Fall 2020: Live Learn Work

Yes. All students attending in-person classes, including those living off campus, will be required to be tested prior to coming to Saint Mary’s for the fall 2020 semester.

No. However, they will be required to wear a mask and respect physical distancing guidelines. Please note: If wearing a mask is an issue, due to a non-COVID health condition for example, they can help carry belongings to the outside door of the residence hall, but may not enter.

All students are required to be tested prior to coming to campus for the fall 2020 semester, therefore students are responsible for securing a test in their town of origin.

In the coming days, all students will receive an email with physician's order for a COVID-19 test, and instructions on submitting your test results, among other detailed information.

Testing is advised to be completed up to 14 days in advance of arrival to campus. The student is then asked to shelter in place between testing and coming to campus. This means you should stay home except for essential activities. You may freely interact with family and may also be outside for exercise as long as you maintain physical distancing.

No.

There are no absolute assurances. The goal of the test is to find students who are infected with the virus before they return to campus and could spread it to others. It is true that there is potential for exposure during travel, but this can be greatly lessened by taking measures that we know limit the spread of the virus; wearing a mask, frequently washing your hands for 20 seconds and keeping a safe physical distance of at least feet. As a community we have to embrace these new behaviors that will keep us all safe and well.

If a student lives in a jurisdiction without asymptomatic testing, arrangements can be made for an on-campus test upon arrival. However, the student will be quarantined in a different room than her own until a negative result is received. She will be allowed to move into her room, with all her belongings, once the negative test has been received. If the student tests positive for COVID, the student will remain in isolation until Health and Wellness clears them to start classes and move to her room. Please contact Cyndie Horton-Cavanaugh at chorton@saintmarys.edu, in the Health and Counseling Center, prior to coming to campus if you are refused testing where you live.

Documentation of a negative test result is required for moving into the residence hall, and/or beginning class. Please contact Cyndie Horton-Cavanaugh at chorton@saintmarys.edu, in the Health and Counseling Center, prior to coming to campus if this pertains to your situation.

For those who fall into this category, please contact Cyndie Horton-Cavanaugh at chorton@saintmarys.edu to discuss your specific situation.

The lab order you will receive instructs the providing laboratory to report test results directly to the secure Saint Mary’s College Health and Counseling Center fax machine at (574) 284-4833. Due to HIPPA regulations, test results should not be sent to Saint Mary’s by email. We recommend that you request your results also be reported to you by text or email, just in case the fax to the Health and Counseling Center fails. The Office of Residence Life will be advised when the student has completed the testing requirement ahead of move-in day. Those students who live off campus are also required to submit their test results prior to the start of class on August 10.

The providing laboratory will report test results directly to the Health and Counseling Center, therefore no additional reporting is necessary. Students who test positive will be asked to stay away from campus until it is medically safe to return. That is determined by three criteria: 10 days have passed since they developed symptoms or had a positive test result, AND there has been an improvement in their symptoms AND they have been without fever for 72 hours (three days) without taking any fever reducing medicines (for example, acetaminophen, ibuprofen).

If there is a medical reason that precludes a student from safely being tested, this needs to be raised with the Health and Counseling Center prior to the student coming to campus. Unless a student has a medical impediment to testing, all students will be required to be tested for COVID-19 before coming to campus. Please contact Cyndie Horton-Cavanaugh at chorton@saintmarys.edu, in the Health and Counseling Center prior to your arrival on campus if there are circumstances which you need to discuss.

Once tested, students are asked to follow the guidelines for sheltering in place, which entails staying home except for essential activities. They may interact freely with their family and be outdoors for exercise as long as they maintain the appropriate physical distance.

Students should make payment arrangements for tests taken before coming to Saint Mary’s. Most insurances are covering testing for COVID-19. Your state might offer free testing, and your testing center might have information on other sources of funding, such as federal grants, if available. If tested on campus, the Health and Counseling Center will conduct the test and our lab partners will bill your insurance directly. Federal and other funding is available for students who do not have insurance.

In order to be cleared for move in, you will need to have your test results on file (or have communicated with the Health and Counseling Center if you do not have them) and completed the required COVID online training module. Information for the module will be sent to you via email. In addition, all students will be asked to complete a health questionnaire through Healthy Roster to verify they, and the individuals who are assisting with the move, have conducted a self-assessment for COVID symptoms the day of move in. Information on how this questionnaire will be completed will be sent to you prior to move in. Missing any of these requirements could prevent you from moving and/or starting classes.

If a student exhibits symptoms or is notified that they have been exposed, they will be directed to stay in their residence and contact the Health and Counseling Center, who will triage via a telehealth consultation. If the Health and Counseling Center determines the student needs to be tested, an in-person visit for the test will be arranged. Please note: The Health and Counseling Center has a separate COVID testing waiting area and treatment room. Students who need to be tested should not make their way to the Health and Counseling Center until directed by a member of the Health and Counseling Center team.

Please contact Cyndie Horton-Cavanaugh in the Health and Counseling Center at chorton@saintmarys.edu  if you have additional questions or concerns not raised in this list.

All faculty and staff who are working full or part time on campus, as well as those who continue to work from home but visit the campus occasionally, are expected to adhere to the health and safety standards established by the College as it relates to pandemic operations. While there is no mandate to test every employee prior to coming to campus, all employees should self-monitor for any symptoms that could pose a risk to the campus community. Any employee who believes they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, and is on the College insurance plan through Christian Brothers, can be tested for free at one of several testing sites in the area. For further details on free testing for employees, please contact Human Resources or visit My Saint Mary’s employee portal.

Vendors and other campus visitors essential to the operation of the College (delivery personnel, employees of 1st Source Bank, ECDC, Shaheen Bookstore, ND Campus Dining, etc) follow the testing requirements of their employer, and not Saint Mary’s College. They will be required to adhere to College policies that require the use of masks and, to the extent possible, maintain appropriate physical distance while on campus.

The test kits at the Health and Counseling Center are not available to employees. Employees must obtain a test through their family physician, or by visiting the South Bend Optum testing site where they can get tested for free with no doctor’s order. Please note: Co-pays are waived for those employees on the College health insurance plan administered through Christian Brothers. The majority of testing sites provide a polymerise chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic test. Locally, there is a CVS Minute Clinic at 51467 State Road 933 that offers drive-through PCR testing.

Not at this time.

Through contact tracing, we will assess the level of potential exposure for every person in the classroom, and notify those who may be at risk. The same will occur for those who work in residence halls and other buildings on campus. At the time of notification of possible exposure, health instructions will be provided to guide the individual through the next phase, which could range from increased self-monitoring to self quarantine, depending on the level of risk.

The College has accelerated the academic calendar by beginning early, eliminating fall break, and finishing the semester on November 20 in order to reduce the opportunity that the coronavirus could be brought back to campus due to travel. Therefore, we discourage all non-essential travel, including trips home. However, students are not barred from such travel. We do ask that students who choose to leave campus for the weekend adhere to the health and safety guidelines established by the College to reduce the risk of exposure and spread of the coronavirus.

As a general rule, no. However, if you believe you have been exposed to COVID, or are notified that you have been exposed by contract tracers or others, please contact the Health and Counseling Center for further instructions. Furthermore, if you have any symptoms upon your return, please contact the Health and Counseling Center.

Non-essential personal and professional travel is discouraged at this time. Please reach out to Human Resources if you have questions regarding your specific circumstances. If you choose to travel for personal reasons, and believe you may have been exposed to COVID, the health and safety standards established by the College require self-isolation and possible testing. For more information, please contact Human Resources or visit My Saint Mary’s employee portal.