Date: February 3, 2022
TO: NYU Parents
FROM: NYU President Andrew Hamilton

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Loved Ones of NYU Students,

We are about a week-and-a-half into the semester, and things are proceeding well.

Over 98% (and still rising) of our students complied with our requirement for a booster vaccination — a very good outcome, especially given the short timeline involved. The rate of new cases in New York has fallen just as steeply as it surged — New York is currently seeing greatly fewer new cases each day than it did earlier this month. We have seen similar declines at NYU: our test positivity rate is 10% of what it was in early January.

These are positive and hopeful signs.

Just as many of you have written to me to express support for the University’s efforts to keep our community safe, some others, even while recognizing our progress, have expressed qualms over some of the restrictions we set in place at the beginning of the semester, particularly around dining and the performing arts.

Please know that we put these restrictions in place temporarily because it was important at the start of the semester to try to reduce the activities and settings where we know transmission is more likely to occur. We are keenly mindful of your concerns, and here is the good news — given the trends we are seeing, we are beginning to lift some of the more vexatious restrictions this week and next, including restoring normal dining service. Indeed, assuming things carry on as they have been, we plan to continue carefully and prudently reducing restrictions as we go forward. We very much share your wishes for your student to have the fullest and most vibrant college experience possible; we believe the path to getting there lies through exercising greater care now, at the semester’s beginning. To that end, I invite you to join our Associate Vice President and Dean of Students, Rafael Rodriguez, this evening for a webinar he is hosting on “Thriving at NYU.”

I know I have said it before, but it bears repeating: we deeply appreciate the trust you have placed in us to educate your child. Please trust that the decisions we are making now are shaped by our commitment to the health of our community and the students’ best interests.

Be well. Stay safe and warm. I will write again soon about developments.

Sincerely,

Andrew Hamilton
President
New York University