Dear Southwestern University students, faculty, and staff,
As medical and public health experts predicted this summer, the nation is experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 as winter approaches. Details of the infection rates for the University, Williamson County, and Texas can be found on our
COVID-19 Dashboard. While Southwestern has done an excellent job of forestalling positive cases on our campus, our numbers are beginning to spike as well. I attribute this increase to the wave of infections across Texas and the country, as well as a sense of complacency about coronavirus precautions.
I am concerned about the increase in the number of student cases. The University is prepared to continue testing, conducting contact tracing, and taking care of our students who need to be isolated or quarantined. As a reminder, isolation separates people who have tested positive for COVID-19 from others in order to prevent spreading the infection. People are quarantined and their interactions are restricted when they have had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. We have increased our randomized surveillance testing to 300 tests (290 or 23% of our in-person student population and 10 members of our faculty and staff) every week. This rate of testing will continue until students leave campus for Thanksgiving.
It is vital that as a member of the Southwestern community, you do your part to prevent the spread of the virus. Do not let your guard down. Wear a mask, stay physically distant, wash your hands, comply with foot traffic patterns on campus, and, most importantly, follow these guidelines both on and off campus. Please remember your decisions affect the entire Southwestern community. As the semester draws to a close, the choices you make now could have ramifications on your family and friends off campus.
If you feel you need to finish the semester remotely, you must notify Dave Seiler Director of Academic Success at
seilerd@southwestern.edu and, if applicable, University housing at
reslife@southwestern.edu. I urge anyone who feels anxious or in need of support to reach out to our mental health counselors.
Please create a plan for getting tested as you prepare to leave campus for Thanksgiving. Testing will give you and your family and friends peace of mind as you spend more time together. Here are some local testing center options:
As always, thank you for your diligence and support of your fellow Pirates.
Sincerely,
