From: Mike Whaley
Sent: Monday, August 3, 2020 1:33 PM
To: Renee Johnson Thornton
Subject: Updated State Guidance on Arrival Plans

Dear students,

In response to Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont’s recent Executive Order/Travel Advisory, Wesleyan has been advised to make changes to our arrival plans. The University is thus updating information we previously provided, and it is possible we will need to make further changes as the public health context or state guidance evolves.

The state has indicated that college students coming to Connecticut from affected states (those with high levels of Covid activity) or from other countries are not eligible to “test out” of the required two-week quarantine. In an effort to have an effective quarantine on campus, Wesleyan has determined that all students on campus will be expected to quarantine for two weeks—from August 24 until September 7. To be clear: Students coming from affected states or from outside of the U.S. who arrive in Connecticut after August 24 will still need to meet the state’s 14-day quarantine; thus, their quarantine may extend beyond September 7. Those students coming from Connecticut and other states not on the list of affected states will only need to quarantine from when they move in to campus until September 7.

All classes will be delivered remotely for the first week, beginning August 31. For those courses being taught on campus, in-person instruction will begin on September 7. (Students affected by the state’s Travel Advisory who arrive on campus after August 24 may still need to access instruction remotely at this point due to the quarantine requirement and faculty are prepared to make the necessary accommodations).

For the period of quarantine, all students will be expected to remain in their residence except to pick up to-go meals and to get a Covid-19 test at the testing site. Students will not be permitted to leave campus at all during these two weeks. Students will be tested two times per week, with the first test taking place upon arrival to campus. Once a student receives two negative test results, students living in residence halls will be permitted to expand the remaining time of their quarantine to interactions with others living on their residence hall floor or to similar sized groups of “neighbors.” (These expanded groups will be designated by the Office of Residential Life). During the entire quarantine, students will still be expected to wear face coverings and practice physical distancing.

Please realize that many of our residence halls are not air conditioned. We understand that this quarantine is going to be challenging. Given the new directives from the state, we believe this is the best way to allow our campus to meet the quarantine requirements, undergo frequent testing, and work to identify and isolate any Covid+ students as soon as possible in order to minimize the risk of an outbreak on campus. If the requirements of the quarantine cause you to reconsider studying on campus for the fall, please contact your class dean as soon as possible to make a request to study remotely.

Though students may not “test out” of the state’s quarantine requirement, in order to reduce the likelihood of a student who is Covid+ coming to campus, Wesleyan is strongly recommending that all students who are able to get tested for Covid prior to leaving home do so. The state is recommending this test be performed within 72 hours of arriving on campus. (Note: this is a change from the 14-day window that we previously communicated). You will be asked to upload a record of a negative test result to an app, which we will introduce to students in the coming weeks. If your test comes back positive for Covid, please do not travel to campus, but seek medical advice from your healthcare provider. Because Wesleyan will be testing all students upon arrival, those students who are not able to get a test in their home state will have their first test upon arrival to campus. All students are also asked to self-quarantine for two weeks prior to arriving on campus, and especially to avoid large gatherings.

Finally, there has been a change to move-in due to the latest Travel Advisory from the state. We had previously announced that students would be allowed to have one family member accompany them into the residences to assist with the move-in process. In accordance with the state’s latest guidance, only students will be permitted to enter the residences. Therefore, students should pack lightly, and only bring what they can carry to their rooms by themselves.

Sincerely,

Dean Mike Whaley
Vice President for Student Affairs

Town Halls/Webinars
The University has organized a number of Zoom webinars to address various topics related to the reactivation of campus. These virtual events will give students and families an opportunity to learn about and discuss plans for such areas as academics, health services, residential life, and more. Students and family members are encouraged to attend any or all events that are pertinent to their particular situation.

Friday, July 24, 2020
Biology
11:00 a.m.
Meeting ID: 924 4466 4078
Passcode: 076148

College of Letters
11 a.m.
Meeting ID: 929 7763 6254
Password: 962957

Theater
2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Meeting ID: 916 8885 0061
Passcode: WesTheater

Math and Computer Science
2:15 p.m.
Meeting ID: 970 6037 2288
Passcode: 990311

Wednesday, July 29, 2020
German Studies
9 a.m.
Meeting ID: 925 0816 6330

Thursday, July 30, 2020 (Tentative Date/Time)
FGLI Town Hall
4 p.m. ET
Additional information is forthcoming

From: Tom McLarney, MD
Sent: Friday, July 24, 2020 9:00 AM
To: Renee Johnson Thornton
Subject: Public Health Update

To the Wesleyan Community,
Welcome to the dog days of summer. Did you know this expression actually comes from the rise of Sirius, the dog star, from July 3 to August 11? It has nothing to do with dogs, though my Labrador Retriever remains skeptical. And there’s your piece of trivia for the day!

