Date: November 6, 2020
From: Rick Culliton
Subject: COVID Testing and Compliance
Dear students,
Thank you for your flexibility and patience this week as we adapted to the testing tent being closed this past Monday. For those of you who still need your second test this week, the tent is open today until 2:30 p.m. There were three additional positive cases (one student and two employees) among the nearly 3,000 tests on Tuesday and Wednesday. This is unsurprising given the trajectory of the pandemic in our region, but it is concerning. As we watch other colleges in Connecticut experience more significant increases in positive tests, we are even more closely monitoring compliance with the twice-a-week testing protocol.
Over 92 percent of students continue to cooperate with the testing protocol and adherence to the COVID agreement. However, there have been a number of violations adjudicated through my office and the Community Standards Board. To date, eight students have been suspended from University housing and removed from campus. These suspensions are a result of students violating the safety precautions (not wearing masks and maintaining the appropriate distance), hosting gatherings that exceed the limits, and failing to comply with the twice-a-week testing protocol. There are 10 additional students who have been placed on deferred suspension, and 39 students who have been placed on probation and received five or more points for violating the COVID Code of Conduct.
The Thanksgiving recess is less than three weeks away, and the University is working hard to ensure that the community continues to adhere to the safety precautions and testing protocols. These are key to the health of our students, staff and faculty. Yesterday, Governor Lamont issued a new executive order and called for gatherings across Connecticut not to exceed 10 people. The University’s policies around informal gatherings have been adjusted to conform to this new 10 person limit. Please do your part over this weekend and in the coming weeks to wear your mask, maintain distance, and avoid gatherings, especially those indoors. We will continue our current testing schedule through November 24, which allows you to have a test result before departing campus for the semester.
Thank you again for all of your efforts to date and for your continued cooperation. I hope you get the opportunity to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather over the next several days!
Best,
Dean Culliton
Dean of Students
Chair, Pandemic Planning Operations