Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Swine Flu Communication

May 6, 2009

Dear Members of the Campus Community:

I am writing to follow up on the recent messages that you have received from Anita Barkin, director of Student Health Services, regarding H1N1 flu (swine flu). To confirm, we are not aware of any immediate risk to members of the campus community, and we are grateful for your positive response in taking appropriate precautions.

With commencement approaching, and the large number of parents, family members and friends traveling to Pittsburgh from throughout the world, I wanted to reinforce your continued thoughtfulness in this regard. While we do not believe that there is an inherent risk in participating in commencement activities, we urge you and your guests to continue to take appropriate precautionary measures. We ask that all individuals who plan to attend monitor their health prior to commencement and not attend if they have a fever or known exposure to someone diagnosed as having swine flu.

If you have questions or concerns regarding the above, please feel free to contact Anita Barkin (412-268-2158) or me directly (412-268-2075). Health care providers from Student Health Services are available for consultation during regular office hours (412-268-8220) or at all other hours as needed, and will be offering first aid and consultation services during commencement weekend. I would also encourage you to visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web site for detailed information about the infection and the latest recommendations for travel at www.cdc.gov/swineflu/.

The health and safety of our campus community is a top priority at Carnegie Mellon and we thank you for helping us to achieve that goal.

Sincerely,

G. Richard Tucker Interim Dean of Student Affairs & Paul Mellon University Professor of Applied Linguistics