Dear žžÀ² Faculty and Staff,
As you are all aware, we have seen an increase of COVID-19 on our žžÀ² Campus among students living in residence halls and those living off campus in congregate housing settings.
As part of our continued strategy to stop the spread of the virus, žžÀ² State and the city of žžÀ² have partnered with the state of Ohio to bring the Ohio Pandemic Testing Team to campus. This team of medics from the Ohio National Guard will conduct free testing for a selected, higher-risk student population on the žžÀ² Campus from 1-6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, at the Center for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement, which is located at 350 S. Lincoln St. in žžÀ².
I understand the sensitivity about the Ohio National Guard’s presence on campus and the uncomfortable reminder it may be to some in our community. This offer by the state to provide large-scale testing to curb the spread of COVID-19 is far different from the events that led to the National Guard being on campus on May 4, 1970.
Faculty and staff representatives were consulted and agreed that bringing this testing event to žžÀ² State would be beneficial and consistent with our risk mitigation strategy. This expanded testing is part of our overall strategy to keep our community safe, and we will be offering numerous testing opportunities in the next few weeks, including options for faculty and staff.
The Ohio Pandemic Testing Team has been dispatched to numerous other college campuses and communities throughout Ohio this year, including the Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown. This team will provide us an efficient way to quickly test a large number of our students as we work to stop the spread of COVID-19 at žžÀ² State and in the žžÀ² community.
Sincerely,
Manfred van Dulmen, Ph.D.
Interim Associate Provost for Academic Affairs
Interim Dean for Graduate Studies
Chair, Reopening Steering Committee