Safer Campus Task Force Updates 

Thanksgiving Travel Plans
Behavioral health decisions we all make right now could impact Thanksgiving travel plans. Keep in mind that if you have to isolate in the next week or so, your isolation probably will extend into Thanksgiving, meaning you may not be able to travel to your family or friends. The Florida Department of Health stance is that individuals driving alone to reach a destination may do so if they are fever free and without major respiratory symptoms. Contact with others during this travel must be avoided and a facial covering worn. Travel by airplane is strongly discouraged.

Stetson’s expectation is that our community members follow the guidance from the Department of Health and are travel mindful. In addition, be mindful of travel restrictions in states you are driving to or through. Some states require a negative COVID test within a specific time period before entering the state. Others strictly prohibit a positive person from traveling into the state. Based on our values as an intuition, please consider the impact on others of your actions around holiday travel. Isolation housing options for residential students, including meal delivery, will continue as needed throughout the winter break with no extra fees. Residential students needing to stay late or through the winter break for any reason, including isolation, should submit the Late Stay & Winter Break Housing Application 2020 as soon as possible. See specific travel and quarantine guidance here.

DeLand Campus Moves Back to Tier 1
Stetson’s Safer Campus Task Force is constantly assessing positivity rates and tracing data on campus as well as in the county to make decisions regarding our Tier system. Due to an increase in cases on campus and in Volusia County, Stetson has moved back to Tier 1. This move went into effect Tuesday afternoon with some exceptions.

For the rest of the term, we ask the Stetson community to abide by on-campus safety guidelines, as well as be vigilant about necessary precautions while off campus. We ask for your help especially to avoid being indoors without a mask at parties, social events, bars and restaurants, and in cars with other people.

What Moving Back to Tier 1 Means
Important Exceptions to Tier 1 (for the next three weeks)

For the full list of changes, read Tier 1 Limitations and Exceptions. You can also view the message regarding the move back to Tier 1 at Safer Stetson, under Latest Updates. If you have any questions about the tiers changes, please contact us at [email protected].

Heathy Habits
Stetson students, staff and faculty have shown remarkable resilience and care for the community throughout the Fall 2020 semester. As you likely know, universities nationwide, including in our part of Florida, have moved to lockdown or back to virtual classes, we continue believe in our ability to pull through these last three weeks of the Fall term. The strategies we have put in place including cleaning, class occupancy, facial coverings, group size, registered events, testing, and tracing are working.

Stetson asks for your patience and assistance to help us stabilize our cases. Here is a list of reminders that we ask you to be mindful of:

• Report symptoms, exposures and COVID concerns
• Use testing options (scroll to testing options)
• Wash your hands, often, soap and water for at least 20 seconds 
• Mask up – cover your nose
• Don’t touch your face or eyes
• Keep group size to 10 or less
• Use the Everbridge Tracing App (it really helps!)
• Keep 6 feet or more of physical distancing between you and others
• Get your flu shot 
• Don’t go out of your room or come to campus if you are sick
• Be mindful of your choices off campus including your choice to visit places like bars, restaurants and events where there are likely to be larger crowds and people without masks 
• Follow guidelines for registered events

Now is the time to reconnect with what we know works to protect the health and safety of ourselves and the Stetson community.

COVID-19 On-Campus Testing Options
Asymptomatic Testing: Through our partnership with AdventHealth and CentraCare, Stetson will be offering free rapid antigen COVID-19 testing on Friday, Nov. 20. Testing will take place from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Rinker Field House in the Hollis Center and is available to students and employees. This testing is not mandatory, but highly encouraged for the safety and well-being of the entire Stetson Community. Sign up here for your appointment! 

Symptomatic Testing: Stetson Health Service offers rapid antigen COVID-19 nasal swab testing for symptomatic students and employees. Appointments must be scheduled and there will be a $35 visit charge for this testing. If the rapid antigen test is positive, the individual will receive a PCR test charged through insurance or referred to an off-campus option for those without insurance.

COVID-19 Off-Campus Testing Options
Stetson University students can get free rapid antigen testing at any CentraCare location. You must bring printouts of the two forms, found at the link below, when you visit the CentraCare location. You can make an appointment online – select the option for COVID-19 Testing. Results will be shared with Stetson Health Service and the Dean of Students Office to help provide support for COVID positive students.

