Dear students,
I hope that you are settling into campus and getting back into your coursework! First, let me offer a sincere thank you for your cooperation with our return to campus protocols. I know, for many of you, getting a pre-arrival test was challenging but we believe the extra effort will help us get off to a safe and successful semester. We had over twenty students isolate at home after receiving a positive pre-arrival test and conferring with Davison Health Center. Despite high rates of positivity around the country, after almost a week of testing early indications are encouraging in that our on-campus positivity rate is under .30%. The state mandated two-week arrival quarantine assists us in continuing to identify anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19 prior to arriving on campus and reducing the likelihood of spread. Wearing face coverings and maintaining physical distancing is critical to our success again this semester so please continue to pay careful attention to these measures particularly when getting meals around campus.
Each student is expected to test twice each week on either a Monday & Thursday or Tuesday & Friday schedule. Because frequent testing is critical to preventing the spread of COVID on campus, it is your responsibility to adhere to this schedule. Please test either today or tomorrow and then starting next Monday, you will be allowed only 3 missed tests during the course of the semester after which you will be required to immediately leave campus for the rest of the term. The importance of keeping to the testing schedule should be as important as attending your classes as we rely on everyone to keep the campus safe. If you must miss a test (for a reason such as a medical emergency or illness), it is your responsibility to alert the University to an upcoming lapse in testing via this form.
Please refer to the Testing web pages for the link to schedule your tests and the hours of operation. For the spring semester, the testing site will operate on Monday, Tuesday, Thursdays, and Friday from 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. It will be closed on Wednesdays and weekends.
Finally, the community standards board (CSB) compiled a report from the fall semester cases, many of which were related to COVID agreement violations. The members of the CSB wanted to be sure that everyone was aware of the kinds of cases and associated outcomes during the fall semester in the hope that we can collectively work together to reduce the kinds of incidents that put the campus community at greatest risk. Thank you in advance for all of your efforts to Keep Wes Safe for all of the students, faculty and staff who make up this community.
Sincerely,
Dean Rick Culliton
Dean of Students
Wesleyan University