Dubuque Times

Clarke University Athletics issued the following announcement.

Getting closer to the return of students to the Clarke University campus, CU administration has announced the official Return to Campus protocols for the Fall 2021 semester.

The athletics portion of the announcement has been pulled up to the top of this release but for the full original release from Clarke University, go to https://clarke.edu/news/cu-coronavirus-2019-ncov-updates/.

Athletics

Student-athletes, Kehl Center members, spectators, and visitors who are not vaccinated must wear masks inside the facilities.

Student-athletes who are vaccinated will be asked to provide appropriate documentation to athletic trainers. Unvaccinated student-athletes and vaccinated students experiencing symptoms must continue to complete the daily ATS screenings. Unvaccinated student-athletes will be tested for COVID at the start of the fall semester.

Spectators will be allowed at outdoor, and indoor athletic competitions and tailgating will be permitted, according to University policy. 

Common Sense for the Common Good

Clarke University remains committed to providing a healthy, safe, and positive learning environment for students, employees, and guests. We have and will continue to take a reasonable approach toward the common good while developing protocols and policies. Please read this CU Communication for the most current plans for the campus, effective Monday, August 2, 2021. We will continue to monitor the CDC, state, and local health department guidance, vaccine rates, and COVID positivity rates, and ask that you stay home if you are sick. Changes to the protocols and policies will be made as necessary. Please continue to check the COVID-19 webpage and watch your email for further updates.

Face Covering Policy

Fully vaccinated individuals are not required to wear masks in University-owned buildings or on campus premises. If you are not fully vaccinated, we expect you to wear a mask. Some vaccinated individuals may choose to continue to wear masks.

Because a vaccination verification system is not available, we expect our Clarke University community and visitors to continue to always act with the common good in mind and to follow our policies. By not wearing a mask, you certify that you are fully vaccinated and that other Clarke University students, employees, and guests can rely on that as a truthful statement.

Masks will be requested for in-person appointments with Clarke Health Services and Counseling Services, which aligns with CDC guidelines for health care facilities.

COVID-19 Case Reporting

Clarke will continue to report weekly active cases beginning the first week of classes through at least the fall semester by following the lead of Dubuque County and the State of Iowa, updating case information on our COVID webpage on Thursday of each week.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Clarke University encourages everyone in our campus community to contribute to the common good and get fully vaccinated. It is the best way to protect yourself and others against the coronavirus. With more access to the vaccine, we are hopeful that everyone in our University community will receive the vaccine by August.

New students are required to complete Health Forms and returning students will be required to update their Health Forms with the Health Services Office prior to the start of the fall semester. If you need to fill out or update your forms, you can do so by visiting clarke.edu/healthservices. COVID vaccine information is requested on these Health Forms. Employees have been asked to complete a short questionnaire from Human Resources regarding the COVID vaccine. This information is confidential and will give us a better idea of the percentage of students and employees who have received the vaccine.

COVID-19 Vaccine and Flu Shot Clinic Information

In partnership with Hartig Drug, Clarke will host a Flu Shot & COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Friday, August 27, from 9 a.m.–noon. During this clinic, individuals may choose to receive one or both the flu and COVID-19 vaccines. Appointments will be available, and walk-ins will also be accepted. 

While the COVID-19 vaccine is free of charge, proof of insurance will be required to bill the administration fees accordingly. Health insurance will be accepted for the flu shot. If an individual doesn't have insurance, we will request payment for the flu vaccine at the time of administration. The estimated cost is $35.

More information on this clinic will be shared at a later date. The COVID vaccine is Pfizer and requires a second dose on Friday, September 17, 2021, same place and time.

Find COVID vaccines available in the Dubuque area.

COVID-19 Daily Student Screening

Clarke Students are required to set up a profile in the ATS software for Student COVID Screening.

You will only need to setup your profile once. If you are a student-athlete, please select your team during the setup process. If you are not a member of an athletic team, please select "Coed General" as the category. You will then create a username and password. When you receive your daily email to do the screening, you will be required to log-in using your username and password, then to answer yes/no questions that will take approximately 30 seconds — instructions on how to setup a profile.

Take your temperature and monitor your symptoms daily. If you are unvaccinated or vaccinated and experiencing symptoms, you are required to use the daily COVID Screening to answer questions each day before 10 a.m. If you answer yes to any of the questions, a health services or athletic training staff member will follow up with you.

