Wednesday news and notes
Last night we sent a message with lots of COVID updates to undergraduate students and their families; read it here. Today I want to share a handful of quick hit questions we’ve gotten in the Call Center/emails, etc.:
Why was my declination of housing form declined for my quarantine? I am trying to fly home to quarantine there. CDC has firm guidelines of when not to travel while in quarantine, which includes not travelling by plane, train, bus or boat at all.
I was supposed to visit my friend at X school/go to the mountains on a ski trip/go home to see my family for the weekend. Can I? Our message of February 7th urges everyone to avoid unnecessary travel: “All students should avoid bars, restaurants and social gatherings regardless of the time of day. Do not take road trips or other non-essential travel. Reducing movement slows community spread.” If your student is talking about traveling, please help us by stressing the importance of NOT making any unnecessary trips.
I heard that people are checking what time people swipe in to residence halls to ensure the 10 pm curfew, and that people are roaming around taking pictures of students to report them. No one is monitoring ID card door swipes to determine the time students are returning to their residence halls relative to curfew. If people are gathering outside after 10, we’re just asking them to head home.
Can students on campus doing Quarantine In Place order grocery delivery so they can have extra food in their rooms? Yes! Our Campus Dining has a Grub Hub Grocery Delivery option for just such an occasion.
Let’s talk about some other things happening on campus:
We continue to update the Wake Study Space website to reflect changes in access, and we’re attempting to balance our current restrictions with providing safe and reliable study space and supporting our academic mission. Big props to Campus Rec and Facilities, as the Sutton Center hours will increase this weekend, which is particularly useful as it gets chillier.
Our friends at the Learning Assistance Center & Disability Services are sponsoring a Virtual Study Room!
The goal is for it to be a place that students can use to study with others. It will be a quiet environment where they will see other students (plus Dr. Michael Shuman of the LACDS and a couple of tutors), studying/working. We hope that by creating this space and having these visual cues of others working alongside them, students will feel more community in their studying.
So how does this work logistically?, you may be thinking. Starting a week from today, Feb. 15th, Dr. Shuman will open a Zoom room from 11:30-1:30. During this time, students can drop-in for as little or as long as they would like. In order to enter the study space, students will need to email Dr. Shuman to access the Zoom link. His email address is listed on this flyer for easy access. Students will be expected to be muted (to ensure they are not distracting others) but to have their cameras on, so that we can imitate what it feels like to be in the library.
I love the LACDS’ creativity in trying to find ways to simulate the “study together” feeling. I hope it takes off well next week.
As for this week, the surge has been a time for adaptation and quick pivots. Please know that everyone shares the same goal of our students’ wellbeing and a successful semester (in all senses) and there are so many of my colleagues who are giving tirelessly toward that end. And know all your emails are getting shared with our COVID team, even though I can’t respond personally right now. Thank you for your continued patience as we work through this difficult week together.