Coronavirus 2020

Schedule Changes Due to Severe Weather Forecast – 8/27

by

The following is the repost of the email sent to all students by Dean Rick Culliton on August 27th.

To the campus community,

Due to expected thunderstorms and high winds forecast for later today we are alerting you to the following changes to scheduled activity on campus today.

Student Dining

Today for lunch and dinner, each of the outdoor dining stations will be moved indoors for everyone’s safety.  Dining will still be grab and go and we ask that if it is safe to return to your residence hall, please do not congregate indoors at the dining pick-up locations for extended periods of time.

Please pick up your meals at your assigned locations with the following modifications:

Summerfields Patio will move inside the Summerfields dining room.

Pi Cafe patio will move indoors at the Exley Science Center Lobby (Enter through the Church Street side).

HiRise will be in the entry way of the HiRise building.

Usdan/Labyrinth will move to the inside on the first floor of Usdan (Enter through the West entrance by Fayerweather).

COVID-19 Testing

There are over 700 scheduled appointments at the testing tent today. For those of you who are able to come to the testing tent earlier this morning before the weather deteriorates, please do so. No need to reschedule online, simply arrive on site and we will work to accommodate you.

If you are scheduled for later today and IT IS NOT YOUR FIRST TEST, please go online and reschedule for tomorrow or Saturday. You can click the link sent to you with your confirmation email and cancel/reschedule as needed.

If you are arriving today and have not yet been tested on campus, you may proceed to the testing tent.  As long as it is safe to operate we will be conducting testing under the tent. If it is determined that we need to suspend operations, we will close the tent. You may wait nearby in the adjacent Fayerweather Building/Beckham Hall (second floor) or in the Exley Science Center (lobby) until the weather passes or you may proceed directly to get your key at your assigned key pick-up location.

If the weather clears we will resume the testing today under the tent up to our scheduled closing at 5:45PM this evening. If you miss your scheduled appointment this afternoon you may return to the testing tent later this afternoon (weather permitting) or early tomorrow morning.

Residential Life Key Pick-Up Locations

Please review the information that has been sent to you about checking in to Residential Life and picking up your keys. Due to the inclement weather, the key pick-ups have been moved under cover as follows:

Butterfield check-in moved to Butterfield B Lounge.

Clark Hall check-in moved to Clark Hall Lobby.

HiRise check-in moved to the HiRise Lobby.

Rear of Hewitt 8/Mocon Circle check-in moved to Hewitt 9 Lounge.

Foss Hill Drive check-in moved to Fauver Lounge.

We’ve made all of these changes in the interest of safety. Thank you for your understanding. Please pay attention to any additional weather advisories issued later today.

Best,

Rick Culliton

Dean of Students

Wesleyan University

COVID Testing Follow Up

by

This is a repost of the message Dean Culliton sent to students on August 26th.

 

Dear Students,

I am following up my message from last week about testing with a reminder for all of you.  Please use this link now to schedule a test for your arrival date/time to campus.  If you are planning to arrive over the coming days, it is essential that you schedule your test so we can anticipate the volume of tests on each day.

(Tips to troubleshoot scheduling link: Make sure you aren’t logged in as another user, log out of any browser that you may be in, log back into the Wesportal using your Wesleyan credentials, once on the testing page make sure you are using Eastern Standard Time

Additionally, for those of you who are already on campus, please go into the portal and schedule your 2nd and 3rd tests at this time.  This week you should be using the following possible frequency(Monday-Thursday) (Tuesday-Friday) (Wednesday-Saturday)(Thursday-Sunday)

We will have testing hours from 8AM-5:45PM Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday of this week.

Beginning on August 31, we would like for each of you to shift to either Monday-Thursday or Tuesday Friday as we won’t have weekend hours the following weekend. You can also schedule your tests for next week at this point as well.

Read below for more details on the testing process.

Best, Dean Rick

From: Rick Culliton <announcement@wesleyan.edu>
Reply-To: “announcement@wesleyan.edu” <announcement@wesleyan.edu>
Date: Thursday, August 20, 2020 at 11:18 AM
Subject: COVID-19 Testing and Next Steps

Dear students,

I am writing with information about your return to campus and the University’s plans for COVID-19 testing.

