds you safe and well.

In the interest of everyone’s safety and continued health, most NKU faculty and staff have been working remotely since March 26 in order to maintain appropriate social distancing, a key preventive measure in the battle against COVID-19. We are also now in our third week of online instruction amid the pandemic.

The next few weeks are critical in the battle against the COVID-19 virus especially in Kentucky. Some models are projecting that we might reach our peak in terms of fatalities around April 25. While these may be imprecise projections, we must stay disciplined with respect to our social distancing and the Commonwealth’s “Healthy at Home” orders. So as a reminder, please do not come to campus unless it is necessary.

For those staff members who must be on-campus to take care of day-to-day operations and for the few students remaining in university housing, we have some new safety guidelines from public health professionals.

Staff members working in one of our core service areas and students living on campus are advised take the following safety measures while on campus:

  1. Wear a face mask to help protect yourself and others. If you do not own a face mask, please see the attached instructions on how to make a personal face mask as well as recommended materials. NKU will have a limited supply of one-time use only face masks that will be located at the campus mailroom (9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Monday - Friday) for pick up on a first-come, first-serve basis.

  2. Maintain a distance of up to 26 feet between yourself and others while wearing your face mask. The CDC recently increased its recommendation to allow for more distance between individuals.

Finally, just this morning, Governor Beshear issued a call to action for the Commonwealth asking us all to donate or manufacture Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for medical professionals and first responders. NKU and the College of Health and Human Services recently donated all of the college’s PPE and ventilators to two local hospitals, and I encourage you to participate as well in any way you can.

Donations are being accepted at all 16 Kentucky State Police posts and at Transportation Cabinet offices in Louisville and Lexington. You can also donate by filling out this form: https://GivePPE.ky.gov or calling the PPE Hotline at 1-833-GIVE PPE or 1-833-448-3773. More information on the state’s response can be found at  KYCOVID19.KY.GOV and more information about the university’s continued response can be found on the NKU COVID-19 web page.

I realize guidelines continue to evolve and at times it can be hard to see the light at the end of this tunnel. But I believe our efforts are working. Please know that each action we have taken has been for the safety of the community, and it is important that we continue to do our part to limit the spread of this disease. Let’s keep working together and remain committed to protecting each other.

Thank you for your patience, resilience and commitment during this challenging time. We will get through this together.

Sincerely,
Ashish Vaidya