COVID-19 Testing, Quarantine, and Isolation

Members of the Clarke community who have COVID symptoms and need to get a COVID test should seek services from a health care provider. Clarke will partner with Crescent Community Health Center, Dubuque who will open a Quick Care walk-in clinic in August 2021. The Quick Care Center will take health insurance and offer a sliding fee scale and assistance to individuals who do not have health insurance.  Assistance will include finding affordable health insurance. 

Students and employees who test positive for COVID-19 need to isolate for ten days regardless of vaccination status. If a student or employee has exposure to someone who has COVID-19 you will need to quarantine only if you are unvaccinated. If you are vaccinated, you need to monitor for symptoms.

Reminder: Quarantine means that you should not attend classes, work, or athletic practices/competition. Isolation means that you need to stay home or in an isolation room on-campus for ten days following the positive test result.

Academic Instruction

Clarke University will follow the 2021-2022 academic calendar. The fall semester begins on August 23, 2021, and concludes on December 9, 2021.

Academics will return this fall to following pre-COVID guidelines in classrooms and during other academic activities. Typical classroom arrangements account for a degree of student separation.

Masking of unvaccinated individuals will follow Clarke University's Face Covering Policy and CDC guidelines. Please respect the rights, space, and health of others in all situations. Be mindful of others' space and health needs.

As in previous years, Academic Affairs has worked closely with faculty to ensure that students benefit from quality learning experiences in safe environments. During the fall 2021 semester, students will continue to experience a variety of approaches to instruction, including face-to-face, hybrid, and online (synchronous and asynchronous) formats. Many of you will be happy to know that most courses will be held face-to-face on the Clarke campus this fall. Very few courses will remain fully online, and some will remain in the hybrid model.  All delivery modes keep health and safety in mind.

Students will find more information about classroom instruction and delivery modes in CU hub.

Residence Halls/Move-in/CONNECT Orientation

Students were allowed to choose to live in single or double rooms, as space was available. All bathrooms and common spaces will be cleaned frequently and thoroughly in accordance with CDC guidelines. We will maintain quarantines and keep isolation rooms on campus for those who test positive for COVID-19.

Lounges and computer labs within the residence halls will reopen, and cleaning products will be available to clean spaces. We ask everyone to be diligent in cleaning these spaces after each use.

Housing assignments are available for viewing in MyInfo, and resident students will need to sign up for a time to check-in/move-in to their assigned residence hall. Resident students will receive an email with further instructions.

During the fall 2021 semester, students will be allowed to have two guests within the residence hall or apartment units during visiting hours only. Overnight guests are not permitted, and unvaccinated guests must wear masks.

Residence hall move-in dates are as follows. Students will receive additional details from Residence Life for appointments for move-in times and appointment sign-up.

Friday, August 6: Football

Saturday, August 7: Men's and Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball

Thursday, August 15: Men's and Women's Cross Country

Thursday, August 19: New Students

Saturday, August 21: Returning Students

Sunday, August 22: Returning Students

CONNECT orientation for new students will be held as scheduled, August 19–22.  All new undergraduate students are expected to participate in CONNECT. The CONNECT Schedule is posted at clarke.edu/connect and updates will be made as events, and plans are confirmed. Contact engagement@clarke.edu for more information or to seek necessary accommodations.

New graduate students will be contacted by their Graduate Program with information regarding orientation programs.

Events, Gatherings, and Visitors

Guidelines and protocols for event planners will be implemented across campus for all department, organization, committee, and team events and gatherings, inclusive of employees, students, and visitors/guests.

State and local guidance must reflect the ability to hold public gatherings for these guidelines and protocols to be implemented on campus. All guidelines and protocols will be in place for the fall semester unless otherwise noted.

All in-person meetings and events must request and receive approval and space reservation through AdAstra before the meeting or event takes place.

The event approval process remains as it was pre-COVID-19. Contact events@clarke.edu with questions or concerns.

Event and meeting organizers may choose to hold meetings and activities virtually or in-person. Those who have meetings and activities in person should consider including a digital format option when possible.

Campus Dining

Dining Services, including Café 1843, will return to normal operations, offering in-person dining, as well as to-go options as in the past.

Faculty & Staff Work Arrangements

As stated previously in a message from Human Resources, all Clarke employees will return to campus for their regularly scheduled work hours on August 2. Some positions may be considered for continued partial remote work arrangements in accordance with Clarke's newly adopted remote work policy.

We will provide additional updates as new information becomes available. Please continue to check the COVID Communication Campus webpage for the latest news.  We thank you for your dedication to keeping our community safe during this academic year. We look forward to gathering together as a community this fall!

Original source can be found here.