The following message was sent to students on Aug. 19.
Dear Students,
You may have heard that the University of North Carolina (UNC) has pivoted to remote learning only two weeks after moving students back to their residence halls. We view this as a cautionary tale, and one that is important to learn from. Here are three important takeaways:
- Treat everyone as if they are infectious. Research shows that everyone with COVID-19 is infectious before they are symptomatic and about 35% of people with COVID-19 are asymptomatic. Remaining six feet away whenever possible, especially when indoors, and washing your hands WELL while avoiding touching your face will protect you. Wearing a mask to prevent yourself from passing the virus on in imperceptible droplets that come from your nose and mouth will protect others.
- Quarantine anytime you are feeling unwell. The symptoms for COVID-19 range greatly and can be easily explained away. A headache. A runny nose. Is it allergies? A hangover? Don’t take the chance. Whether or not you had planned to be on campus that day, stay away from others and seek medical advice if needed. If you plan to come to campus you MUST fill out the health screening. If any of your responses are positive you will need to be cleared by Student Health Services before you can return to campus. Be honest. You don’t want to be the person who causes an outbreak!
- Get tested. You can get tested on campus as often as you see fit. Schedule a test with our partner, Enzo Lab, through the Student Health Center at https://www.newpaltz.edu/healthcenter/COVID-19-19-information/. We urge new students who are now on campus to schedule a test for this Thursday or Friday (Aug. 20 and 21) and returning students who will be on campus to schedule a test for next week. If you have COVID-19 it is much better to know and to quarantine now and save the rest of the semester for everyone.
This of course applies on and off campus. Plan to get together to eat and drink with friends? Keep it a small gathering, outdoors, and stay apart when not wearing a mask. Not doing so will bring an end to gathering and socializing with your peers for months to come.
If students at UNC had followed these steps, they would likely still be able to learn in person. Remember to think We not Me this semester and keep our in-person instruction safe. Our fate is in our hands!!
Stephanie Blaisdell
Vice President for Student Affairs
