Post-Thanksgiving Return

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff, 

We hope you enjoyed a peaceful and healthy Thanksgiving, as we all look forward to a time when we can again gather safely for such holidays. Please know that we remain on track to resume on-campus operations on Monday, November 30.  

Thanks to your diligence in following COVID-19 guidelines, at this time we are positioned to return and complete the fall semester as planned. 

We return with added precautions – included testing requirements – that are highlighted below. Also, please remember that if you traveled outside of Massachusetts during the holiday break, you must follow the Commonwealth’s travel orders when you return. Employees should notify human resources and students should notify counseling and health services if you traveled to a higher risk state. Residential students who are returning to campus after traveling out of state will be required to quarantine in their residence hall room until they receive their test results, unless they can demonstrate that they have been tested within 72 hours of returning to campus.  

Updated Testing Requirements as of November 27, 2020  

Testing is located in the O’Keefe Center at the below times and dates.  

• All residential students will be required to be tested for COVID-19 upon returning to campus. Testing will be offered on: 
  • Sunday, November 29, from 3 pm to 6 pm (recommended for students returning from out of state travel who will need to quarantine until they receive their results) 
  • Monday, November 30, from 10 am to 4 pm 
  • Tuesday, December 1, from 10 am to 4 pm 
  • Wednesday, December 2, from 9 am to 12 pm 
  • Thursday, December 3, from 3 pm to 7 pm the week after Thanksgiving.  

• All residential students will be required to get tested every week. If you are a residential student please schedule your weekly test on the CoVerified app.  

• All faculty, staff and commuter students that are on campus are strongly encouraged to get weekly COVID tests. Please see free weekly testing here or schedule a test using the CoVerified app.  

• • Additional testing day next week: Monday, November 30, from 10 am to 4 pm. 

• Please use the CoVerified app for the daily symptom check. It is critical that we all monitor our health and stay home if we feel ill. Students can reach out to CHS if they experience symptoms and employees should reach out to HR. 
   
• Increased daily cleaning and disinfection of the Marsh Dining Hall. Marsh Dining Hall seating with be closed for deep cleaning following CDC standards twice a day, every day. Marsh dining seating will be closed daily between lunch and dinner (3 – 5 pm) but grab and go food will be available. Similarly, the dining hall will be disinfected when the seating area is closed at 10 pm, with grab and go food available between 10 pm - 5 am.  

The COVID response team continues to closely monitor conditions on campus as well as in the city and surrounding area. Should campus conditions or statewide guidance require a modification to our current operations we will communicate with the campus as soon as possible. We encourage all community members to frequently monitor email and to continue to follow the State and SSU guidelines at this time. 

Thank you for doing your part to keep our community safe.  

Sincerely, 

Elisa Castillo, PhD, Associate Dean of Students for Wellness

Gene Labonte, Associate Vice President for Public Safety and Risk Management