IU South Bend Chancellor comments on newly-implemented face mask policy

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – IU South Bend Chancellor Susan Elrod spoke about the university's new face mask policy and how the decision to implement it came about. 

Multiple committees across the Indiana University system proposed the idea and deliberated on implementing the new policy.

“Wearing a mask just protects everyone,” Elrod said. “It protects the individual, it protects the community, and I think when people wear masks it says to me, 'Not only do I care about my own health but I care about you'.”

Elrod also says that this goes to show that Indiana University is looking out for their academic community.

“We’re on it, we’re prepared,” Elrod said, “we have health and safety as a number one priority for bringing students and faculty and staff back together on campus.”

All students, staff members and visitors will be required to wear a face mask while on campus, but there is no requirement to wear one outside so long as you can maintain social distancing.

Anyone in an office by themselves will not have to wear a face mask.

IU South Bend also announced that they will be issuing personalized Indiana face masks for staff and students for free.

Indiana University is still hashing out the details in terms of how the policy will be enforced, but they said that anyone one campus who is without a mask will be provided one.