Students, faculty, and staff will schedule their tests for COVID-19 at covidtesting.wesleyan.edu or within their WesPortal in the COVID-19 Resources bucket. Users can select a preferred date and time for testing and once a test has been booked, the user will receive an email confirming the upcoming appointment.

Wesleyan, along with more than 50 other colleges and universities, had planned to use software developed by CoVerified to assist with scheduling tests, delivering results, and more. This software is not yet ready to be used. Wesleyan will deploy CoVerified if and when we are confident that it will meet the expectations of our students, faculty, and staff.

The Testing Process

All of the testing will take place under a large tent on Andrus Field, with six-foot distancing enforced. We will have medical staff on site to assist with the testing process. The testing processinvolves a self-administered nasal swab that should take three to five minutes to complete. Please be patient as we expect there may be some delays in getting everyone accustomed to the process. Learn more about our testing partner, the Broad Institute.

Here are the next steps for you:

  • Read and consent to participate in COVID-19 testing on campus via your WesPortal as a condition of returning to campus for the fall semester. You will receive email confirmation after you submit your consent form. Please be prepared to show testing staff an electronic or a paper copy of this confirmation the first time you come to the testing tent.
  • Where possible, complete a COVID-19 test at home within 72 hours of returning to campus. Email a copy of your result (a photo is fine) to healthforms@wesleyan.edu. If your test comes back positive, you have symptoms, or you have a known COVID-19 exposure, please stay home. Contact your primary care physician, and inform Wesleyan’s Health Services medical staff. You will not be permitted to come to campus until you have been medically cleared.
  • Update your personal contact information and emergency contact information in WesPortal. We need to be sure that the mobile number we have on file is correct.
  • Schedule an appointment for your first test upon your arrival to campus. To do this, please visit covidtesting.wesleyan.edu. You will be prompted to log in to your WesPortal. (If you are already logged in to your WesPortal, you can get to the site by clicking “Schedule COVID-19 Test” in the COVID-19 Resources bucket.) You can select a preferred date (it should be the day you arrive on campus) and time for testing. Once a test has been booked, you will receive an email confirmation of the upcoming appointment.
  • Please remember that while we have staggered the arrival of students over the week of the August 24 to reduce congestion on campus, there are a limited number of testing slots each hour, so please be patient if you aren’t able to schedule an appointment at your preferred time.  You will need to complete the test prior to going to your residence hall to pick up your key.  (If you arrive after the testing site closes for the day, you will be directed to Public Safety to pick up your key and you will be required to get your first test when the testing center opens the following morning.)
  • Students will be tested twice per week. Tests should be scheduled at least three days apart, and individuals are encouraged to adhere to a regular testing cadence (e.g., Monday/Thursday, Tuesday/Friday). Appointments are scheduled for 15 minutes.
  • The expected turnaround time of test results is 24 to 36 hours. You will be able to access your test results through a portal on the Broad Institute’s website. When your results are ready, you will receive an email containing a link to click, which will take you to a login on the Broad Institute’s website. The first time you log in, you will need to verify your local address and phone number (mobile number, if you have one). Once you complete authentication, you will set up a password and be able to access your test results.
  • Any student who receives a positive test result will be contacted by a member of Health Services to inform them of the result, assess how they are feeling, and guide them through the next steps. In the rare instance that the student is having worrisome symptoms, they will be transported to Middlesex Hospital for further care. Otherwise, they will be asked to stay in place until arrangements for isolation can be made. The student will be isolated for at least 10 days from the time that the test was conducted and/or the onset of symptoms. Food will be delivered twice daily, and Health Services staff will conduct daily wellness checks.

We know you may have additional questions about testing. Dr. McLarney and I are hosting a Testing webinar for students today at 1 p.m. to answer your questions. Learn more about our plans for testing, and see a checklist of everything you should do before arriving on campus.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Dean Rick Culliton

Dean of Students

Chair, Pandemic Planning Committee

Wesleyan University

Notes from the Class Dean – 8/24/20

by

Greetings!

I hope this message finds you doing well and getting ready for the start of a new academic year. So many emails are swirling around, and I hate to add to the wave of messages you’ve already received, but I have some reminders and updates that may be useful as you prepare to begin the Fall 2020 semester.

