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Signs pointed to a safe return to La Salle University’s campus this spring. After all, there were signs everywhere.

In hallways. On doorways. In restrooms. Throughout residence halls, academic spaces, and the La Salle Union.

Nearly 10,000 vinyl safety decals clung to walls across La Salle’s campus. Another 3,100 adhered to floors and walkways, reminding Explorers to maintain physical distancing. And on lawns, in flower beds, and in the Hansen Quad, about 120 outdoor signs also encouraged safe activity.

President Colleen M. Hanycz, Ph.D., shared reflections on the Spring 2021 semester as La Salle closed out the academic term—one that brought a significant portion of the University community back to campus for the first time in 10 months. In a message to the University community, Dr. Hanycz thanked students, faculty, and staff for their part in keeping campus a safe environment in which to live, learn, and work.

Dr. Hanycz said she views the Spring 2021 semester as preparation “for a full return to an in-person experience this fall.” She referred to the La Salle community as “companions in this effort to act responsibly, adapt to increased responsibilities, and embrace the urgency of this moment. You did so with grace, compassion, and patience.”

Through data, Dr. Hanycz shared the significance of La Salle’s safe return to campus. For example: The University’s on-campus COVID-19 testing center was operational for 225 hours across 41 days, beginning in January, and it remained open through the semester, with support from 276 faculty, staff, and third-party health professions.

Here are some other figures:

• 4,780: The number of COVID-19 tests administered at La Salle’s on-campus testing center, as of May 7.
• 0.44%: The positivity rate of those tested on La Salle’s campus.
• 10: Average occupancy rate, in percentage, of quarantine and isolation space on campus.
• 0: Cases of classroom transmission in La Salle courses with a face-to-face component.
• Nearly 50: Percentage of undergraduate day courses with a face-to-face component.
• 100: Hand sanitizer solution, in gallons, dispensed on La Salle’s campus.
• 500: The number of hand sanitizer stations installed on campus.
• 5,000: The amount of La Salle-branded masks distributed to those in our University community.
• 10,000: The amount of disposable face masks donated to our campus by Trans “R.J.” Lualhati, ’16.

The end of La Salle’s spring semester comes on the heels of offering a vaccine clinic to those in the University and Northwest Philadelphia communities.

“I was pleased to learn that so many of our students, faculty, and staff have received the COVID-19 vaccine,” Dr. Hanycz said. “I encourage you to do the same. It’s yet another selfless gesture, after a semester replete with them, that will further protect our most vulnerable.”

—Christopher A. Vito