Jeff Foster, Interim Vice President for College Life and Dean of Students, and Darrien Davenport, Assistant Secretary to the BOT/Assistant Vice President of College Life, update the campus community about the new COVID-19 dashboard and the process for returning to campus in the spring semester.
Dear Campus Community,
Every Friday we will send an email directing people to the College’s COVID-19 dashboard. Since last semester, we have made some enhancements to the dashboard. Those changes include more regular updating, in addition to the Friday email update, and the ability to view information within different date ranges.
You can view the dashboard on the College’s COVID-19 website.
The College continues to operate at a moderate alert level. Please note that based on the number of current conditions, including the campus positivity rate and local conditions, the College could change the alert level or enact increased mitigation strategies. The campus community will be notified immediately if the alert level changes and if new mitigation strategies have been enacted.
Reminders and updates:
- Employee testing began on January 11 and many employees have since completed their isolation period and have returned to work. Based on the information from contact tracing, we have no reason to believe that there has been significant spread of COVID-19 among our employees.
- Students received pre-arrival test kits at home. Any student who tested positive at home is coordinating with Health Services on the timing and plan for a return to campus.
- 112 students arrived on campus on Monday and were tested as part of the College’s COVID-19 testing protocols.
- The majority of students will arrive on campus between today (Friday) and Sunday. These studentswill be tested upon arrival in Plank Gym and then pick up their keys and move into their rooms. Students will remain in quarantine until they have received two negative test results through the College’s testing process.
- In support of Arrival Quarantine, and to help ensure a safe start to the semester, the first week of classes will be held virtually. Students can leave their rooms to grab food on campus, do laundry, pick up mail, exercise alone, and go to Health Services if needed.
- During Arrival Quarantine, students are not permitted in other students’ single rooms, and only students assigned to an apartment/suite/house are permitted in that space during Arrival Quarantine.
- If students do not comply with Arrival Quarantine rules, they will be assigned to remote study. Two Gettysburg students in the residential cohort were re-assigned to remote study yesterday for violating COVID-19 rules regarding Arrival Quarantine protocols.
- All students in the residential cohort will be required to participate in twice-weekly testing protocol throughout the remainder of the semester.
- Students are also required to complete daily health monitoring forms via their Medicat portals/secure messaging.
Thank you for your cooperation as we begin the spring semester. If you have questions, please contactcovidupdates@gettysburg.edu.
Jeff Foster, D.Ed.
Interim Vice President for College Life and Dean of Students
Darrien Davenport, Ed.D.
Assistant Secretary to the BOT/Assistant Vice President of College Life