Welcome!

Preparing to Return to Campus for Spring 2021

by

This is a repost of the message sent to the study body on January 14, 2021 by Dean Culliton.

Dear students,

Happy New Year! I hope this note finds you well, and that you have been enjoying a restful break. I write today with important information regarding our plans for the spring semester.

Members of the University community are very much looking forward to having students back in Middletown. Our experience in the fall allowed us to test and fine-tune our safety processes and protocols, and we feel confident that we have strong systems in place to limit the spread of COVID on campus. It will require all of us to be diligent in order to keep Wesleyan safe.

However, we are also mindful of the high levels of COVID spread in many parts of the country, and worrying news about new variants of the virus. Our plan remains to begin the spring semester in early February, with students permitted to return to campus beginning February 5, and spring semester classes starting February 9. We will alert you immediately if we determine that health conditions necessitate adjusting this schedule.

As a reminder, spring semester will once again begin with an initial two-week period of campus-wide quarantine and online instruction to comply with the State of Connecticut’s requirements.

Below is a checklist of important steps all students must take before returning to campus. Please read these steps carefully to ensure you are prepared.

  1. Beginning on January 22 until you return to campus, we ask students to limit exposure to others (quarantine at home), and especially to avoid large groups of people.
  2. All students will need to receive a negative COVID test result from a PCR test taken within five days prior to leaving home. Students will be directed to upload test results to WesPortal and have a copy upon return to campus. If you receive a positive result, do not come to campus. Recover at home and alert the Davison Health Center.
  3. If you have been in close contact with anyone with COVID or COVID-like symptoms please contact the Davison Health Center and delay your arrival on campus until at least 14 days after your close contact.
  4. Any student who did not get a flu shot on campus this fall is required to send proof that they have received a flu shot off-campus to healthforms@wesleyan.edu by January 20.
  5. Prior to leaving home, you must schedule your arrival COVID test appointment online. This appointment must be your first stop upon arriving to campus. Unlike the fall semester, you must use the app to schedule your COVID test and the number of available tests each hour is limited to reduce density as students move in. You will receive your residential keys after being tested on campus. For students travelling by plane with late arrival times, please contact reslife@wesleyan.edu with information about your travel day and time to secure a later time slot.
  6. Students who were not on campus in the fall semester must electronically sign a testing waiver for the Broad Institute and Wesleyan. These students can find waivers in their WesPortal beginning the last week of January.

I will continue to communicate with you in the weeks to come, including regarding updates to the COVID Code of Conduct for spring term. Information about campus health and safety during COVID can always be found on the Keep Wes Safe website.

Enjoy the remainder of your break, and I look forward to seeing you back on campus next month!

Sincerely,

Rick Culliton

Dean of Students

Chair, Pandemic Planning Committee

OISA Zoom Session for New & Returning Students – 1/15

by

Spring 2021 Q&A Zoom Session for New and Returning F-1 Students

Date: Friday, January 15, 2021

Time: 9:00-10:30 am EST (use a time zone converter to find out your local time)

Students may submit questions using this form. All questions submitted by 11:59 pm EST, Tuesday, January 12, 2021 will be answered in the live session. This session is for both undergraduate and graduate F-1 students. Parents and families are welcome to attend.

Additional Schedule Changes Due to Saturday (8/29) Forecast

by

The following is a repost of the email Dean Culliton sent to students on August 28th.

 

Greetings!

Thanks to everyone for your cooperation in adjusting to the changes we needed to make yesterday due to weather.   Testing/Dining and Residential Check-in will return to their outdoor locations and times for today (Friday) and we were able to accommodate close to 800 tests yesterday despite the shortened testing day.  For anyone who missed a scheduled test yesterday afternoon please proceed to the testing tent today.

As we enter the first weekend of the semester, I’d like to remind you that we remain in a period of campus-wide quarantine, in which students must remain in their residence with exceptions only to pick up meals, receive COVID tests, retrieve mail, and sit or walk/jog outside on campus property. Until conditions improve, social events and parties with others outside of family units are not permitted. You can find more information on the Residential website. We’re all in this together, and we are each responsible for doing our part to keep our Wesleyan community safe.

With heavy rain forecast for Saturday,  we will again enact our rain plan for Saturday August 29 as follows:

Student Dining

Saturday lunch and dinner will move 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

Saturday testing schedule will be truncated to 10AM-3PM.  Anyone with a scheduled appointment outside of those hours on Saturday has been contacted and asked to reschedule.   For those who had scheduled appointments and are able to come to the testing tent between 10AM-3PM, please do so. No need to reschedule online, simply arrive on site and we will work to accommodate you.

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

If you are arriving Saturday and have not yet been tested on campus, you may proceed to the testing tent between 10AM-3PM.  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.

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 on Saturday will be moved under cover as follows:

Butterfield check-in moved to Butterfield A 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.

Please note that Residential Life Check in hours on Sunday will now be 10AM-4PM.

