Dear Viterbo Students:
I would like to express my sincere gratitude and admiration for the way you have handled the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Your cooperation with our safety measures and policies has kept the number of positive cases at Viterbo at a manageable level and has allowed face-to-face instruction to remain possible.
This success has not gone unnoticed in the community. Several local leaders have shared their appreciation of your efforts and Viterbo students have an excellent reputation in the La Crosse area.
I know it has not been easy. While everyone has struggled at one time or another in dealing with these circumstances, I hope you have found support through the many services Viterbo offers, from faculty or other employees, or from each other.
This will not last forever, but significant challenges yet remain. I ask everyone to remain vigilant in doing the right things to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Simple things such as complying with randomized testing, wearing a mask, social distancing, staying home when you are sick, and cooperating with contact-tracing efforts helps save lives. Viterbo is doing well in terms of overall cases, but La Crosse County and the State of Wisconsin are not. Continuing to follow health and safety guidelines is critically important to protecting the residents of long-term care facilities and other very vulnerable members of our community.
Thank you again for everything you are doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and remember that the health and safety of each and every one of our students will always be our top priority. I close with a challenge to all of us; “Don’t be the reason for why we fail, but rather, the example for why we are successful.”
Go V-Hawks!
Rick Trietley
Interim Provost and Vice President for Student Affairs