I write to you amidst a heat wave in Connecticut, as my colleagues and I are working hard in preparation for the start of school, just over a month away. Today, I’d like to share details of Wesleyan’s plans for COVID-19 testing.

For testing on campus, we are partnering with the Broad Institute, a non-profit organization based in Cambridge, MA that has a history of performing premier work with human genetics. They also have an extremely large capacity to run tests, and are partnering with many other colleges and universities in New England. The Broad Institute has promised a turn-around time for tests of 36 hours, greatly superior to the typical turnaround time of four to 10 days for many commercial labs.

The Broad Institute will be using a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, a kinder and gentler anterior nasal swab that students, faculty, and staff will self-administer under the observation of Davison Health Center staff. The sensitivity of this test (detection of true positives) is believed to be greater than 95 percent.

Testing at Wesleyan will begin on or around August 24, when students begin moving in to campus residences. All students will be tested on the day they arrive on campus, and must self-quarantine in their student residences. Students returning from any state with high COVID-19 activity will be required to quarantine for 14 days based on current state of Connecticut requirements. The state of Connecticut will also recognize a negative pre-arrival COVID-19 test (with written proof of test) performed within 72 hours of arrival. We are actively seeking guidance from the state related to our testing protocol and whether that will allow for a shorter quarantine based upon two negative results on campus.

On the subject of pre-arrival, we are asking all students to self-quarantine for 14 days prior to arriving on campus. Yes, I realize this will put a damper on the typical end-of-summer farewell celebrations that are a tradition for many students, but for the safety of our campus community, it is essential that students avoid such gatherings and other opportunities for contagion.

Following arrival, students will be tested twice weekly. Testing will be performed outside in tents, as outdoors has been shown to be a safer environment to deter the spread of COVID-19, and six-foot distancing will be enforced. Wesleyan faculty and staff will also be tested regularly, and details on those plans will be forthcoming. We’ll be releasing more details regarding testing locations and appointments in the near future. Wesleyan is also pursuing an app that will remind people of their test times, give test results, and share national and state information related to COVID, among other things.

With the results of these tests, Wesleyan will be performing contact tracing to contain the spread of any contagion. This means that anyone who receives a positive test will be asked about anyone with whom they had close contact (including roommates/housemates, intimate partners, and anyone with whom they have been in contact—less than 6 feet apart—for 15 minutes or longer) within 48 hours prior to the test being performed (or, if the person tested is showing symptoms, within 48 hours prior to symptom onset). We will reach out to these individuals, without revealing the identity of the person who tested positive, and they will be required to quarantine for 14 days (the maximum incubation time for COVID-19). Because people can infect others two days prior to symptom onset, we aim to put close contacts in quarantine before they become infectious, preventing the spread of COVID.

Wesleyan will cover the cost of all testing. Needless to say, if a student, staff, or faculty member will be doing 100 percent of their work virtually (off-campus), there is no need to come to campus for a COVID test. We are not planning to do antibody testing on campus, as these tests do not tell if someone has an active disease, nor do they necessarily mean that person is immune to reinfection from COVID-19.

Testing and contact tracing will go a long way toward keeping us all safe, but practicing other safe behaviors at all times—including wearing masks/face coverings anytime you are in public (outside your own dorm room or private office), staying more than six feet away from others, and washing hands frequently—are also critical. Please pack a thermometer to help self-monitor for illness.

Stay safe, and I look forward to seeing many of you on campus (a safe distance away!) very soon.

Tom McLarney, MD

University Calendar 2020-2021 (latest update) 

Leave of Absence:

Q: How do I take a Leave of Absence for Fall 2022?

Q: If I take a Leave of Absence, will I forfeit my housing?

“Deferring admission means that you have been accepted, but you have decided to postpone your start date for school, usually to take a gap year” (Retrieved from Quora.com). So, deferrals pertain to incoming first-years (class 2024) and first-time transfer students. As a member of the Class of 2022, you may seek a “Leave of Absence.” To do so, please review the Leave information and complete the Leave form available at https://www.wesleyan.edu/studentaffairs/leave_wd/leave_wd_prepare.html. 

Q: Is it possible to enroll in classes at another university while on a Leave of Absence from Wesleyan?

1. Yes, students must secure advanced approval before registering as a visiting student at another university or college, Pre-Approval of the specific course or courses from the Wesleyan department.
2. It is not too late to make these arrangements.

Q: For purposes of my Fall 2020 enrollment at Wes, may I use the terms “remote” and “off-campus” interchangeably?

No. The distinctions have financial implications that you may review on the Financial Aid website.

Student Health Insurance:

Q: May I sign up for Wesleyan Student Health Insurance while taking a Leave of Absence for Fall 2020?

