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Bradley University Enacts Two Week All Student Quarantine and Moves to Temporary Remote Learning

Dear Campus,

Bradley is temporarily moving to a remote learning environment and enacting an all-student quarantine for two weeks. This means all students will be required to quarantine in their residence hall, Greek house, St. James apartment, off-campus apartment or house for the next two weeks, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. through 7 a.m. Sept. 23.

We have just under 50 confirmed positive cases on campus, which is comparable or even lower than some of our peer institutions. Our concern is because of these cases and clusters, as well as our rigorous quarantine protocols, we have more than 500 students in quarantine at this time. And through contact tracing, we continue to identify more students who may be impacted, which means more students in quarantine.

Although it may seem extreme, this move to temporary remote learning and a two-week, all-student quarantine allows us to focus on the continuity of the educational experience for all of our students while giving us time to gather data on the full extent of the spread of the virus and assess the best way to proceed as a community. 

This two-week quarantine creates an opportunity for us to reset our behaviors so we can have a successful semester. I still think it’s possible for us to do so. We would not engage in the two-week quarantine if I did not believe it was possible for us to complete the semester on campus successfully, but this only happens if we collectively change our behaviors moving forward.

Our primary goal, besides keeping everyone healthy, is to remain on campus for the entire semester. While most of you are doing the right things, I am particularly concerned about the lack of compliance regarding the necessary behaviors to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. We are seeing both large and small gatherings where masks and physical distancing are not observed. Many of our positive cases can be traced back to these gatherings. It's actions like these that are putting people at risk and threatening our ability to stay on campus throughout the semester.

New Campus Guidelines 

We are enacting new campus guidelines as listed below. These guidelines and expectations are no longer recommendations, they are mandatory. All students, faculty and staff must hold one another accountable to follow the requirements set forth by the university to combat the spread of COVID-19. We will take disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from campus, of anyone who violates these policies. Learn more about our enhanced enforcement efforts here. 

All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to help monitor behavior. If you see concerning activity, report it to COVID19concerns@bradley.edu or fill out the noncompliance form online. For an immediate response contact 309-677-2000. 

Students, faculty and staff must wear a mask at all times except when in their room, off-campus residence or office. You must maintain a minimum of six-feet of physical distance except when in your room, residence or office. We expect you to complete the Daily Symptom Tracker and participate in surveillance testing requests.

Stay on Campus 

It is very important students stay put. Do not go home. The risk of new cases increases each time you leave and return to campus. It also complicates our tracing and testing greatly. We’re asking you to remain on campus instead of returning to your permanent residence. If you do return home, you must continue to quarantine and should not return back to campus until Sept. 22 or later.

If students wish to move out of their residence hall, we ask you to wait until the end of the two-week quarantine period. If at the completion of this two-week period you wish to move out completely, your housing and meal plan will be prorated to Sept. 9. You must also submit a request to vpsa@bradley.edu to have your classes switched to complete virtual learning. All other housing operations, including Main Street Commons, individual rental properties, fraternities and sororities are operated by outside agencies. All questions regarding the operations of these properties should be directed to the appropriate landlord.

Housing 

All fraternity and sorority houses, apartments, off campus houses must be limited to only the residents of those locations. No gatherings, parties, etc. will be tolerated. Even when at your own residence, if you are outside and physical distancing cannot be maintained, you must wear a mask. 

Students can leave their residences to: 

  • Pick up meals from dining facilities or Michel Student Center 
  • Spend time outside while masked
  • Run essential errands (such as medical provider visits, pharmacy, grocery store) 
  • Attend work (both on and off campus) after confirming with employer
  • Engage in off-campus learning experiences with approval of their college dean 

Students are allowed to: 

  • Order food and groceries and have them delivered 
  • Visit Health Services and Counseling Services on campus

Students are not allowed to:

  • Congregate or gather with anyone other than their roommate or off-campus residence mates
  • Have guests in their room or off-campus residence
  • Visit off-campus eating establishments, drinking establishments, or off-campus residences

Academics

Instruction will occur remotely for the next two weeks. A few exceptions will be made for students who are approaching graduation.

Faculty will receive a message from the Provost regarding delivery and other considerations. Online nursing, counseling and Ed.D. programs and clinicals will continue as scheduled.

Technology

For students who live in a campus property and experience internet connectivity issues, we are working on identifying spaces where you can have quality internet access.

We encourage you to use ethernet cables to ease congestion on the residence hall wireless network. If you don’t have an ethernet cable, you can pick one up at your residence hall office, St. James main office, SAC main office or the IT Service Desk for those living in the singles and SAC.

Dining 

Students will have access to grab-and-go meals at Geisert Dining Hall, Williams Dining Hall, Center Court and the facilities in Michel Student Center at revised hours. Remote dining locations – Stacks, Jerry’s and BECC will be closed. (Stacks will remain closed after the two-week shelter in place due to business levels.) No one will be allowed to dine in; food will be on a take-out basis only. Those in isolation will still have their meals delivered to them. 

Student Life

All face-to-face activities by student organizations and teams should be done in a virtual environment only. This includes organization meetings and official (or unofficial) events.

The Markin Center and Cullom-Davis Library will be closed, but you will be able to access materials, services and offices housed in the library online. Health Services will continue to schedule appointments and Counseling Services will continue to be available virtually. 

Your instructors and advisors will be available virtually during this time. 

Testing

Students who test positive are still required to isolate. If a student lives on campus or is unable to isolate in their off-campus housing, Bradley University will provide alternative accommodations. Students currently in isolation who wish to return to their permanent residence must wait until their isolation period is over to do so.

Health Services will continue COVID-19 surveillance testing and symptomatic testing for students. If a student becomes symptomatic, they should contact Health Services and self-isolate until their test results are received. 

Students must take every precaution to protect the health and safety of others. If a student does an off-campus Covid-19 test, they must report the results to the Health Services at (309) 677-2700. If a student does not report a positive test, they will be at risk for disciplinary action.
 

In making the decision to enact a two-week all-student quarantine, we continued to follow the science and put much thought into the well being of our campus and our students' education. If we do not see progress during these two weeks, it will impact the rest of the semester, potentially causing us to go remote for the rest of the calendar year. We will continue to provide updates and will make decisions about the resumption of face-to-face classes by Monday, Sept. 21.

We are planning to host a webinar in the coming days to answer questions. If you have questions, send them to COVID19concerns@bradley.edu. We will send you more information on the webinar as soon as it is finalized.  As always, you can visit our coronavirus website for more information.

In closing, do the right thing. Follow the guidelines. Be smart. Have patience. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do as we all work to navigate the challenges ahead. I know this isn’t easy and it isn’t what any of us had in mind when we decided to return to campus this year. This is a step toward mitigating the spread of this virus and it is our greatest chance at having a successful semester on-campus. 

Sincerely,

Stephen Standifird
President
Bradley University

–Sent to the Bradley community on 09/08/2020