DEAR BLUE RAIDER FANS,

From late spring, our goal has been to get as many teams as possible into the starting blocks to begin their seasons.  We are now in the starting blocks for football as it is officially game week of our 2020 home football opener.  The journey to this significant moment was filled with all kinds of ups and downs.

I would like to take this moment and thank every single person who helped get us to this point.  This was truly a case where we needed all hands on deck and our community responded!  We needed the knowledge and insight from our doctors, medical experts, trainers, and the staff who served on two different working groups to get us to this destination.  We capitalized on the tremendous leadership and support from our University president, Dr. Sidney A. McPhee, and insights from his leadership group.  We needed our coaches, administrators, and most importantly our student athletes to buy in to the plan, to execute the plan, and to make the correct decisions on and off the field.

Most importantly, we needed and will continue to need you.  We could not do this without our loyal fan base and we appreciate the fact that every one of you helped us get here.  It is important that we continue to follow our Return to Floyd Stadium plan; this is the link to our entire plan should you have any questions or concerns.  We recognize that the return to Floyd Stadium will be far different from previous years and we appreciate the sacrifices you have made for us to continue to have fans in the stands.  On behalf of our entire department, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

The hours and days have been long and tiring.  As everyone knows, the situation around collegiate athletics has certainly been filled with uncertainty and anxiety.  It seems every day we would get new or different information that would cause us to change course or minimally reevaluate our present course.  With the beginning of football season and the start of our academic semester, that still has not changed.  It has taken a great deal of patience, fortitude, and adaptability on everyone’s part, and we are very grateful for being able to play college football this season.

We have five games scheduled for Floyd Stadium this season.  Our staff is working diligently to provide the safest and most enjoyable fan experience as possible.  We look forward to seeing you, at six feet distance, as we celebrate college football’s return to Murfreesboro.  Thank you in advance for your patience and your cooperation with the new protocols put in place to provide the safest return to Floyd Stadium as possible.

We are thankful for you and your continued support.  We truly could not do this without you.

Go Blue Raiders!

Chris Massaro, Director of Athletics

Dear University community,

As we resume operations following the Labor Day holiday, I wanted to take a moment to congratulate and thank each of you for your efforts to keep our campus operating safely. The policies we have implemented are consistent with Federal CDC and State of Tennessee public health guidelines and are designed to provide the best possible opportunity to maintain on-campus operations.

While we have been diligent over the past two weeks in following our masking and social distancing guidelines, I am beginning to observe that a few members of our campus community are not following our mandated policies, particularly when it comes to wearing masks. For the safety of our entire community, it is essential that all members of our campus – students, faculty and staff – adhere to our masking policy.

As a reminder, masks are required at all times in all university facilities, including classrooms and laboratories, with the exception of private offices. There are no exceptions. Outdoors, it is highly recommended that masks be worn, especially when it is impossible to practice proper social distancing. 

For those who feel they cannot comply with our policies, you must seek an alternative means to participate in on-campus activities; you will not be allowed to remain in our classrooms without a mask. There will be zero tolerance for violations and, as we have seen at other institutions, the potential consequences could include dismissal from the University for anyone who violates our policies. 

The next few weeks are crucial to our efforts to maintain our semester’s operations. Your support and commitment to the well-being of each other will determine our success moving forward. 

I appreciate all that you have done and look forward to successfully continuing our fall semester.

Sincerely,
Sidney A. McPhee
Sidney.McPhee@mtsu.edu