September 19, 2006

Dear Members of the Babson Parent Community,

As important members of the Babson community we wanted to provide you with an update on the College pandemic planning efforts. As you know, avian influenza (subtype H5N1), also known as the “bird flu”, is a hot topic in the media. Despite the fact that millions of birds, domestic and wild, have been culled (picked out), the infection has been persistent in the bird population and continues to spread along the flight paths of migratory birds. Most of the laboratory confirmed cases in humans have resulted from direct contact with infected birds with only a few cases occurring from human to human contact.

Public health authorities, and government officials have expressed concern that a pandemic could be sparked by the virus if it mutates in a way that allows for sustainable transmission from person to person. The World Health Organization and U.S. health authorities are making preparations in the event a pandemic occurs and has urged all communities to do so. We are following this recommendation and are making plans to prepare our campus community as well.

One of the consistent themes we continue to hear is the importance for individuals and families to take proactive steps to prepare for the onset of a pandemic influenza. Currently, public health authorities are stating that the best course of action at the onset of a pandemic is social distancing. Essentially this means that you need to reduce (to the extent possible) the amount of contact you have with other individuals to avoid the transmission of the virus. Consequently, it is important that you plan accordingly with your family. To assist you in this effort, we are forwarding three documents that have been created by government agencies. Please use these documents (attached) to guide your conversations and planning with your family.

One of our challenges at Babson is creating a response plan that takes into account the global diversity of our population as well as the residential component of our campus community. A significant number of our students are from countries outside the U.S. In the face of a pandemic influenza, it is possible that that the College may close until such time as the public health crisis is under control. The decision to close the College is likely to be made by government officials but could be made by Babson depending on the circumstances. Clearly, such a decision would only be made if it was determined to be in the best interests of the health and safety of our community members. In the case of a College closing, it would require that all students and staff vacate the campus. Therefore, we encourage each of you, with your student, to identify and develop your own individual emergency plan.

For those who live in close proximity to the College, your student is likely to return to your home. For those who do not reside locally, we encourage you to identify one or more relocation options that will provide your child(ren) with a place to reside until such time as the public health concerns have been addressed. We have encouraged students to consider finding a “buddy” or “buddies” within their network of friends and family; roommates, suitemates, teammates, family members, guardians and friends. We have also encouraged our students to communicate their plans with you so that you are fully informed and have the names and contact numbers should your children need to relocate during such a public health emergency.

We also encourage you to ensure your emergency contact information is complete and current including emergency contacts, email addresses and cell phone numbers. In order to actively maintain the emergency contact information for your student(s) please ask your child(ren) to identify you as an eProxy for their account. The eProxy function not only allows you to maintain the emergency contact information but also view your student(s) bill, financial aid information and pay on-line. Please note you must have an email address to use this feature.

For official information and a current assessment of the avian flu, you should rely only on official government sources. You can access such sources and additional information on Babson’s planning efforts at http://www3.babson.edu/Offices/health.

Sincerely,

Tim Mann                                                         Sharon Yardley
Dean – Student Affairs                                     Director – Health Services
Co-Chair, Pandemic Planning Task Force         Co-Chair, Pandemic Planning Task Force