Update from the Vice Provost for Student Affairs
LEADING IN THE ERA OF COVID-19 April 28, 2021 Dear Students, Families, Faculty and Gonzaga Colleagues, With just a couple of weeks left in the Spring 2021 semester, I am writing today with a message of gratitude and commemoration for the extraordinary year that is drawing to a close. Like we began the year, we are finishing together and finishing strong! I share good news this week that the number of COVID-19 positive cases at Gonzaga has dropped significantly over the past week after the upward spike we experienced in March and early April. Full credit goes to our students, their families, the faculty and staff (with a particular “shout out” to our dedicated contact tracers and frontline caregivers), institutional and community leadership and literally everyone who has helped ensure the health and wellbeing of our community. Our work continues and, in this edition, I am sharing the following news: • Outcomes from the three on-campus vaccination clinics conducted with community partners; • Information on how to find out where, when and how to schedule second doses of vaccines in hometowns or wherever students may be residing over the summer; • 'Bon Voyage’ testing schedules – We want students and their families to have current information, to aid you in making end-ofthe semester departure plans; • Procedures for students moving out of on-campus housing; • End of semester isolation and quarantine information. Gonzaga University’s Pandemic Response Task Force (PRTF) is planning for a return to in-person classrooms for fall semester 2021 (we are referencing this as “The Final Chapter” in our pandemic saga). Task force committees will be submitting their recommendations and reports by the end of May. There are still important decisions to make (including whether or not COVID-19 vaccinations will be required), and the work of the PRTF committees will be detailed and comprehensive. We are using ‘lessons learned’ from the experiences of the past few months to fashion an effective approach for returning to as close to ‘normal’ as possible in the fall, while acknowledging that flexibility and preparedness for the unexpected will continue to be essential. In the years ahead, we will look back on this last year with our own reflections about what these challenging months have meant, including what we have taken away in hope and gratitude, what we have missed the most and what we have sacrificed for a greater good. Having witnessed the amazing strength, commitment, care, resilience, ingenuity and love of the Gonzaga University community during this challenging time, I am humbled and will always be grateful for the way we pulled together to make this academic year possible. I am more confident than ever that our best at Gonzaga is yet to come. Thank you seems inadequate as an expression of my appreciation, but I do thank you. God bless you all. Take time to rest, reflect and recharge this summer. We’ll see you in August! Go Zags! As always, we welcome your thoughts, questions or concerns. Please visit ZagOn site for updated information or call the COVID-19 Hotline at 509-313-7070. Zag Up and Zag On,
Dr. Kent Porterfield, Vice Provost for Student Affairs
Update from the Vice Provost for Student Affairs
LEADING IN THE ERA OF COVID-19 April 28, 2021
Successful Community Partners’ Vaccination Clinics Gonzaga has promoted and supported three different vaccination clinics on our campus. To date, more than 1,300 of our students and employees have been vaccinated through these clinics, and we know many more have received vaccines through other providers. I would like to express my appreciation to our GU staff who volunteered at these clinics during the past few months. We are now moving forward on the planning and preparation for the full return to student in-person classroom instruction this fall. Gonzaga has been having intentional conversations with senior leadership within the university and our Board of Trustees on this topic. It is our position currently that we will continue to drive vaccination efforts for our students and employees. The question as to whether Gonzaga will require all students to receive a vaccine before their return this fall will be made in the coming weeks, in conjunction with key partners such as the Spokane Regional Health District. -Charlita Shelton Ph.D. - Chief of Staff to the President/COVID-19 Compliance Officer
Gonzaga Vaccination Opportunities Updated opportunities for vaccine appointments in the Spokane area, as well as resources on how to find a vaccine appointment in your city, can be found on the Gonzaga vaccination site: https://www.gonzaga.edu/zagon/vaccination If you are a student and received your first dose in Spokane and are experiencing difficulties booking a second dose vaccine appointment by Monday, May 10, please call into the Gonzaga COVID-19 Hotline at (509) 313-7070 ext. 2 and provide the hotline agent with your name, contact information and zip code. An agent will follow up with you to help personalize a plan to schedule your appointment. Opportunities to receive a second Pfizer dose locally at Gonzaga will be held throughout the spring and summer, in partnership with Providence Health Care.
Vaccine Side Effects COVID-19 vaccines may have side effects. These are not unexpected and are typically manageable through at-home care. For information on how to manage these side effects, please see the following links from the CDC What to Expect After Getting a COVID19 Vaccine and Possible Side Effects After Getting a COIVD-19 Vaccine, or watch the video Video: What to Expect. If you have questions or if you are experiencing severe side effects, please contact Health and Counseling Services for assistance at 509-3134052. If you have concerns about side effects impacting your classes or coursework, please contact your course faculty.
Update from the Vice Provost for Student Affairs
LEADING IN THE ERA OF COVID-19 April 28, 2021
‘Bon Voyage’ Testing Beginning on April 26 and running through May 3 (excluding weekends), a walk-in testing clinic will be provided for any student wishing to have a COVID-19 test prior to leaving Spokane for the summer. These tests will be provided by School of Nursing students in Tilford Hall 109. Hours of operation will be 9am-3pm daily, except on May 3 when testing will be from 9am-noon. We encourage any student who will be traveling home for summer to take advantage of these free antigen tests! No appointment is necessary. The Health and Counseling Center will continue to provide COVID-19 tests through May 7 for any student experiencing symptoms of or who have been exposed to the virus. Appointments are required for these tests. If you have questions, please refer to the www.gonzaga.edu/zagon site.
Students Moving Out of On-Campus Housing As students prepare to vacate on-campus housing, Housing and Residence Life requests that they register guests who will be helping them move out of their room or apartment. The registration form can be accessed by scanning the QR code posted at the entrance of each building or by requesting the code from their RA. Students are asked to limit the number of move-out assistants to two people. Students are also asked not to bring guests into their room or apartment if roommates are present. Roommates are asked to communicate their move-out plans with each other to limit exposure to people outside of the living environment. Further information is available by calling 509-313-4103, Monday-Friday, 8 am - 5 pm.
End of Semester Isolation and Quarantine Isolation and quarantine spaces will be open and available within the residence halls during finals week and extended into the summer for students who are directed to isolate or quarantine at the end of the semester. If students are impacted by isolation or quarantine directives at the end of the semester, contact tracers will be working with students individually to develop a quarantine and isolation plan that best suits their end-of-semester transition. Students may choose to return home for the remainder of the semester at the beginning of their quarantine/isolation and will be provided with further instructions from a contact tracer if this option is chosen. Students who test positive will not be permitted to complete air travel until the end of their isolation period.
Update from the Vice Provost for Student Affairs
LEADING IN THE ERA OF COVID-19 April 28, 2021
Isolation and Quarantine Numbers – April 19- 25 Quarantine • Ten (10) students moved to quarantine residences • Three (3) students directed to quarantine-in-place • Eighteen (18) students released from quarantine • Fifteen (15) students released from quarantine-in-place status Isolation • Twenty-on (21) students with positive test results moved to isolation residence • Thirty-five (35) students released after completing full isolation period • One (1) symptomatic student released from isolation (tested negative) Current Off-Campus Numbers as of April 26th Quarantine • Eleven (11) students Isolation • Six (6) students