COVID-19 Update from the President

Thank God that we have completed another successful week on campus during this crazy fall. Without question, we made it this far because of His faithfulness and your patience, resilience, and dedication to keeping our campus healthy. Believe it or not, it’s almost November. As we gear up for the last four weeks of this semester (for all but a few students in special programs), let’s keep pressing on together … but six feet apart … toward the goal of completing this semester even stronger than we began it. 

I shared last week that we experienced a significant increase in our COVID-19 numbers due to an off-campus student-led event that was not vetted or approved by the University Pandemic Task Force. Our numbers remain elevated this week because many of those students and their close contacts are still in quarantine and isolation. As a result, the Student Government Association elected this week to place that student organization on probation for the remainder of this academic year. We love the student organization in question, and we acknowledge the enthusiasm they bring to our campus and the service they bring to our community. But this probationary period reminds us that loving your neighbor as yourself means doing everything possible to keep yourself and others from catching the virus—and out of isolation and quarantine. Which is the best way we know to allow every student the opportunity to take full advantage of the CSU educational experience in the middle of a pandemic. This, too, shall pass!   

Our Numbers

Here are our numbers as of October 28, 2020: 

• TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN ISOLATION: 12 
  Of these 12 students, 4 are confirmed positive. 
  Of these 12 students, 4 reside on campus, 8 reside off campus. 

• TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN QUARANTINE: 70
  Of these 70 students, 9 reside on campus, 61 reside off campus. 

• TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN ISOLATION: 2 (1 confirmed positive)
  
• TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN QUARANTINE: 3

As a reminder, ISOLATION is reserved for actively symptomatic or known positive cases, and QUARANTINE is reserved for those who have been identified as a close contact of someone who is positive or who has symptoms. People in QUARANTINE are NOT ill – we are simply watching them to ensure they do not become symptomatic.  

As we press forward, it is VITAL to our ability to remain open for classes this semester that all of our students report if they become symptomatic at any time. We will work with every symptomatic student to ensure you have access to a COVID-19 testing resource as well as other resources including health services, campus ministries, and counseling services as needed.

Events on Campus

On Friday night, Student Life hosted Densonville for our students. (Check out the video!) This was our first major student life event this month, and it was a great success! In the words of one student: “It was the highlight of campus life this semester!” Student Life is actively making plans to host additional campus events over the next several weeks, including BucTober, Christmas at CSU, and the OCC Packing Party, so please stay tuned to BucNation and your email for additional information about these exciting opportunities to come together as a community. 

I also want to encourage you as we continue to make plans for the spring. Our goal for the spring semester is to pick up where we left off, not to start from scratch unless something dramatic happens during the holidays regarding COVID-19 numbers in our community. Trust me when I tell you that we want to provide the most “normal” experience possible for our students in the spring! 

Student Feedback

We greatly appreciate the feedback we received from students in the most recent University Pandemic Task Force survey. Over 350 students participated in the survey, providing us valuable feedback about their experience this semester and their needs for the spring semester. We will be making adjustments to both academic and student life areas to ensure we meet student needs while remaining steadfast in our efforts to keep our campus healthy. We will send a video message and updates to students regarding these changes in the next week or so.

Stay #BUCSAFE

Remember, you can always reach out to the University Pandemic Task Force with questions or concerns.  You can contact them directly by emailing covid19@csuniv.edu. This email address is monitored Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Any emails received after 5 p.m. on Friday will be addressed on Monday.    

Stay safe, stay focused, stay healthy, and stay faithful to the Lord and His provision as we work together to continue enjoying a healthy CSU! And remember: Spread the Word, not the virus.

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