Dear Bereans,
This is the campus update for Tuesday, August 16, 2022; safe travels to students as you make your way back to campus. We are eager to welcome you!
Quarantine update
As of yesterday, we have only one off-campus student in quarantine and all of our incoming international students have cleared quarantine. We have a total of 10 on-campus employees quarantined with positive tests and one positive employee who works remotely. The on-campus Bereans who have tested positive work in the following buildings/areas: Facilities; Lincoln Hall; the MAC building; Fairchild; and Stephenson Hall.
Kentucky update
The number of new reported cases in the Commonwealth is down a bit from last week: 14,409 vs. 15,652 last week. This tends to confirm my speculation last week that we may have reached a plateau for the summer with the level, thankfully, still far below the earlier surges when the state had upwards of 10,000 new cases every day. The test positivity rate for the past week was 18.51%, very close to last week’s percentage. The number of deaths in the state has increased a bit from last week, from 67 to 76, i.e., about 11/day in the Commonwealth.
Every death is a loss to us and a matter of great sadness for family and friends, but comparisons have some value, and the following note is offered in that spirit. In 2018, prior to COVID, we had a fairly normal “flu” year in Kentucky. There were 968 deaths of Kentuckians attributable to flu that year, which amounts to just under 19/week. (Of course, those deaths were concentrated in the winter months.) But by that overall comparison, COVID-19, is still hitting us, currently, about 4 times harder than flu does on average throughout the year. The earlier surges of COVID by comparison were significantly more deadly.
COVID-19 Community Level
Madison County’s COVID community level has been lowered to the “Yellow” designation, as were several of our surrounding counties. Overall, there appears to be some improvement in community levels state-wide, too. Three weeks ago, no Kentucky counties were in Green. A week ago, there were nine in Green, and this week there are 11.
The CDC level and guidance for these levels can be found here. The main difference between the CDC recommendations for the “Red” and “Yellow” levels is that indoor masking in congregate settings is mandatory for “Red” while it is only recommended for “Yellow” and discretionary for “Green.”
While we are no longer in the Red designation, we are just beginning the student move-in process. Likewise, all the EKU students have just returned, so it is hard to be confident that Madison County will necessarily continue in Yellow or improve further in the near term. For those two reasons, the AC has decided that we will continue with the campus masking policy, announced three weeks ago and summarized following.
Masking policy
| HIGH | |
| Vaccination | Stay up to date with vaccinations |
| Mask use | Wear well-fitting masks in all indoor public settings, including K-12 schools |
| Isolation & Quarantine | Stay home when sick.
Follow isolation & quarantine guidance, including getting tested if exposed or have symptoms of COVID-19 |
| Physical distancing | Limit indoor in-person gatherings and reduce size of gatherings. Encourage physical distancing. |
| High risk persons | Consider avoiding non-essential indoor public activities. Talk to healthcare provider about preventative treatments. |
For the time being, we will continue to require masking in all indoor congregate settings, with the same exceptions we allowed last year, i.e., in dining settings and, for students, when in their room in their residence hall. Likewise, employees do not have to wear a mask if they are alone in a room.
As to the other guidance, we are also mandating the requirements listed for Isolation and Quarantine. Employees should test when experiencing symptoms and, if positive, report to HealthyAtWork@Berea.edu and their supervisor, quarantine at home, and follow all isolation and quarantine recommendations. Students experiencing symptoms should report to White House Clinic for a test and follow the direction of Student Life, if positive.
As to the Physical Distancing guidelines, we urge all Bereans to do what is possible to comply but are not mandating any actions.
Testing and vaccination policy for returning and newly arriving students
Please see the full policy statement on the COVID-19 website, or go directly to the following link.
Following is a brief repeat of some aspects of the arrival testing policy:
Since it is important to minimize the likelihood of COVID outbreaks on campus—a serious outbreak, after all, could threaten our ability to operate—students are required to test negative for COVID 24 hours before returning to campus. Once on campus, we will return to the protocol of testing only if one experiences symptoms.
We have lately learned that federal and state funding for testing is running out, and that students are encountering challenges in obtaining affordable testing opportunities. The Administrative Committee has therefore decided that “home tests” will be acceptable for establishing COVID status. These are much more affordable and are readily available at retail stores and drug stores. There are even free tests available on order from the U.S. Postal Service (https://www.covid.gov/tests), but if you wish to get a free test, you should order early, since orders may take some time to fulfill. We will operate on the honor system here. Each student is expected to test in the 24 hours before leaving for Berea and come to campus only if receiving a negative result. We know that every Berean wants the term to be successful and will do one’s part to assist. When you arrive on campus, you will be asked by Student Life staff if you tested negative in the last 24 hours; if you would like to bring a picture of the home test reading, that would be great!
Students testing positive are required to submit photographic evidence to the Labor Program Office at the following link so that their faculty and labor supervisors can be notified of the delay in their arrival. Students testing positive should quarantine at home or wherever residing and will receive guidance from the College on duration of quarantine. (Please monitor for symptoms as well and seek medical care in the case of serious illness.)
After completing quarantine, the student should retest. Upon receiving a negative result, the student should again submit photographic evidence using the above link and plan to return to campus as soon as possible, using the link to notify the Labor Program Office and Student Life of arrival plans. We are hoping that for these students, a short delay in coming to campus will not negatively affect their academic program. Remote instruction will NOT be offered, although faculty may be able to provide some materials and/or suggest some activities to students missing the first couple of days of class. Students for whom missing some labor time due to a positive COVID test would be a financial hardship are encouraged to discuss their situation with the Student Financial Aid Services Office.
Flood impact update
Last week I announced the creation of a donation fund for the benefit of Berea employees who have suffered major losses from the flooding. We nearly have that up and ready to accept donations. Please watch for an email from me later in the week.
Employees are reminded that everyone is permitted up to two additional vacation days through the end of September in order to engage in flood relief work; I have heard that a number of Bereans have already done that. Thanks so very much!
The Administration is working with the Board on another substantial effort to support individuals and organizations in the impacted areas. More on that, as well, later in the week.
Lyle Roelofs, President
Berea College