Last updated 2021-08-22
The situation involving COVID is fluid and subject to change based on the latest knowledge and guidance from the CDC, the ND Dept. of Health, NDSU, and the Wall Street Journal. Students will be supplied with a printed copy of this information (in its current form) on the first day of classes, but will be made aware that the up-to-date information for my classes will be suppled at https://kv.fyi/covid.
At this time, the state of North Dakota has chosen not to require mandatory vaccination. I think that's fine. I believe my students have the right to make whatever life choices they deem fit, and it's my responsibility as an educator to provide them with information that will help them reach the outcomes they desire.
However, music is not an individual act, it's a community act. Individual rights paired with community responsibilities have to be carefully negotiated. It is disingenuous (and rude) to exercise the individual choice to join a community while rejecting the responsibility of protecting the community.
University policy is currently to allow vaccinated students to attend classes normally, without masks or distancing. Unvaccinated students are expected to wear a mask during class and maintain social distance. University policy does not currently provide instructors with any way to determine your vaccination status. Please make the choices appropriate to your situation.
If you are in want of a COVID vaccine but don't know where to start, please ask me. If you are in want of a COVID vaccine and can't afford it, please ask me. If you miss classes due to side effects of a COVID vaccine, they will be waived.
More information about vaccinations are available here. NDSU is offering an incentive, which will be listed here when more information is available.
NDSU Boilerplate Language:
NDSU is strongly recommending that all people wear face coverings in indoor spaces when social distancing cannot be maintained. However, effective with the start of classes on Monday, August 23, 2021, masks will be required in all classroom settings whether such classes are credit, non-credit, training sessions, etc. Faculty members who are able to maintain social distance from students may remove their masks during the class for purposes of being more easily heard.
The following rules will also apply:
a. Every person should be comfortable wearing a face covering and is encouraged to do so. People should not face any pressure to discontinue doing so.
b. Health care operations on campus, including Student Health Service and Counseling Center, will continue to be able to mandate face covering in accordance with regular health care protocols.
As such, masks are currently Required in my classes. I will have a limited number of single-use masks for students that forget theirs.
If you are absent due to COVID-19, either by way of illness, quarantine, or isolation, the late work policy as it appears in the syllabus will be in effect.
At this time, classes will not be HyFlexed or simulcast due to COVID-19 related issues. Doing so generally produces a worse classroom experience for all involved.
