Updated April 6, 2020

For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, please refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

What follows is the latest information on Swarthmore College’s response to the global coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) epidemic. Since first learning of the disease, we have worked to address the situation proactively. Our actions — guided by recommendations from local, state, and federal officials — have held paramount the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff members. While there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on campus, the epidemic continues to expand, and our community is not immune from that reality. 

In the interest of the well-being of our entire community, we seek to reduce the number of people on campus while minimizing the impact on the execution of our academic mission. With that in mind, please note the following:

Valerie Smith shared the following message on April 7 with the campus community:

Dear Friends,

I hope you are safe and well, and doing what you can to take care of yourself and your loved ones during this unsettling time. Many of us have found it all too easy to succumb to fear and anxiety right now; I am working intentionally to acknowledge those feelings when they arise and then to find ways to address them. And though we are doing our part to fight the spread of this virus, maintaining social distance and being separate from one another adds to the challenge.

But with the arrival of springtime on our campus, I am reminded that there is still beauty to be found. Like you, I have learned of stories of love, hope, care, and resiliency, all inspired by this global crisis. And let us remember that the College itself has always been resilient: Swarthmore was founded during the U.S. Civil War. The College persisted through World War I, when the lack of students threatened its existence, and the 1918–19 influenza pandemic. Despite widespread anti-Asian sentiment during and after World War II, we welcomed Japanese American students to study here, and we took principled stands against McCarthyism. In other words, through moral, financial, and existential crises, Swarthmore has not only persevered, but has done so guided by our values.

I want to reiterate my gratitude for your commitment to the College, to our students, and to one another. I cannot enumerate all the ways you’ve inspired me and so many others through your commitment to our community — the staff members who’ve stepped forward to ensure that our students could return home and that those who have to stay on campus remain safe; our faculty who’ve quickly adapted their courses for online instruction; our students who have lost memories and experiences, yet have found other ways of connecting, learning, and creating. We have been tested, but our resiliency is sustaining us and carrying us forward. 

Read the full message.