Dashboard is up
Today we sent a message to students and families that announced several major efforts: our COVID dashboard, a color-coded operating status, and ongoing surveillance testing; read the full message.
In terms of the dashboard, see details on this page. It is important to stress that confidentiality laws prohibit us from disclosing any identifying information about affected individuals, so we appreciate your understanding in not asking for details we do not have and cannot share. There is also a video from Penny Rue, Vice President for Campus Life, who explains our new operating status banner, which you can see on top of wfu.edu web pages. Today’s status is Yellow – New Normal Campus Operations. You can learn more about our operating levels here. Here is what the operating status banner looks like:
In the same message, we also announced ongoing surveillance testing of our population to ensure that our mitigation strategies are working. You can see details here. This page includes a video from Dr. Chris Ohl, who leads our infectious disease section at our Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Dr. Ohl has played a critical role in all our COVID planning.
In other COVID news, wanted families to be aware that there are many offices here to support students in quarantine or isolation, including the Office of Wellbeing:
The Office of Wellbeing has set up a form for students in isolation/quarantine to use to get wellbeing support via a phone call from a Wellbeing Coach. Students who opt-in will receive an email that will provide info about our Wellbeing Coaches and how we can support them during this time. Additionally, they will receive two phone calls – one within approximately 24 hours of staff receiving the form, and one within 72 hours of receiving the interest form. The first call enables Wellbeing Coaches to help address immediate questions/concerns, and the second call helps with additional questions/concerns that may arise as students settle into their new and temporary living arrangement.
Students will receive the link to this form via the initial email from Residence Life & Housing, on the Students in Isolation webpage, and on flyers with a QR code at the quarantine hotel. The Office of Wellbeing will also be offering a support group that will meet twice per week, Mondays at 4 pm and Thursdays at 1 pm. This will be via Zoom and doesn’t require preregistration.
Classes start tomorrow, so students will have other things to focus on. It always takes a few days for students to adjust to classes and get in their study groove, so understand that your Deacs will be trying to work through things like time management, prioritization of homework and studying vs. social time, understanding faculty expectations, learning the syllabus for class, and more.
This semester, we are all learning together. And if each of us in our campus community commits to making smart choices, every day, I have great hope for the semester.
— by Betsy Chapman, Ph.D. (’92, MA ’94)