| by Jeff Dayton-Johnson

Campus Notes

Dear MIIS Campus Community,

I’m pleased to share this week’s update on the eve of a three-day weekend — and a busy Commencement celebration for our Middlebury-based calendar. As always, note that you can access previous messages on our return to campus website.

This week marked a year since George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. This homicide and its aftermath have impacted the Institute campus community as profoundly as the COVID-19 crisis. Students, faculty, and staff responded to this tragic event in a variety of ways both formal and informal, with new conversations, new initiatives and new proposals that, over time, will align our actions more closely with our mission. I want to acknowledge in particular the complicated and often painful experience of our BIPOC community members, and especially Black community members, during this last year. Many white people in this country felt, like I did, a fresh sense of outrage at witnessing George Floyd’s killing on cell-phone video; that fresh outrage was a luxury not available to Black colleagues and students, for whom the pattern of systemic violence made evident by the video is significantly less shocking and newsworthy. The Institute re-commits our support to Black campus community members, to our ongoing efforts to make ours a more anti-racist institution, and to the simple but deep statement, which bears repeating, that black lives matter. 

May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.  As we reach the conclusion of this month, we encourage you to reflect on not only the accomplishments but the pain our AAPI communities have faced this year.  Let us not forget that a horrifying rise in hate crimes across the country has meant living in fear for many. I encourage you to visit the excellent digital display that the Middlebury Libraries created in honor of AAPI Heritage Month. It highlights books, music, film, and related podcasts that celebrate and reflect on AAPI history and culture. As we continue to speak out against the ongoing violence AAPI communities face, we can explore these rich resources and pay tribute to generations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and their critical role in United States history.

California Reopening on June 15. The Return-to-Work Strategy Committee is keeping a close eye on California reopening developments as the June 15 date gets closer.  While reports are that the tier system, mask mandate, and social distancing guidelines will be eliminated or profoundly modified, a California occupational safety and health standards board will meet on June 3 to review any loosened standards for workplaces, which may include higher education institutions. Our Institute guidelines for fall will be finalized between June 15 and July 1 and communicated to campus on July 1.   

Campus Readiness Update: Classroom Ventilation:  As part of the Institute’s multilayered exposure control plan to mitigate risks from COVID-19, the facilities team has updated HVAC filters across campus with higher efficiency rated MERV-13 filters where possible.  Increasing air filtration has been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  (CDC) and The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) as an exposure reduction strategy. MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, a measurement of the effectiveness of an air filter. You can see an example of such a filter in the illustration below.

As you can see, we remain busy preparing campus for your return in the fall semester. For now, please be reminded that the Institute will be closed this Monday, May 31, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. For those in the U.S., we hope you enjoy the long weekend.

Sincerely,

Jeff Dayton-Johnson

VP of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Institute

MERV-13 filter
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