Julie Ramsey, VP for College Life and Dean of Students, sent reminders for Move-In, including things to note about arriving on campus, and details on required COVID-19 testing.
Dear Students and Parents,
In anticipation of your return next week, we wanted to provide you with brief but important reminders and information. In this message you will find:
- Reminders about how to move in and expectations during the Move-In process.
- Information and reminders about testing.
- Information about how we plan to keep the community informed throughout the semester about our current status.
The Move-In process
The Move-In process will be phased over the course of a week, beginning on August 10. Each day, approximately 500 students will arrive on campus at assigned times in order to promote physical distancing and lower density during the actual Move-In process.
- You should have received your move in assignment via email on or around July 27. If you did not, please contact residencelife@gettysburg.edu.
- Students will have three hours to complete the Move-In process.
- Students who will be commuting will be assigned a testing time on Monday, August 10. They will need to check-in, be tested, and quarantine at home even though they will not need to pick up a residence hall key or move in.
- Students who will be living off campus in town will be assigned a testing time on Friday, August 14. They will need to check-in, be tested, and quarantine in their off-campus house/apartment even though they will not need to pick up a residence hall key or move in. Students living off campus are not permitted to be on campus until their testing time on August 14.
- We will not provide you with a test or a residence hall key to your room if you arrive outside of your Move-In date and time and/or if you have not signed the Student Health Agreement.
- Each student may bring one family member/support person to help them move into their room. While moving into your room, everyone is required to wear a mask/face covering and to maintain a distance of six feet from others who are moving in.
- We encourage all students to pack lightly this fall and focus on bringing only essential and important items to campus; to have a bag of essential items organized in the event that we need to relocate students or if students need to leave campus on short notice.
More information can be found on the Move-In section of the Better Together website.
Arriving on campus
- When you arrive on campus during your Move-In time, you must report directly to Bream Gym in order to check-in and begin the Move-In process. Bream Gym is located inside the Jaeger Center, which is at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Constitution Avenue. A parking lot is located next to the Center. You may park there and report to the tent outside the pool area of the Center.
- Only students are permitted inside the gym for this process, and we ask those who traveled with you to remain in your vehicle. The process at the gym includes the following:
- Registering at a check-in table.
- Receiving a COVID-19 throat swab test.
- Residence hall key pick-up (including ID cards for new students; upperclass students should bring their ID card with them or obtain a replacement card using the instructions listed below).
- After you have completed your check-in process at Bream Gym, you will have the opportunity to move into your room and complete any essential campus errands before beginning your initial quarantine period. Students should ensure they have completed the following:
- Move your items into your room. We ask that you unload your vehicle entirely before starting the unpacking process.
- Pick up any items you have shipped to the Gettysburg College Post Office.
- Pick up books from the Gettysburg College Bookstore.
- Retrieve any items that you had stored on campus over the summer. When you pick up your key, you will be instructed on where your belongings are located. You can proceed to that location where staff will be waiting to assist you.
- Have a new ID photo taken if you need a replacement ID.
- For contactless service and to have your replacement ID ready with your residence hall key, please follow these directions.
- Check-in with business offices regarding financial aid or tuition billing questions.
Hours of operation for campus buildings can be found in the campus operations section of the Better Together website.
Baseline testing
We anticipate that students will begin to receive test results 24-48 hours after their testing day. Until students receive those results, they must quarantine in their residence halls.
- You must remain in your room at all times with the exception of using the bathroom and going out for essential needs, such as picking up meals at designated grab-and-go locations on campus.
- Anytime you are out of your personal room, you are required to wear your mask/face covering and maintain at least six feet of distance from others.
- More information about dining during your initial quarantine can be found here.
- When test results become available, students will be notified via their Medicat portal. Students who test positive will be notified by phone from the Case Management Team in Health Services. These students will then be relocated to an isolation hotel off campus. The Case Management Team will be coordinating support services for the student (i.e. dining, academic) and will provide daily phone and physical evaluations. Close contacts of positive cases will then be notified of their need to quarantine for 14 days in an area that is appropriate to their level of exposure in discussion with the COVID Case Manager.
Once all baseline test results have been received, the College will send an email informing our community of how many positive cases we currently have on campus.
Communicating ongoing COVID status on campus
Following the baseline testing upon Move-In, the College will conduct surveillance and symptom testing for the remainder of the semester. We plan to test at least 100 students per week, but stand ready to adjust this number as needed.
If you are selected for surveillance testing, you will be notified for testing by Health Services via the Medicat patient portal messaging system.
Every Friday, the College will communicate via email and through the Better Together website the number of positive cases on campus and any additional precautions or changes that are being made in light of the current status.
Thank you for your continued support and patience as we implement our plans to reopen campus. If you have questions, please visit the Better Together website, particularly the FAQs which are updated on a regular basis.
We look forward to seeing you on campus soon!
Sincerely,
Julie Ramsey
Vice President for College Life and Dean of Students