We’ve made all of these changes in the interest of safety. Thank you for your understanding. Please pay attention to any additional weather reports for any changing conditions.  At this point today and Sunday look like beautiful days and we expect to operate our full days at the outdoor locations.

 

Best,

Rick Culliton, Dean of Students

Wesleyan University

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

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

Important Move In Process Information: Check In Locations and More!

by

The following is a repost of the email sent from Kieran Duffy of Residential Life on August 21st.

Hello!

The move in process is quickly approaching and we want to make sure you have as much information as possible so that you are prepared for how the process will work this semester.

Please take some time to read through the Move In Overview at this link:

https://sway.office.com/5Z6vKEReuoAUUZtu?ref=Link

It covers the Move In process step-by-step and includes details for where you should check in.

We look forward to welcoming you back to campus!

Best,

Kieran

Kieran J. Duffy ( He, Him pronouns)

Assistant Director of Residential Life

Wesleyan University

237 High Street

Middletown, CT 06459

(860) 685-3429

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

Public Health Update – 7/24

by

What follows is the most recent public health update from Dr. Tom McLarney, Medical Director of Davison Health Center.

To the Wesleyan Community,

Welcome to the dog days of summer. Did you know this expression actually comes from the rise of Sirius, the dog star, from July 3 to August 11? It has nothing to do with dogs, though my Labrador Retriever remains skeptical. And there’s your piece of trivia for the day!

I write to you amidst a heat wave in Connecticut, as my colleagues and I are working hard in preparation for the start of school, just over a month away. Today, I’d like to share details of Wesleyan’s plans for COVID-19 testing.

For testing on campus, we are partnering with the Broad Institute, a non-profit organization based in Cambridge, MA that has a history of performing premier work with human genetics. They also have an extremely large capacity to run tests, and are partnering with many other colleges and universities in New England. The Broad Institute has promised a turn-around time for tests of 36 hours, greatly superior to the typical turnaround time of four to 10 days for many commercial labs.

The Broad Institute will be using a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, a kinder and gentler anterior nasal swab that students, faculty, and staff will self-administer under the observation of Davison Health Center staff. The sensitivity of this test (detection of true positives) is believed to be greater than 95 percent.

Testing at Wesleyan will begin on or around August 24, when students begin moving in to campus residences. All students will be tested on the day they arrive on campus, and must self-quarantine in their student residences. Students returning from any state with high COVID-19 activity will be required to quarantine for 14 days based on current state of Connecticut requirements. The state of Connecticut will also recognize a negative pre-arrival COVID-19 test (with written proof of test) performed within 72 hours of arrival. We are actively seeking guidance from the state related to our testing protocol and whether that will allow for a shorter quarantine based upon two negative results on campus.

On the subject of pre-arrival, we are asking all students to self-quarantine for 14 days prior to arriving on campus. Yes, I realize this will put a damper on the typical end-of-summer farewell celebrations that are a tradition for many students, but for the safety of our campus community, it is essential that students avoid such gatherings and other opportunities for contagion.

Following arrival, students will be tested twice weekly. Testing will be performed outside in tents, as outdoors has been shown to be a safer environment to deter the spread of COVID-19, and six-foot distancing will be enforced. Wesleyan faculty and staff will also be tested regularly, and details on those plans will be forthcoming. We’ll be releasing more details regarding testing locations and appointments in the near future. Wesleyan is also pursuing an app that will remind people of their test times, give test results, and share national and state information related to COVID, among other things.

With the results of these tests, Wesleyan will be performing contact tracing to contain the spread of any contagion. This means that anyone who receives a positive test will be asked about anyone with whom they had close contact (including roommates/housemates, intimate partners, and anyone with whom they have been in contact—less than 6 feet apart—for 15 minutes or longer) within 48 hours prior to the test being performed (or, if the person tested is showing symptoms, within 48 hours prior to symptom onset). We will reach out to these individuals, without revealing the identity of the person who tested positive, and they will be required to quarantine for 14 days (the maximum incubation time for COVID-19). Because people can infect others two days prior to symptom onset, we aim to put close contacts in quarantine before they become infectious, preventing the spread of COVID.

Wesleyan will cover the cost of all testing. Needless to say, if a student, staff, or faculty member will be doing 100 percent of their work virtually (off-campus), there is no need to come to campus for a COVID test. We are not planning to do antibody testing on campus, as these tests do not tell if someone has an active disease, nor do they necessarily mean that person is immune to reinfection from COVID-19.

Testing and contact tracing will go a long way toward keeping us all safe, but practicing other safe behaviors at all times—including wearing masks/face coverings anytime you are in public (outside your own dorm room or private office), staying more than six feet away from others, and washing hands frequently—are also critical. Please pack a thermometer to help self-monitor for illness.

Stay safe, and I look forward to seeing many of you on campus (a safe distance away!) very soon.

Tom McLarney, MD