Requests for Remote Study and Leaves of Absence

I am still processing requests for remote study and leaves of absence. Please be mindful of prorated charges for room, board, and related fees if you spend any time on campus between August 24th and August 30th. You may incur additional prorated charges as outlined on the Student Accounts website if you request to pursue either of these options starting on August 31st. Please contact Student Accounts for more details.

Requests to Pursue Remote Study

You may email me directly if you want to pursue remote study (i.e. remote status) for the Fall 2020 semester. Note: remote study status is defined as attending courses entirely online from home or another location outside of the Wesleyan campus, Middletown, CT and the U.S. (if the student has been granted an F-1 visa to study at Wesleyan). Additionally, students who are placed on “remote status” will not be permitted to visit campus at any point during the Fall 2020 semester.

In light of this, remember to confirm where you plan to study remotely when you email me a request to pursue this option.

Leaves of Absence

You may access more information about taking a leave of absence here. You should speak with your faculty advisor(s), OISA if you’re an international student, and financial aid, if applicable. I’m also happy to speak with you about any plans you have to take leave; feel free to schedule an appointment.

Note that you need to submit an official request for leave through WesPortal before I can move forward with finalizing your plans to take time off this fall. Additionally, I can still process non-medical leave until September 11th (i.e. the end of the drop/add period), but you may still be responsible for prorated charges for tuition, room, and board.

Enrollment

Starting on Sunday, August 24, at 8:30 a.m. EDT you are required to enroll in the University. To enroll, login to WesPortal, click through the yellow alert banner at the top of the page, then click on the “Enroll Me” button. Please be aware that you will not be able to participate in drop/add until you have enrolled in the University. You must enroll in the University by Friday, September 11, at 5:00p.m. You must do this regardless of whether you will attend classes in-person or remotely this fall.

In addition to enrolling, you must resolve any holds in your list of Action Items. To access your list, go to:

WesPortal > Enrollment Checklist & Addresses > Hold/Enroll

Instruction on how to resolve each action item are provided on the page. Many action items can be resolved with a simple click of the mouse.

All action items must be resolved by Friday, September 4, at 5:00 p.m. EDT. Please be aware that you will still be able to participate in drop/add even if you have unresolved action items (as long as you have already enrolled in the University using the “Enroll Me” button).

Academic Preparation

Please consult with your faculty advisors if you have any questions about requirements for your major/minors/certificate programs. You’re welcome to get on my schedule with any questions about general requirements for your degree and resources to help you successfully complete the fall semester. Remember, your Credit Analysis Report (CAR) and GenEd Report are also useful tools to help you plan for this academic year. You may access both reports through WesPortal.

Drop/Add

The drop/add period begins today, Monday, August 24th, and runs through Friday, September 11th. Classes begin next Monday, August 31st, so you have a full week to modify your schedule before you start attending your courses. Continue to submit your POI requests, and contact those instructors about getting access to the first session of any classes in which you are not currently enrolled.

Move-In and the Community Agreement

Please adhere to the guidelines communicated to you concerning move-in; the Community Agreement and coordinating Moodle;  and COVID-19 testing. Kieran Duffy of Residential Life sent an email on August 21st to help students prepare for moving in this week. I reposted it on our class blog for your convenience.  You may access it here.

Additionally, I just received the following update from Dean Whaley as it relates to the Community Agreement/Moodle:

“The Moodle has been reopened until classes begin so students can complete it at their convenience.  It will speed up the check-in process if they complete it and acknowledge the associated code of conduct prior to arrival.  If they do not have the chance to complete this prior to arrival, Res Life will have paper copies for them to review and sign when they pick up their keys.”

Honors/Thesis Information

Please see the email I sent earlier today with the attached letter containing critical deadlines and important information for students pursuing thesis work this academic year.

Welcome back, and I will be in touch again soon!

 

Take gentle care,

Dean Leathers

Pre-Arrival Checklist – Fall 2020

by

The following is repost of the message sent by VP Whaley on 8/15/20.

