Administration hopes all faculty, even those not on campus, will do wellness checks
In the final campus wide conversation before the fall semester starts, senior West Virginia University officials said visitation in residence halls will be restricted mostly to people living in the dormitory.
“Visitors are limited to two per room in the residence hall,” said Corey Farris, dean of students. “And they are limited to no more than three visitors in any residence hall apartment at one time.”
If you do not live in a particular dormitory, then you will not be allowed in the residential area, he said. Masks must be worn.
Also, people who do not live in a residence hall will only be permitted in the main lobby or front desk area, or outside the building.
If a person has a class or a meal plan associated with a residence hall, then he will be able to swipe his identity card and have access from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The Student Rec Center will remain closed for the start of the semester, said Farris, adding there will be a number of opportunities to do fitness activities outside or virtually including yoga, Pilates, pop-up dance classes and cycling.
Instructors will be notified if they have any COVID-19-positive students, Provost Maryanne Reed said. Students who have the virus or have been exposed, however, are expected to contact their instructors to determine how best to complete course requirements and demonstrate necessary learning has been made up, she said.
Rob Alsop, WVU’s vice president for strategic initiatives, said they want everyone, even workers who will be at home during the semester to do the daily wellness checks.
“We want to keep an eye on potential rates of infection and community spread,” he said. “If there is an outbreak in our community or a number of people indicate they are COVID positive or have health problems, then that is information we would like to know so we can take appropriate action.”
Alsop said the university watches the daily positive rate and the number of positive cases in Monongalia County per 100,000 people, as we’ll as the number of new cases.
“It is a combination of those factors,” he said. “The landscape is changing so quickly and we learn more and more about the virus daily.”
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