January 14 update for faculty and staff on increased COVID-19 testing and volunteering to assist with testing

Dear colleagues,

Thank you for participating in and volunteering to facilitate arrival testing. Below are updates regarding arrival testing results, increased testing offered Winter Term and Spring Semester, and our need for test site volunteers.

Increased testing begins next week

We expect to increase testing on campus beginning next week. We appreciate support from the state health department for arrival testing materials for Winter Term and Spring Semester, and we are working directly with Abbott Labs to acquire BinaxNOW antigen tests through May.

• Undergraduate testing: We will provide and require undergraduates to test weekly, January 19 through Commencement. This weekly testing will help identify hidden cases in the community and decrease exponential spread of the virus when cases do occur. Students who do not sign up or miss their appointments will have their Phoenix Cards deactivated and may face student conduct charges outlined in the Healthy Elon Commitment.
• Graduate student testing: We will increase graduate student testing from the 5% weekly random surveillance testing in the fall to monthly required testing in Winter and Spring. Law students will test on the Greensboro campus. School of Health Sciences, InteractiveMedia, and MBA/MSBA students will test at the Francis Center. MHE students will test with university staff and faculty.
• Staff/Faculty testing: Although we have no evidence of virus transmission in classrooms or offices, we will expand staff and faculty testing from 5% weekly random surveillance testing in Fall to required monthly testing in Winter and Spring. In addition to Winter Term arrival testing, staff and faculty will be:
  • Offered one optional COVID-19 test during either the week of Jan. 18 or the week of Jan. 25 (look for an email soon about signing up)
  • Required to test once between Monday, Feb. 1 and Sunday, Feb. 7 as we end Winter Term and begin Spring Semester
  • Required to test once each month during Spring Semester.
  • Information will be shared soon about additional testing options through the faculty/staff wellness clinic.
• Not teaching Winter Term? Faculty members not teaching or present on campus for Winter Term should look for future communications regarding Spring Semester testing.
• Prior positive test? Faculty and staff with a prior positive PCR test within 90 days of arrival must provide documentation through Human Resources and will not be tested.

Volunteers needed

Thank you to the staff and faculty who have volunteered this fall and throughout the past week to make testing possible on campus. As we shift to weekly student testing next week, we will need to quickly identify 140 staff and faculty to work a single 3-3.5 hour shift each week.

Please click here to sign up in OneDrive as soon as possible, adding your full name, cell number, and email address in the block/time you are available. Weekly testing begins next Tuesday, January 19 with morning (8:30am – 12:00pm) and afternoon (12:45pm – 4:00pm) shifts each weekday.

Update on arrival testing

Of the 6,023 arrival tests completed January 4-January 13, 50 positive tests results were returned for a positivity rate of 0.83%. These positives were either: 1) positive antigen tests in symptomatic patients, or 2) positive antigen tests confirmed by positive PCR tests.

Vaccine update

Elon University’s Infectious Disease Response Team, headed by Associate Vice President for Student Life Jana Lynn Patterson and University Physician Ginette Archinal, is working closely with the Alamance County Health Department and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on planning for COVID-19 vaccination of students, faculty and staff. We will share information as soon as it become available.

We continue to update the Ready & Resilient website, and we appreciate your ongoing support, suggestions, and questions.

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