Ready & Resilient Update: January testing information and links

Dear Elon Community,

Thank you again for working together to make fall semester possible. We are updating the Ready & Resilient website and will share more information in early January regarding five key areas for a healthy Winter and Spring:

1. Engaged and rigorous academics

2. Mandatory arrival and weekly testing

3. Renewed and strengthened commitment to wearing masks, limiting social circles, and avoiding high-risk gatherings and behaviors

4. Disciplined use of quarantine and isolation

5. Increased student connections, support and well-being.

University offices will be closed Dec. 19-Jan. 3. Students, staff or faculty with medical questions or concerns during this time should contact their primary medical providers.

Mandatory arrival testing information

In order to create a safe re-opening, all students, faculty and staff must complete mandatory, arrival COVID-19 testing on campus (free of charge) upon returning in January.

• Click here to see the arrival/entry testing schedule, and plan your arrival so that you may test as soon as you return to campus.
• Students should plan to be tested before returning to residence halls or on- or off-campus apartments.
• Mandatory student quarantine: All students must quarantine in their rooms, either in campus housing or off-campus, until they receive a negative test result. While awaiting results, students may go to dining halls, wearing masks, to pick up meals. No other access to campus facilities will be allowed.
• Students not completing arrival/entry testing will not be allowed to attend classes and will be asked to leave campus housing if they live on campus.
• Prior positive tests: Students, faculty and staff with a prior positive PCR test within 90 days of arrival must provide documentation through their Phoenix Health Portal or Human Resources and will not be tested.

The Healthy Elon Commitment: By participating in academics and campus life during the 2021 Winter Term and Spring Semester, all students, faculty, and staff will be re-affirming their commitment to the revised Healthy Elon Commitment and shared practices that minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection within our community.

If you believe you are unable to test: Students, staff, and faculty, who are unable to participate in Winter Term arrival testing (i.e. past positive since Oct. 6, 2020; students, staff, or faculty not studying, working, teaching, or coming to campus in January; etc.) should complete the COVID-19 Testing Exception form as soon as possible.

• Staff & faculty arrival: Vice presidents and deans will assist staff/faculty with arrival and work schedules prior to and after testing.
• Faculty:
  • When faculty should attend testing: If you are not working on campus, please delay testing until at least Wednesday, Jan. 6, in order to make room for staff reporting back to work on Monday, Jan. 4 and Tuesday, Jan. 5.
  • Faculty not teaching Winter Term: Faculty members who will not be teaching or present on campus for Winter Term should look for future communications regarding Spring Semester arrival testing.
• Please email ElonCOVIDtesting@Elon.edu, if you experience difficulties signing up for testing.

Arriving early

• On-Campus residents: If your travel plans require you to return to campus housing before your assigned time, please complete the Break Housing Request form (under “applications and forms”) in your housing portal: www.elon.edu/myhousing. Remember to abide by the mandatory quarantine period until you receive a negative test result.
• Off-Campus residents: If your travel plans require you to return to the area before Sunday, Jan. 10, you may contact ElonCOVIDtesting@Elon.edu. Remember to abide by the mandatory quarantine period until you receive a negative test result.

Arriving late

Students arriving after testing concludes for the day, should plan to quarantine until testing the next morning. Students should contact roommates, suitemates or apartment mates about their plans. First-year students arriving after Sunday, Jan. 10 should click here to sign up for testing. ONLY SIGN UP FOR ONE TESTING APPOINTMENT.

First-year student testing and connections before winter classes

To enhance first-year connections, our remaining supply of rapid antigen tests will be used for first-year student arrival testing to eliminate the need for first year students to quarantine while awaiting results. This process will enable first-years to participate Sunday, Jan. 10 through Tuesday, Jan. 12, in connections-related programming, including dinners, small group gatherings, and events.

Volunteer opportunities: We need your help

To open the university, we will need upwards of 175 volunteers to assist with arrival testing. A detailed schedule and signup is available in OneDrive HERE. Please sign up as soon as possible, knowing that the first week of January is our priority. Volunteers helping on Monday-Tuesday, Jan. 4-5 will be tested with a rapid-result antigen test as part of their volunteer shift and, therefore, do not need to sign up for an additional fac/staff arrival test.

Vaccine update

While vaccine doses for students are not expected until late spring, Elon medical staff meet weekly with state and local officials to plan for vaccine distribution and the university is prepared to execute a vaccine clinic within 24-hours’ notice.

We look forward to seeing you in 2021 and wish you safe, happy, and healthy holidays,

The Ready & Resilient Committee

• Jeff Stein, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Assistant Professor of English (Chair)
• Dan Anderson, Vice President of University Communications
• Ginette Archinal, Medical Director of Student Health and University Physician
• MarQuita Barker, Director of Residence Life
• John Barnhill, Associate Vice President for University Advancement
• Tom Flood, Assistant Vice President of Physical Plant
• Jason Husser, Associate Professor of Political Science and Policy Studies, and Director of the Elon Poll (Academic Council Representative)
• Deandra Little, Assistant Provost, Director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and Professor of English
• Paul Miller, Assistant Provost for Academic Operations and Communications and Professor of Exercise Science
• Kelly Reimer, Director of Teaching and Learning Technologies (Staff Council Representative)
• Carrie Ryan, Director of Auxiliary Services
• Kelli Shuman, Associate Vice President for Human Resources & Chief Human Resources Officer
• Gabie Smith, Dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Psychology
• Mary Southern, Project Manager for Provost and Academic Affairs Operations (Project Manager)
• Mike Ward, Deputy Director of Athletics
• Randy Williams, Vice President and Associate Provost for Inclusive Excellence and Assistant Professor of Education