Our roundup of the latest news from Wellesley’s colleges:
Wellesley College not an island
President Dr. Paula Johnson said during a recent panel discussion with peers that colleges and universities need to support one another and the wider community.
“This experience has made it very clear that we’re not islands,” said Johnson, as reported by The Wellesley News student news site. “It’s not just about keeping our campus safe. It’s about how we can improve the health of our entire community. And we’re not going to get beyond this pandemic until that is the feeling that we have across the country, and quite frankly across the world.”
According to the article, Johnson said Wellesley College offered dorm space to first responders in COVID-19 isolation.
Students are doing their part to support the wider community by again offering to create customized signs for Boston Marathon runners. It will be interesting to see what the Scream Tunnel— where some students typically aren’t shy about smooching sweaty runners—looks like this Oct. 11 in light of the college’s efforts to protect its community from the virus.
The Boston Athletic Association issued health and safety policies that included a special message for Wellesley College students, though not by name (bold added by us): “From guests traveling with athletes to spectators cheering on participants, everyone is encouraged to take efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. These efforts may include being fully vaccinated, getting tested for COVID-19 prior to any travel, wearing a mask when you cannot socially distance over race week, refraining from kissing a stranger around the halfway mark of the Boston Marathon, and only using B.A.A. provided course nutrition in lieu of accepting hydration or food from spectators.”
We have confirmed that Wellesley Repertory Theatre remains on pause for live indoor performances for the public while the campus is closed to the public. Though the theatre company will be ready when public performances are allowed—it has joined with other Boston-area theatre companies in requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test for all those performing in, working at, or attending such performances.
Artistic Director Marta Rainer assures us that “we are devoted to creating compelling student work this semester… We’ll be interpreting a selection of plays from Pulitzer Prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks’ ‘365 Plays in 365 Days’ collection—which will have live audiences who have sanctioned campus access —both in the Ruth Nagel Jones black box, and outdoors throughout the semester.”
The college is exploring ways to stream performances to a wider audience.
Babson taps first Black trustees chair
Babson College has named 1987 alum Jeffrey Perry, who as a Cleveland teen learned about Babson through an early access management expo, as its Board of Trustees chair.
He becomes the first Black chair, as well as the first chair to have a child attending the school at the same time.
Perry founded the firm Lead Mandates after a long career as partner with professional services firms EY and A.T. Kearney.
MassBay all in on vaccines
The presidents of Wellesley’s MassBay Community College and other community colleges across the state have declared that they will require students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January, 2022. An exception will be made for students taking fully remote classes and that have no plans to visit campus.
According to a statement issued by the schools: “During the last eighteen months, the Massachusetts Community Colleges have prioritized the health and safety of our communities while also recognizing that many of our students have been disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. While a significant number of students, faculty, and staff are already vaccinated or are in the process of becoming vaccinated, the fifteen colleges are seeking to increase the health and safety of the learning and working environment in light of the ongoing public health concerns and current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
MassBay and the other schools will continue to make vaccine clinics available on site.
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Hopefully Wellesley College can open up again soon. I was in Hanover NH last week and while visitors were not allowed in buildings, the Dartmouth outdoor campus was open. I see Wellesley College is now permitting registered outdoor self-guided tours on its website.
Thanks for your thoughts, and yes, self-guided tours another good sign…
Regarding the path, perhaps making it one way might work? That said, shutting down a very narrow walking path doesn’t seem overly cautious in a time of Delta Variants with much higher viral production –
For what it is worth, my experience with the college over the past 13 or 14 or so years has been different then yours.
When my children were small we regularly walked over to enjoy the arboretum and green house and were always greeted and made to feel welcome. As they got older we would bike over and around the campus, often playing frisbee. Visiting the art museum exposed all of us to beautiful art. We never took advantage of the music and theater, but were glad to know it was there.
Wellesley College not an island and wants to support the community?? I’ll believe it when I see it! In my 35 years as a resident, I’m appalled at what a closed island the college is. For starters, how about reopening Lake Waban to the community? Last I checked, we’re safe outdoors – doh!
Thank you for expressing what many residents think.