Dear Marquette undergraduate, graduate and professional students,
Happy New Year! As we prepare for the spring semester, we hope the break left you refreshed, recharged and ready to return to campus and classes.
Through your diligence and commitment to our community pledge, mask wearing, physical distancing and following campus and health department protocols, we were able to have a successful in-person fall semester.
We’re asking each of you to renew your efforts for spring – we have a responsibility to each other and to the campus community to continue to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Before you return to campus, we’re asking you to limit your exposure to others as much as possible. We know this may not be feasible in every situation, but to the extent that you can remain in your close “bubble,” it will help limit potential spread from your community to the Marquette community.
Start of semester
As with the fall semester, we plan to resume on-campus instruction in the spring. Classrooms for in-person instruction and common spaces on campus will remain configured to create appropriate physical distancing, and all mask protocols will remain in place.
Hybrid and remote learning will also allow for physical distancing to decrease transmission of COVID-19.
Between now and the start of the spring semester, we will continue to monitor the trends of COVID-19 in the community and base ongoing decisions on those trends and on guidance from city, state and national health departments and organizations.
Symptomatic and surveillance testing
Last semester, on-campus testing for symptomatic students or Marquette community members deemed close contacts with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 was provided. While this same testing will continue next semester, additional weekly targeted testing – often called “surveillance testing” – will begin.
With this expansion of testing, up to 500 undergraduate, graduate and professional students will be selected each week for a test, whether they are symptomatic or not. This additional testing is mandatory and will allow us to detect trends of asymptomatic positive tests and react accordingly in a timely manner. This is a key strategy to reducing the spread of the virus on campus. More information about testing will be shared prior to the start of classes.
Quarantine and isolation
Similar to last semester, we will provide quarantine and isolation space for students who test positive for COVID-19 and recommend residential students remain on campus during this time.
We continue to work closely with the City of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin Public Health departments and follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Our quarantine and isolation policies will be directed by their guidance.
COVID Cheq
Daily screenings via COVID Cheq will resume on Friday, Jan. 22, for most students returning to campus. COVID Cheq should be completed at the start of your day; a green pass is required for entry in some areas/buildings/classes on campus.
As always, please remember to follow campus, city and state guidelines and protocols, including wearing a mask, maintaining physical distance and proper handwashing hygiene, limiting social interactions, and staying home and getting tested when sick. Also, please visit Marquette’s coronavirus website for more information and frequently asked questions.
You Make the Difference. We’re excited to welcome you back to campus for the spring semester, and your personal commitment to these protocols and strategies will help ensure that we all have a successful in-person experience. Enjoy the remainder of your break, and we’ll see you soon.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kimo Ah Yun
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dr. Xavier Cole
Vice President for Student Affairs