Dear students,

We are looking forward to welcoming you back to campus.  As you know, your arrival to campus this year will be quite different than usual. In addition to packing your bags (which we’d advise keeping light), please remember to complete the following steps:

Pre-Arrival 

  • Self-quarantine during the two weeks leading up to your arrival on campus. (You should already be doing this!)
  • Complete your COVID-19 test within 72 hours of returning to campus, if possible, and upload a negative test result to the CoVerified app (more on that in a moment). If your test comes back positive, if you have symptoms, or if you have a known COVID exposure, please stay home until medically cleared.
  • Read and acknowledge the student Code of Conduct in your WesPortal. (This must be done in order to pick up the key to your campus residence). This document clearly states expectations for student conduct, and non-compliance will result in a student being immediately asked to leave campus in order to protect the health and safety of others.
  • Read and consent to participate in COVID-19 testing on campus via your WesPortal as a condition of returning to campus for the fall semester.
  • Download the CoVerified app. (You will receive an email prompting you to do so). Wesleyan will use this app to manage scheduling of COVID testing appointments on campus, deliver test results, facilitate reporting of symptoms, and enable contact tracing when cases arise.
  • Update your personal contact information and emergency contact information in WesPortal. We need to be sure that the mobile number we have on file is correct.
  • Be sure to pack your thermometer and fever-reducing medications to monitor your temperature or in case you become ill.
  • Bring your Wes ID. If you have lost your ID, email wescard@wesleyan.edu to request a reprint. The WesCard Office will have your replacement ID available with your residence keys upon your arrival.


Arrival on Campus

  • Plan to arrive on campus on your assigned day and time. We are staggering arrival days in order to minimize crowds and allow for appropriate physical distancing. Only students may enter residences during move-in.
  • Visit the COVID-19 testing site (in a tent near Fayerweather) before proceeding to your assigned residence. Every student must be tested the day they arrive on campus and again a few days later.
  • Pick up your keys from ResLife at your assigned key distribution site and move into your residence.


Arrival Quarantine Specifics

  • Wesleyan must observe a state-mandated, campus-wide quarantine between August 24 and September 7. During this period, students may only leave their residences for these purposes:
    • To pick up meals from conveniently-located sites near residences.
    • To visit the COVID testing tent.
    • To retrieve mail/packages at WesStation.
    • To go for a walk/jog (solo or with others in your family unit) outside on campus property.
    • To do laundry on campus.
    • To sit outside your residence for class.
  • Once a student receives two negative on-campus test results, students living in residence halls will be able to interact with others living on their residence hall floor or with similar-sized groups of neighbors, as designated by the Office of Residential Life, for the remainder of the quarantine period.
  • If you are coming from an affected state or from outside of the U.S. and arrive on campus after August 24, you must remain in campus quarantine for a full 14 days.
  • The first week of classes will take place virtually due to the campus-wide quarantine. Faculty members are aware that some students may need to quarantine longer, and are prepared to accommodate them.
  • The drop/add period has been extended to run from August 24 to September 11. Details are available here.

For additional information on preparing for arrival, please visit this webpage. With any additional questions, you may call (888) 675-2011 between noon and 4 p.m. EDT, or email Covid-19Info@wesleyan.edu.

 

Wishing you safe travels!

Dean Mike Whaley, Vice President for Student Affairs

Reminder: Reactivating Campus Webinar on the Campus Quarantine – 8/18

by

Good afternoon,

I hope this email finds you and your loved ones doing well.

The university just sent you a reminder about the town halls scheduled for next week. I also want to draw your attention to the following town halls which may address some of the lingering questions I could not answer about the upcoming campus quarantine and testing protocols.

Please note that some details may still be in flux given that the state of Connecticut could change their guidelines, but these scheduled sessions should also give you access to updated information available to the university.

Tuesday, August 18

Pre-Arrival: What to Expect in Quarantine
10 a.m., EDT
Passcode: 891092
Webinar ID: 990 7326 7417

Thursday, August 20

Testing (Students Only)
1 p.m., EDT
Passcode: 061159
Webinar ID: 987 2129 2720

 

Wishing you good health,

Dean Leathers

Insurance Deadline Extended to 9/15

by

The following is a repost of the email sent to students on August 11th.

 

Dear Wes Student,

This notice is being sent to all students.  If you have already complied with the annual insurance requirements at www.gallagherstudent.com/wesleyan,  you can disregard this message.