• Find CentraCare Locations
• Get the Required Forms

Remember, if you receive a negative COVID-19 test result but have had direct exposure, you will still need to isolate.

Domestic and International Travel Policy
Due to continued risk posed by non-essential travel, Stetson will extend current domestic and international travel restrictions through the end of April 2021 and cancel spring semester study abroad programs. All Stetson-sponsored domestic and international travel has been significantly restricted since the beginning of the year as part of our tiers protocol.

The university president, vice presidents, deans, and director of athletics remain responsible for defining what is necessary travel for their areas. Questions on necessary travel and requests for travel approval shall be directed to them. The individual requesting travel must provide a plan addressing travel safety and reentry into the campus community. This plan should be submitted for approval with the travel request. Depending on the travel destination and the types of activities involved, isolation or COVID-19 testing may be required upon community reentry.

As a reminder for international travel, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect countries differently. Challenges to any international travel at this time may include mandatory quarantines, travel restrictions, and closed borders. Foreign governments may implement restrictions with little notice, even in destinations that were previously low risk. If you choose to travel internationally, your trip may be severely disrupted, and it may be difficult to arrange travel back to the United States. For more information, visit the Department of Health website. 

Latest COVID-19 Test Results 
Asymptomatic On-Campus Testing 

• Oct. 28 – 210 PCR tests, 8 positive, 3.81% rate
• Oct. 26 – 121 tests of student-athletes and Athletics staff, 3 positive, 2.48% rate
• Oct. 20 – 176 rapid antigen tests, 1 positive, 0.57% rate
• Oct. 19 – 132 tests of student-athletes and Athletics staff, 3 positive, 2.27% rate
• Oct. 14 – 213 PCR tests, 2 positive, 0.94% rate
• Oct. 12 – 169 tests of student-athletes and Athletics staff, 3 positive, 1.77% rate

Registration Now Open for Spring 2021 Gateway Testing
Registration is now open for required Spring 2021 Gateway Testing in partnership with DeLand Wellness Center. Appointments are available Jan. 9-13, 2021, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in the Rinker Field House, Hollis Center. Links for scheduling your appointment are available below. Each link is specific to a date. Faculty and staff are encouraged to sign up for Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, since most residential students will not arrive until Jan. 10, 2021, when residence halls open. Non-exempt employees should record their testing time as work time for the week (please record 0.5 hours for the time if coming for testing on the weekend).

Rapid antigen testing will be provided through your choice of a nasal or throat swab. Community members are required to participate if they are:

• An employee coming to campus at any point during the semester
• Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in face-to-face or hybrid classes
• On-campus residents
• Undergraduate commuters living within 45 miles of campus

This will not replace any of our ongoing testing efforts as we will continue to offer both voluntary and surveillance testing throughout the spring semester.

Gateway Testing is a critical component of Stetson’s COVID-19 mitigation process. By testing all members of the community upon arrival to campus, we will gather accurate information on our community’s health and well-being to minimize the spread of COVID-19 on our campus. Access to this level of rapid testing was not available in August 2020 at the quantity and cost that it is available now. As a community, we have learned valuable lessons during this semester and better understand the importance of Gateway Testing for the protection of the entire campus community. 

Gateway Testing Appointment Links
Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021
Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021 *Residence Halls open Jan. 10
Monday, Jan. 11, 2021
Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021
Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021

Exemption Request Form
If you feel you shouldn’t or can’t be tested, you do have options. Please fill out the Exemption Request Form.

• Students and employees who are 100% online and do not intend to use any in-person campus resources (academic buildings, library, athletic or recreational facilities, CUB, offices, etc.) can be removed from the testing pool. Students and employees who are 100% online and want to use campus resources must take part in gateway testing.  
• If you are unable to schedule a test appointment on campus during the days and times offered, a testing accommodation request should be submitted through the exemption process. These requests could be the result of travel plans, vacation, illness or other emergency situations. This process provides reasonable accommodations and alternatives for on-campus testing.
• Students and employees who want to request a medical or religious accommodation should fill out the exemption form. This process provides reasonable accommodations and alternatives for on-campus testing. Testing accommodations may or may not pull the individual out of the required testing population.

For questions or concerns, please contact the Screening and Testing Subgroup at [email protected], or visit the FAQ page, COVID-19 Testing category.