Correspondence

MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE

Middlebury, VT 05753

Dear Middlebury College Students,

We are writing to you about something that is serious, dangerous, and has the potential to signifi­cantly impact your life. After providing you with some background information, we will describe the steps you will be required to take to address this serious threat.

Middlebury College is currently expanding and updating its Emergency Plan to include the threat of severe illness, including pandemic flu. Historical accounts of the “Great Influenza” pandemic of 1918 estimate a human death toll of over 600,000 in the U.S. and 50 million or more world­wide. Current models estimate that if a similar pandemic were to occur now, the human death toll could reach 1.7 million in the United States and 180 million to 360 million worldwide. What is even more concerning is that the deaths would occur over a very short period of time, and like the 1918 pandemic, might primarily involve young, healthy people who have vigorous immune systems such as college-aged students. History has taught us that we can expect a health pandemic every 80-100 years.

Current information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Vermont De­partment of Health, and other credible sources emphasizes that a severe pandemic, involving the easy and rapid spread of an aggressive and potentially lethal virus, could have a devastating impact on people who must live and eat in close proximity to one another. Public health officials recom­mend the strategy of social distancing to mitigate the spread of illness. This strategy is designed to prevent large gatherings of people and involves the closure of schools, churches, movie theatres, etc. Needless to say, social distancing is impossible within a residential college where students live in residence halls, eat at dining halls, and have contact with large numbers of their peers in many other settings. We believe that, in the event of a pandemic, early social distancing will be essential in preventing the spread of disease and allowing for the greatest chance of survival for students.

After assessing the student housing and dining situation at Middlebury, the Emergency Planning Steering Committee has concluded that the safest response during a potential pandemic would be to close the College – ideally before the illness strikes Middlebury. Unlike short term closures that occur during scheduled breaks, a pandemic would warrant a complete closure and all students would be required to vacate the campus until it was deemed safe to return. Current estimates for an avian flu pandemic, for example, suggest that closure could last for one or even two semesters.

In our global society a pandemic could erupt and spread quickly. In order for closure to be quick and effective, every student will need to create a personal plan for rapid evacuation to a more iso­lated location. Your primary plan may be simply to go home, but those who live far from campus or in a potentially infected area may need to travel to either a relative or friend’s home. It will be important that you make your family, and anyone that you are counting on, aware of their roles in your plan. Because of the potential need for a quick response to an outbreak, you are the only person who can effectively plan for yourself.

When you return in the fall, we will ask you to identify and submit two personal evacuation loca­tions. We urge that the locations be in different cities, and that one location be within a reasonable driving distance of Middlebury. The means of transportation will be a question for some of you, and ensuring that you can get to your planned location is as important as choosing the locations. The closure of the College due to pandemic illness is a time when we will need to plan and work together as a community and assist each other.

The College will assist you in your planning efforts. The Middlebury Pandemic Planning

webpage contains several tools designed to help guide you in this process. We plan update this page as more information and planning tools become available. Students returning in the fall of 2007 will be required to file a plan with the College. Course registration for the spring term 2008 will not be available to students who do not have a plan on file. Although the College does not intend to verify your personal plan, we do expect to share the information with your family; therefore, we strongly encourage you to discuss this planning process with members of your family during the next few weeks.

While you are creating your personal plan, the College will be developing a Mission Continu­ity Plan that focuses on maintaining operations so that the College can survive a disaster. We will provide updates on our progress, and appropriate information will be posted on the Middlebury Pandemic Planning webpage.

We encourage you to visit the webpage and begin a discussion with your family about what you would do in the event of a pandemic and the related evacuation. On behalf of Middlebury Col­lege and the Emergency Planning Steering Committee, we look forward to working with you on this important initiative.

Sincerely,

Mark Peluso, M.D.                  
Director, Health Center

Ann Craig Hanson
Dean of Student Affairs