The deadline for annual insurance compliance has been extended to September 15.  If you have not yet completed a waiver or enrollment form, please go to www.gallagherstudent.com/wesleyan.  You will need to use your Wesleyan email user and password to log in or create an account.    After this date you will no longer be able to reverse the charges and you will remain on the school insurance.

If you are remote learning, you have the option to terminate the school insurance and receive a reversal of charges and comply when you return to campus in the spring (or next fall).  If you have not yet done so, please alert me by email if you decide to NOT come to campus so adjustments can be made accordingly.

Be Well,

Joyce

Joyce L. Walter

Director, Davison Health Center

Wesleyan University

327 High St.

Middletown, CT  06459

860-685-2656

860-685-2471f

www.wesleyan.edu/healthservices

Important Information for Fall 2020 Semester – Update from Dean Whaley & President Roth

by

The following is a letter Dean Whaley and President Roth emailed to students on August 10th.

Dear students,

As our staff makes final preparations for students’ arrival to campus only two weeks from now, we look forward to the start of the semester with a mix of excitement and anxiety. Most of us have longed for the day when we can be together again on campus since we were abruptly forced apart by the pandemic last spring, yet the worsening public health conditions in much of the country are deeply troubling. Thankfully, Connecticut continues to fare well with decreasing COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths—largely thanks to the continued diligence of our state’s residents in following the rules meant to keep the public safe.

Like the state, Wesleyan has its own set of rules and expectations that all students, faculty, and staff will be required to follow. We write today to remind you of these policies and practices, as well as to drive home how serious we will be about enforcing them. As stated in the student Code of Conduct—which all students will be required to read and acknowledge prior to arriving on campus and picking up keys to their residence—students are expected to follow the policies at all times. Non-compliance will result in a student being immediately required to leave campus on an expedited basis in order to protect the health and safety of others.

New public health guidance from the state of Connecticut has also required Wesleyan to change and tighten some of its rules and protocols, especially around the logistics of students’ arrival to campus. These changes were shared in an August 3 message to students. As a reminder:

  • Wesleyan is requiring that all students who are able to get tested for COVID prior to leaving home do so. The state recommends that this test be performed within 72 hours of arriving on campus. Students will be asked to upload a record of a negative test result to an app, which we will introduce soon. Any student whose test comes back positive for COVID should not travel to campus, but should seek medical advice from their healthcare provider, recover at home and, if possible, begin the semester remotely. Wesleyan will require documentation from students’ hometown healthcare provider clearing them to return to campus, which must be consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.
  • All students are asked to self-quarantine for two weeks prior to arriving on campus, and especially to avoid large gatherings.
  • In accordance with the state’s guidance, only students—not family members—will be permitted to enter student residences during move-in. Therefore, students should pack lightly, and only bring what they can carry to their rooms by themselves. More information on move-in is available on the Residential section of the Reactivating Campus website.
  • In order to have an effective quarantine on campus as required by the state, Wesleyan will require all students on campus to quarantine between August 24 and September 7. Students who arrive on campus after August 24 from affected states with high COVID activity or from other countries will still need to meet the state’s 14-day quarantine; thus their quarantine may extend beyond September 7. Students coming from Connecticut and other states not on the list of affected states will only need to quarantine from the day they move in to campus until September 7.
  • For this period of quarantine, students will be expected to remain in their residence except to pick up to-go meals and to get a COVID-19 test at the testing site. Students will not be allowed to leave campus at all during these two weeks.
  • Students will be tested two times per week, with the first test taking place upon arrival to campus. Once a student receives two negative test results, students living in residence halls will be permitted to expand the remaining time of their quarantine to interactions with others living on their residence hall floor or to similar sized groups of “neighbors,” as designated by the Office of Residential Life.

Following arrival, students will be tested twice weekly for COVID through a self-administered anterior nasal swab, allowing us to detect COVID in the pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic stage and to isolate any infected students and quarantine and test their close contacts (roommates, housemates, intimate partners, and anyone they have been in contact with for 15 minutes or longer at a distance of less than six feet). We will aim to quarantine for 14 days any close contact who may have been exposed before they are contagious (which typically happens two days prior to symptom onset), thereby greatly reduce the spread of the disease.

Any student who tests positive will be isolated for a CDC-recommended period of 10 days from the onset of symptoms, as long as they are improving and have had no fever for 72 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.

