Dear Seattle University Community,

As we all continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, some parts of the world are struggling in a particular way. COVID variants, as we have seen from horrifying images atop the news in recent days, are having a catastrophic effect in India and a number of countries in Latin America, especially Brazil. India today reported 352,991 new cases and 2,812 virus-related deaths, making it the world’s highest daily caseload for the fifth straight day.

Over the past year, the pandemic has been devastating and distressing for each member of our community impacted by it and we have come together in extraordinary ways to care for one another. This moment in particular calls us to do all we can to offer support and stand in solidarity with our community members from India, Brazil and other countries hardest hit by the fast-spreading variants of the virus, as well as our Indo-American, Latin American and all community members who have family ties to the affected countries. 

It is important for students, faculty and staff who are struggling to cope with all the challenges of the past year to know we are here to support you. We have a number of resources available to support students and our entire community. Please make use of them and reach out to others if you need support. 

As the pandemic has continually reminded us, our human community is bound together inextricably. We all have a stake in, and responsibility for, one another. This crisis demands action at all levels, including assistance now being pledged by various countries to India. On a more local level, we can each do our part to help bring this deadly pandemic under control and to an end. As we continue to get vaccinated, wear masks and maintain physical distance, let us hold in our hearts and prayers those people throughout the world who are suffering the most. 

Sincerely, 

Stephen V. Sundborg, S.J.
President