Throughout the fall semester, Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley is providing regular email update messages to keep students and parents informed about the efforts related to COVID-19.
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
As a reminder, these weekly COVID-19 email updates will be distributed every Wednesday by 10:45 a.m. Because they contain important information, we strongly encourage all members of the Elon community to read the entire update and follow links for additional information.
In addition, the Ready and Resilient website is updated regularly with the latest announcements. The university COVID-19 dashboard is updated daily by 4:00 p.m.
Today’s update includes:
- Wear your mask – consistently and properly
- Updates to Elon’s COVID-19 dashboard
- Contact tracing, testing, and quarantine
- Maintaining well-being
- Dining on campus
- E-Alerts and daily health screening reminders
- What to do if you feel ill
- Additional sources of information
Wear your mask – consistently and properly
Everyone on campus is required to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth when indoors. This includes classrooms, public restrooms, open office and common spaces, hallways, meeting rooms, libraries, theaters and other indoor spaces.
Face coverings are also required outdoors when six-foot physical distancing cannot be maintained. This includes walking across campus with friends, attending a class or event that might be held outdoors or in a tent, or playing basketball or volleyball on the outdoor courts.
Updates to Elon’s COVID-19 dashboard
- Elon’s current COVID-19 alert level is “Level 1 – New Normal.”
- Since May, there have been 15 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 among individuals who spent time on campus during the period of contagion.
There have been four new confirmed positive cases since the August 19 email update. - The university’s COVID-19 dashboard has been upgraded today with additional information, including:
- The count of students in isolation or quarantine is expanded beyond the original intent to track utilization of designated quarantine spaces to now include both the count of students who are staying in designated spaces on campus or in local hotels, as well as a count of students who are quarantined in their assigned on-campus single rooms or in their regular off-campus housing location. Please note that the number of isolation/quarantine spaces in use fluctuates frequently as some students exhibiting symptoms are in quarantine while awaiting the outcome of COVID-19 tests.
- The dashboard also includes a new table of ongoing testing results, now that the pre-semester LabCorp testing has been completed. The new table includes information about all COVID-19 tests conducted through the university – random surveillance testing of students faculty, and staff; testing of those who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19; testing of those who have been in close contact with positive cases; and ongoing testing of student-athletes who are participating in practices or workouts.
Contact tracing, testing, and quarantine
- To better understand how contact tracing and notification works – and the difference between a “close personal contact” and “expanded contacts” – please review the information available here.
- Resources and information are available here to understand the four different types of testing:
- symptomatic (when you’re feeling ill)
- testing required for those identified as close contacts to a positive case
- asymptomatic (when you’re concerned but have no symptoms and are not a close contact of a covid-positive person)
- university random screening
- Learn about the process and protocols the university uses for students who need to be in quarantine here.
Maintaining well-being
As the semester progresses, it is important to take daily steps to maintain your well-being.
- Getting adequate sleep and eating well are two of the most important steps you can start with.
- Even though gyms and fitness facilities are still closed across the state, Campus Recreation and Wellness has outdoor and virtual programs for continued physical activity.
- Counseling Services offers students a robust set of workshops, group sessions, drop-in conversations and online self-help modules, all described in this brief video. More information about these opportunities, as well as information about clinical assessment, individual counseling, psychiatric evaluation, and psychiatric follow-up, is available on the Counseling Services website.
Dining on campus
We are all adapting to new patterns for dining on campus and are grateful for the efforts of Elon Dining to implement new strategies and protocols that keep us healthy and continue their tradition as one of the finest college dining programs in the country. Read information here for tips on how to navigate the changes to eating on campus this fall.
Cleaning supplies and sanitizer stations
Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to make use of hand sanitizer available at building entrances and to wipe down chairs and desks upon entering and exiting classrooms. Physical Plant staff are regularly replenishing supplies (sanitizer, wipes, spray, etc.) in classrooms, sanitizer stations and other campus facilities. If you notice a location that is low, please contact Physical Plant directly at 336-278-5500.
E-Alerts and daily health screening reminders
E-Alert is Elon’s Emergency Notification System. It has been adapted this year to include daily health-check reminders with a link to the screening web app. You may make changes to your subscriptions by registering or logging into your account at www.elon.edu/e-alert.
What to do if you feel ill
If you feel ill or experience COVID-19 symptoms, avoid all contact with others. Stay at home and in your room. Do not go to class, work, dining halls, etc.
- Students: Contact Student Health Services at 336-278-7230. After hours, follow the guidance on the Health Services website.
- Faculty and Staff: Contact your healthcare provider or Faculty/Staff Wellness if you do not have another health care provider. Please also provide confidential notification to Human Resources (Stephanie Page at spage@elon.edu or 336-278-5560) and your supervisor to discuss how to ensure your care and privacy, as well as ensure arrangements for your work.
Additional sources of information
We recommend the following sources for those seeking more information about the COVID-19 pandemic and the university response:
- Elon’s Ready and Resilient website: https://www.elon.edu/rr
- The coronavirus website maintained jointly by several federal agencies: https://www.coronavirus.gov/
- The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services with information about the state-level response to COVID-19: https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/
- The Today at Elon website with news and information from across the university, featuring important updates and stories about Elon students, faculty, staff and alumni: https://www.elon.edu/news
The next weekly COVID-19 update will be sent to all students, faculty, and staff at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, September 2, unless an earlier message is warranted.
—
Dr. Jon Dooley
Vice President for Student Life