Jan 8 2021

Re: Regarding the declaration of a state of emergency

To: Registered students and faculty

Due to continued increases of COVID-19 infections, January 7 the Japanese government again declared a state of emergency. As we are currently in fall semester, with final exams and entrance exams coming up, I’m sure many students and faculty are feeling very anxious. I am therefore writing to inform you of the University’s status and our thoughts on the current situation.

The current state of emergency does not require the University to close. Further, we have continually improved our infection prevention measures, so we have no plans for reimplementing campus admission restrictions and intend to maintain basic University functions as-is.

Regarding classes, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has called for “appropriate utilization of face-to-face and online classes.” We have already been using a combination of face-to-face and online classes this fall semester, so we plan to maintain current class formats through the end of the semester. We will also hold face-to-face final exams as planned. This semester we have reduced classroom capacities for face-to-face classes to below one-third the normal standard, and we will keep this measure in place as an infection prevention measure.

We believe we can maintain policies for library and campus services without further closures or reductions. Regarding general extracurricular activities, however, we will need to take further actions for preventing infections, including adjustments to eating and drinking times before, during, and after activities. Please wait for and be sure to strictly adhere to guidance issued from the Student Affairs Department.

We urge all students, faculty, and staff to take the utmost care regarding their health management and infection prevention. Note that should the status of COVID-19 infections worsen, we may be forced to make adjustments to the above policies. In such an event we will immediately update the University website, so please check it frequently.

Leo Murata
President
Meiji Gakuin University
January 7, 2021