 It's springtime in Indiana, always a season of optimism and hope and this year it's not just about the weather. The phenomenon that dominated our thinking and our entire lives for the last year is looking a lot brighter too. We've already been able to ease up on some of our COVID-related restrictions and we look forward to many more such decisions. There's an irony here. As things become safer, they become more complicated. For the last year, we all understood the need to do everything possible to leave nothing to chance that might help us keep Purdue open and moving ahead. Now, we're eager to make changes that move us back toward normalcy, but which ones? When? And in what order? Meanwhile, the facts are changing frequently. The spread of vaccines is a huge plus, while the emergence of new variant strains is a cause for new concern. To help you plan ahead, here's what we're thinking as of now, subject, of course, to change if the facts do. One thing remains clear, we'll still need universal fidelity to the Purdue pledge to protect oneself, protect others, protect Purdue. This coming year we see two basic ways to live up to the pledge. Far and away the best way, the one we strongly encourage you to take, is to get fully vaccinated and provide proof of it. The vaccines can no longer be called experimental. They've been administered to hundreds of millions of people and they work wondrously. They protect the person vaccinated and they protect others by reducing both the spread of COVID-19 and the emergence of new variants. There is a second option. Those declining vaccination can opt instead for regular testing of the kind that all of us participated in all last year. But we urge everyone to choose the first course. The higher the percentage of us all who choose vaccination, the more open campus can be. And there may be activities we can make available to those vaccinated, but not those who decline. As gratified as we are about the year just ending and about all the signs of improvement, we can't lose sight of a fundamental reality. The virus isn't going away. It's still just as dangerous to many among us and it could mutate in ways that threaten others. Success in year one guarantees nothing about year two and will continue to make all close calls on the side of caution and safety. To the big freshman class who will join us in August, welcome to a community that just showed a skeptical world what Boilermakers working together can do. Will soon be our teammates as we try to repeat that accomplishment. Let's all resolve to do it again on the path back to normalcy and the wide open campus we all love. Boiler up.