Dear graduate students and graduate coordinators,
After approximately two years of pandemic twists and turns, and the uncertainty, challenges, and exhaustion that have come with it, yesterday's milestone decision to rescind the statewide mask mandate has been met with mixed reactions. Below, for your reference, you will find yesterday's message to the campus community from UNLV President Whitfield and Provost Heavey regarding the removal of the mask mandate. As of today, anyone on the UNLV campus (including in classes) may opt to wear, or not wear, a mask.
Along with President Whitfield and Provost Heavey, I urge our campus community to respect every individual's personal decision to wear a mask or not. I encourage you to proceed with kindness, empathy, and care for others, regardless of whether they are maskless or masked. As at other moments during the pandemic, it is important to give one another grace and respect the differences between us.
Please remember that as we navigate this stage of the pandemic, we continue to have resources available, including the following:
- For graduate students facing serious financial hardship, we continue to offer Emergency Retention Grants, and there is additional information available on the Graduate College website.
- We have a new graduate student resource called Early Alert. Early Alert is a confidential text messaging system that sends graduate students who sign up for this wellness service a weekly message asking them how they're doing related to their emotional, physical, cognitive, relational, academic, mental, and/or financial wellness. Based on their optional text response, students in need of support will receive free, easy-to-access resources to help address their concerns and boost their resilience. We encourage all graduate students to opt in to this free wellness support system.
We are here for you during these ever-changing times. Please reach out to graduate.dean@unlv.edu if you have any questions or need support.
I thank you for all you do for our UNLV community and wish you a safe, successful, and enjoyable remainder of your semester.
Warm regards,
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Kate Korgan, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate College
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Dear University Community,
Earlier today, Gov. Steve Sisolak rescinded the requirement that individuals wear masks in public indoor areas throughout Nevada. The Governor’s directive, and subsequent NSHE guidance, means that masks are not required at any NSHE institutions, effective immediately.
Masks are no longer a requirement on UNLV campuses except those areas where healthcare services are being provided. This applies to all university employees, students and visitors regardless of vaccination status. Weekly testing for unvaccinated employees is still in effect and the program is scheduled to begin later this month. More information will be shared at that time.
While no longer required, individuals may continue to wear masks during the pandemic if they so choose, especially for those who are immunocompromised or otherwise at higher risk for infection, and for those caring for high-risk individuals. The university will continue to provide KN95 masks for individuals who want them.
UNLV continues to urge individuals to get fully vaccinated and receive a booster shot, when eligible. More than 91 percent of UNLV’s students and 97 percent of our employees have been vaccinated. Our vaccination rate is one of the main reasons why the COVID-19 virus has had less of an impact on the UNLV campuses than in the Las Vegas community at large.
We are grateful for the cooperation we have received from the entire UNLV community in our efforts to maximize health precautions and minimize the effects of COVID-19. We appreciate your commitment and flexibility the past two years as we have worked together to navigate this unprecedented pandemic.
As we move to the next stage of what has become a constant state of change, we ask that everyone on our campuses continue to exhibit kindness, understanding, and tolerance toward one another – regardless of the personal decision to wear, or not wear, a mask.
Warm regards,
Keith E. Whitfield, Ph.D.
President
Chris Heavey, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Provost
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UNLV is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504 institution. All qualified applicants to the Graduate College, and admitted students, will receive equal consideration without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, or covered US veteran status. |
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