SPRING COVID-19 UPDATE TO CAMPUS
Thursday, January 6, 2022
TO: Faculty, staff, and students
FROM: President’s Cabinet and COVID-19 Leadership Team
SUBJ: Plans for Spring 2022 Semester
With the number of COVID-19 positive cases for our campus community at an all-time high, as well as very high positivity rates in Guadalupe and surrounding counties, TLU has made the decision to encourage faculty to move classes online from Wednesday, Jan. 12, to Friday, Jan. 21. Classes that need to remain face-to-face due to accreditation requirements or specific academic imperatives will continue to be offered in-person.
The following information will be posted on the main COVID-19 page on TLU.EDU for your reference.
What you need to know If you are a FACULTY member:
Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Sarah Ferguson emailed faculty Wednesday, Jan. 5, to announce the move to online classes beginning Jan. 12 through Jan. 21. Faculty are asked to do the following over the next several days:
- Email your department chair, Registrar Glenn Yockey, and Dr. Ferguson by Friday, Jan. 7, if your course will remain face-to-face.
- Email your students as soon as possible to let them know if your class is moving online or will remain face-to-face.
- If you are continuing to teach face-to-face, please provide options for students who cannot come to campus from Jan. 12-21.
What you need to know if you are a STUDENT:
- Check your TLU email frequently for messages from your professors so you know if your classes are moving online or remaining face-to-face.
- Residence halls will be open for move-in on Tuesday, Jan. 11. If you are living on campus, you are required to provide a negative COVID-19 test 48 hours prior to move in (see testing information below).
- If students decide to move in after Jan. 21, they will still need to provide a negative COVID-19 test 48 hours prior to move in. (see testing information below).
- Hein Dining Hall will begin to-go meal service on Tuesday, Jan. 11, at 4:30 pm. The dining hall will be to-go only from Jan. 11 through dinner on Sunday, Jan. 23. (see dining hall information below).
- Student workers should check with their supervisors to see if they will be needed on campus over the next several weeks. Some departments such as Admissions will still need student workers.
What you need to know if you are a STAFF member:
- The move to online classes is intended to help reduce density on campus while many essential services need to continue. Vice presidents are working directly with their teams to decide the most appropriate work arrangements for their staffs. These arrangements will vary across campus as the responsibilities and needs of each team are very different. Please reach out to your division vice president if you have questions or concerns.
The following is important information we want you to have even though some of it is still in flux. It will be posted and updated on the main COVID-19 page on TLU.EDU.
COVID-19 NUMBERS AT A GLANCE:
- 47 total students, faculty, and staff have reported being COVID-19 positive since the beginning of winter break. This is more than half our total positive cases since the beginning of the semester.
- Since Tuesday, Jan. 4, we have 26 faculty, staff, and students in isolation and 13 are new cases. We have 9 faculty, staff, and students in quarantine and 6 are new this week.
- Positivity rates in Guadalupe County have nearly doubled in two days from 16% on Jan. 4 to 31% on Jan. 6. Note: the CDC considers <5% moderate/low; 5-8% substantial; and >8% high.
TESTING, QUARANTINE, & ISOLATION
- Students living on campus this spring are asked to submit a negative COVID-19 test 48 hours prior to move in. We realize COVID-19 tests are difficult to find due to the current Omicron surge so we will work with students who are unable to find a test to schedule them for on-campus testing on Monday, Jan. 10, or Tuesday, Jan. 11. TLU Health Services is working with Community Labs of San Antonio to confirm testing times and will email residential students with specific times as soon as possible.
- TLU continues to follow CDC guidelines for quarantining and isolation. Faculty, staff, and students who test positive for COVID will need to follow the updated CDC guidelines and isolate for five days (recently reduced from 10 days).
VACCINES, BOOSTERS, MASKS & CDC GUIDELINES
- Our COVID-19 Vaccination and Exemption Reporting Policy remains in effect for spring. We highly encourage faculty, staff, and students to also submit booster information (using the same link as before) if you have received a booster.
- Masks are still required at all times on campus whether you are vaccinated or not. While cloth masks have been provided across campus, the Omicron variant spreads more quickly and efficiently than other known variants and is extremely transmissible – even through thick fabric masks. Health experts are now encouraging the public to instead use three-ply surgical masks, KN95 masks or N95 masks which offer more protection.
- According to current CDC guidelines, everyone is still considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-shot series (Pfizer/Moderna), or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as the J&J/Janssen vaccine.
DINING HALL INFORMATION
- Hein Dining Hall will begin meal service on Tuesday, Jan. 11, at 4:30 p.m. and will operate under regular dining hall hours. All meals from Tuesday, Jan. 11, through dinner on Sunday, Jan. 23, will be to-go meals. The process will be as follows: Students enter Hein as normal and make their food selection; Sodexo employees box up the students’ choices; students get their own drink and then exit Hein. The Bite App will not be available for Hein through Jan. 23.
- Lucky’s and Tschoepe Café will begin service on Wednesday, Jan. 12, and operate under regular hours. Students may use the Bite App or walk in to place an order. There will be limited seating available in the ASC through Jan. 23.
- Faculty & Staff lunches are expected to resume Thursday, Jan. 27.
ATHLETICS
- Earlier today, the NCAA released its updated COVID-19 guidance for winter sports, adjusting its definition of "fully vaccinated" individuals and also updating its suggested protocols following a positive test. TLU Athletics, along with our fellow SCAC schools, have all agreed to follow the NCAA’s new guidelines.
- While all of our games over winter break have been canceled due to COVID, our in-season teams continue to practice. The next games are scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 11, and will be played only if team conditions are determined to be safe for all players, coaches, and staff.
- Testing for in-season athletes will continue on a weekly basis according to NCAA and conference guidelines.
- Athletes who test positive will follow current CDC guidelines and isolate for five days; however, they will be required to submit a negative test between days six and 10 in order to participate in athletic activities without a mask (according to new NCAA guidelines issued today).
VISITORS & EVENTS
- The Office of Admissions and Athletics will continue to host prospective students and recruits for on-campus visits and visit programs. Visitors are required to follow TLU’s mask policy at all times or will be asked to leave campus.
- Our event capacity remains at 75% and will be adjusted, if necessary, by the COVID-19 Leadership Team.
- Some campus events may be postponed but this will be decided on a case-by-case basis by the event sponsor in consultation with the COVID-19 Leadership Team.
FITNESS CENTER
- The Fitness Center will remain open for students, faculty, and staff. For updates on Fitness Center hours, visit @TLURecreation on Instagram and Twitter.
BLUMBERG MEMORIAL LIBRARY
- Information and updates on library hours will be posted on TLU.EDU.
We recognize our public health environment can change on a weekly, if not daily, basis. While we’re hopeful we will start to see our numbers decrease and county positivity rates decline, we will need to carefully monitor our numbers on a daily basis. We believe it’s important for you to see these numbers as well, so we’ll resume our Daily COVID-19 Report via email and also provide regular updates on our plans to resume face-to-face classes beginning Monday, Jan. 24.
Thank you for your attention and commitment to keeping our campus as safe as possible while also continuing to provide the best educational opportunities for our students. As we enter year two of a long and challenging time in our lives, we commend you all for your resilience and perseverance while protecting the health and safety of our campus community. We appreciate your efforts to keep our campus safe and our university strong!
Be safe and stay well,
TLU President’s Cabinet and COVID-19 Leadership Team