Unfortunately, students must be enrolled in the Fall in order to participate in the Student Health Insurance program.

Fall 2020 Housing

FAQs: Fall 2020 Semester and Move In Process

Q: What does “Family Unit” mean and how does it differ from a “Cohort”?

A family unit consists of students who live together: roommates in a double room, students in the same apartment, program house or wood frame house. For houses with multiple units, a family unit includes all students living with their specific unit only.

A cohort consists of a larger network of students who interact with each other on a frequent basis, such as students living on the same corridor in a residence hall, students in the same orientation group, etc.

When interacting with anyone beyond one’s family unit (including your cohort), proper safety precautions of social distancing and face masks must be followed in addition to guidelines outlined by the plan for reactivating campus.

Q: I would like to pursue living in housing off-campus, how do I go about doing so?

Students who will be Juniors or Seniors for the 2020-2021 academic year were invited to apply for a special exception to the live-on requirement policy. These requests have been reviewed and decisions communicated to students. Residential Life does not anticipate making additional off-campus releases at this time.

General Topics:

Q: Is it possible to only take a couple of classes at Wesleyan and still return the following year as only a Junior?

Wesleyan requires full-time enrollment, so you may not enroll in fewer than 3.00 credits per semester. Wesleyan does not allow “part-time enrollment.” As for one’s class year status upon returning from a Leave of Absence, if you currently are “at Pace” 16.00 credits cumulative after 4 semesters and you were to earn credits while on-leave, the number of credits earned would determine your graduation term (May 2022 or Dec 2022). So, if you do not earn credits while on Leave, you would return to Wesleyan in the Spring of 2021 at your current stage, likely 1^st semester junior.

Q: Is it possible to take 5 years to complete a bachelor’s degree instead of 4?

Unless there are exceptional, academic reasons for a student’s delay in completing all requirements for a major, students must complete their degrees in 8 semesters (4 years) or fewer.

Financial Aid:

Q: When will our class (2022’ers) receive their Financial Aid Award information?

The Office of Financial Aid will release Award letters by July 15^th

Q: We understand that international students can do their courses online from their home countries.  Will these courses be fully counted towards their curricular/major requirements?

If immigration regulations allow F-1 Visa holders to enroll in on-line courses, we will honor the credentials (credits and major requirement completion) of those courses. It is noteworthy to remind students to consult their particular major department website(s), review their Major Certification form available in their WesPortal, and sign up to meet with their major advisor and/or Class Dean to review any concerns.

Q:  If our children do come back to campus, what are the minimum in-person course requirements? In other words, if a student takes 4 courses during Fall ’20, how many of these should be in-person to enable the student to stay? And does the entire course have to be in-person or a percentage of hours of the course?

It is my understanding that University has not set a “minimum in-person” course enrollment requirement. The university has not set any standard for the distribution of in-person/on-line courses. We will continue to monitor any news that might be set by government affiliates concerning F-1 visa holders and enrollment in on-line courses.

In general, please note, the University Regulations stipulates that students should enroll in 4.00 credits for 8 semesters to earn the 32.00 credits required to graduate. However, some students find it necessary to reduce (or increase) their course load per semester. Students who reduce their course load below 3.00 credits may encounter difficulties with their visa status, financial aid, or academic discipline status.

Q: After classes end before Thanksgiving, can international students stay on in the US with family for the reading period, finish their finals and then return or are they expected to leave and spend reading period in their own country?

The University expects that all students who are able to do so, leave campus (return to home/temporary housing in US or abroad) on Tuesday, November 25, 2020.

Tuesday, 11/24/2020 – Tuesday, 12/01/2020
Thanksgiving recess begins November 24, 10 p.m. and ends December 1, 8 a.m.

Enrollment in Courses:

Is there any partial enrollment option for the fall for international students?  

Wesleyan will continue to require students to enroll full-time (3.00 credits minimum). There may be other restrictions on the immigration end so you should consult the Office of International Student Affairs to learn about any immigration-specific guidelines. For now, please note that Wesleyan does not offer “partial enrollment.” However, from time to time a student might fall below 3.00 credits earned in a semester due to Withdrawing from courses during the semester. Those students are given an “academic discipline status –probation, strict probation, etc. and close advising to return back to “good standing.”  Please visit the Academic Regulations to learn more.

How will drop/add work if I’m not on campus? I am going to have to move my schedule around a lot and I am worried that I will not have the chance to.

This semester, Drop/Add will be on-line only process conducted through WesPortal. The link will become available to enrolled students on August 24.  Students will need to activate the “Enroll Me” button in WesPortal on the morning of August 24. Unlike previous semesters, students will not be required to be on the physical campus to activate their “Enroll Me.”  Please visit the Registrar website to learn more about Drop/Add.

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