Students are expected to comply with the University’s testing, contact tracing, and quarantine/isolation orders in order to break the chain of contagion, as well to abide by the following measures for the health and safety of the community:

  • Wear a mask or face covering at all times, except when sleeping, in one’s room (alone or with a roommate), eating, showering, or brushing teeth. This means masks/face coverings must be worn when a student leaves their room to go into the hallway or restroom, or when a guest is present in their room.
  • Maintain a six-foot physical distance from others at all times.
  • Avoid groups and gatherings. All meetings and informal gatherings are limited to 25 or fewer people and should take place in venues where physical distancing requirements can be maintained. All such gatherings should take place virtually whenever possible. Most in-person social events and parties are prohibited.
  • Comply with reduced capacity limits in classrooms, dining areas, and other campus spaces.
  • No visitors are allowed on campus during the semester, including students’ parents and other family members, speakers, performers, admission tours, etc.
  • Students are discouraged from traveling outside of the Middletown area (beyond a 25-mile radius from campus), and will be required to self-quarantine upon return to campus as per CDC and state Department of Public Health (DPH) guidelines. Any student who travels beyond the 25-mile radius should notify staff at Davison Health Services who will discuss with them necessary precautions upon their return.  Students are expected to comply with COVID precautions (including physical distancing, face coverings, etc.) as directed by local businesses/agencies when interacting with the local community.
  • The University will also increase the frequency of cleaning in all campus buildings, including residences. However, students are encouraged to carefully and frequently wash hands and to sanitize living spaces. Wesleyan will provide instructions on cleaning protocols intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and expects compliance with these protocols.
  • Students will be required to obtain an influenza vaccination prior to January 20, 2021 (unless they have an exemption as permitted by state law).

As we’ve said before, campus life this semester will undoubtedly look very different, but we are confident that with the cooperation of our campus community, we can all enjoy opportunities to learn, grow, and support one another. That said, if understanding these rules as a condition of living and studying on campus causes you to reconsider your plans for the semester, please contact your class dean as soon as possible to make a request to study remotely.

As always, we will be closely monitoring public health conditions and state guidance. If any change in our plans is warranted, we will alert you immediately.

Stay safe, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

 

Sincerely,

Dean Mike Whaley, Vice President for Student Affairs

Michael S. Roth, President

Virtual Wesleyan Students and Families Forum: Thursday, 8/13 at noon ET

by

Dear students and families,

Whether you will be joining us through in-person, online, or hybrid classes this fall, we cannot wait to see you again and reunite our Wesleyan community. As you know, faculty and staff have been working tirelessly to assure the success of this semester, and we would like to share more details about our plans. I invite you to participate in a virtual Students and Families Forum, on Thursday, August 13 at noon ET. Dean Mike Whaley will join me in leading the conversation.

This will be a Zoom video webinar. You can use the following information to participate in the Zoom:

Click here to access Zoom Webinar

Passcode: 646292

Webinar ID: 997 8720 6796

Find your local number

I look forward to reconnecting with you on August 13. In the meantime, be safe and stay well!

Sincerely,

Michael S. Roth, President

 

Open Call for Mutual Aid Support for the Middletown Community

by

Middletown Mutual Aid Flyer

As we get one step closer to a smooth reopening in the fall, many students and Middletown community members are concerned for what this sudden influx people might mean for the hygiene and safety of the Middletown community – much of which comes from backgrounds of more modest means than Wesleyan students, as I’m sure you understand.

In this regard, myself and other Wesleyan students have been collaborating with community members and institutions – like the North End Action Team, St. Vincent de Paul, etc. – to provide material services and fundraise for the most vulnerable people in Middletown at this time. We set up a Direct Cash Assistance Fund with the purpose of supporting the neediest without means testing and with no questions asked. Since its inception, we have raised over $20,000 and were able to send checks to nearly 100 families over the last month. As President Roth has blogged and promoted the fundraiser, I hope you can do so as well, and implore the Wesleyan community to support their neighbors that have taken such good care of us throughout all these years.

Below is the link to our fundraiser:
https://tinyurl.com/givemtown

Best regards,
Bryan Chong
Wesleyan University ’21
Mutual Aid Flyer in Spanish/Espanol