We’re in this together: Our campus and community commitment

Dear Glassboro Residents and Business Owners:

With Rowan University’s reopening Sept. 1, the Borough of Glassboro can expect to grow as thousands of students and staff come back to campus. Local businesses will see more customers. Rental homes will come alive with activity. And, there will be generally more people circulating around town at every turn.

Even so, this won’t be a return to normalcy. We’ve spent months preparing for this moment and we’ve considered the smallest details, from cleaning procedures and updated student conduct codes to staggered work and move-in schedules. Many of our classes will be taught remotely and we’ll have fewer residential students on campus this semester.  

We’re answering students’ and parents’ questions every day and we expect you’ll have more questions and concerns than you might in a typical year. We’re ready for that, too.  

Good neighbors

As we start the semester, we ask our neighbors and campus community to help us uphold the standards and policies we’ve put in place to protect one another from COVID-19. 

We know more now about how to limit the spread of this disease and we’ll be more diligent than ever in our efforts to keep our community safe. We expect our students to follow our protocols, as well as state and local public health orders. Those who don’t will face consequences. Those who don’t share our commitment to a safe, healthy Rowan and Glassboro will be confronted by Rowan officials, borough officials or both. Those who continue to defy the cautions may be even asked to leave. 

To encourage cooperation and avoid conflict, here’s what we’re doing now: 

• Administrators are making personal “knock and talk” visits to student residences on- and off-campus to remind them of our new student conduct policies and the governor’s executive orders regarding public health measures.
• We’re working closely with Glassboro officials to inform residents and respond to concerns.
• We’re holding regular meetings online to keep our students, staff and community up-to-date on our efforts. 
• We’re following state guidelines with every University event on campus, including limiting attendance, requiring masks and asking everyone to remain at least six feet apart.  

As a Glassboro resident or member of the business community, here’s how you can help:

Let us know. Large gatherings without face coverings and social distancing can lead to outbreaks and shut down campuses. It’s already happened at numerous colleges and universities in the country and we can’t allow that to happen here. However, we’ve already planned for that possibility and are prepared to switch classes to a fully remote format, if necessary. 

If you see risky activity, please alert Rowan University’s Department of Public Safety at 856-256-4922. Concerns may also be reported online at go.rowan.edu/covidreport 

We know this is a tough balancing act between our desire to live normally and the need to protect one another from a virus. We know it’s stressful and just plain nerve-wracking to follow these new guidelines.  

We are all in this together, and together, we believe we can face the challenges presented by COVID-19. We think our students are worth our best efforts. 

We invite you to participate in a virtual informational session at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26. We’ll be there with community leaders to share our plans and answer your questions. 

For more information about Rowan University’s reopening, please visit www.rowan.edu/return.  Also, if you would like to share your thoughts with either of us, please feel free to do so at officeofthepresident@rowan.edu or deanofstudents@rowan.edu  

Yours truly,

Ali A. Houshmand, Ph.D.

President

Kevin Koett, Ed.D.

Interim Vice President for Student Life/Dean of Students