Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Anderson University is temporarily requiring masks or face coverings during classes, labs, on Trojan Transit and when attending large, organized indoor events of 75 people or more.
The university credits guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and the increase in local COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant for the move.
In a release, the university wrote:
“Let’s keep our most important goals in mind. Our first priority is that everyone on campus is as healthy and safe as possible. And, of course, we want to remain fully operational, with on-campus instruction throughout the academic year. The reality is that this virus is unpredictable; indeed, predictability is at an all-time low in large part because of the Delta variant. That’s why flexibility is so important. And it’s why it is prudent to make this change.”
The school expects the move to be temporary, but cites with the wisdom of caution at the beginning of the school year, especially when students attend the university from across the country.
The university also sees the move as part of their Christian mission:
“We recognize this change will not be universally celebrated. Regardless of your position, we hope you will embrace the challenge it represents. After all, this is an opportunity for us to demonstrate to the community around us that we take seriously what Christ calls us to be. We are a peculiar people, set apart and called to love others more than we love ourselves. That is a high calling, and impossible without the Holy Spirit’s continued work in our hearts and minds. Our challenge, then, is that we embrace that calling. That we embrace what makes us special. That we embrace self-sacrifice. That we embrace loving God with all our being and our neighbors as ourselves, “and so fulfill the Law of Christ.”’