Asbury students returned to campus with new guidelines to “Stay healthy. Stay here.”
After the first week of classes, Asbury President Kevin Brown reported in an email to the Asbury community that one test for COVID-19 was positive. In his email, Brown encouraged students to continue following the university’s guidelines on staying safe during the pandemic.
The guidelines ask students to daily check their “FACTSSS” — Fatigue, Aches, Congestion, Temperature, Loss of Senses and Stomach issues and also to abide by cafeteria regulations, classroom procedure, chapel attendance and more.
According to the Returning to Campus FAQ page, “As part of our comprehensive strategy for controlling the spread of COVID-19 on campus, we are deploying #CampusClear, a daily self-screening app that will help you monitor your FACTSSS. This app will allow you to check your FACTSSS daily and in the event of symptoms being present, will give you instructions on what to do next.”
Residents on campus need to follow dorm regulations as well. Friends, family, and residents from other dorms may only stay in the public lobby of the dorms, socially distanced and masked. The only time students are allowed to not be distanced and unmasked is with their roommates.
The cafeteria has added multiple procedures in order to increase the safety of students. Masks are required in the cafeteria, unless a student is actively eating. Students are still able to sit with friends, but they need to sit six feet apart or at a table with plexiglass. Moving chairs to get closer to one another is not allowed. If a student is busy and/or feels uncomfortable going into the cafeteria, there are two meal kiosks available. One is in the Student Center, and the other is in the Bistro lobby. For now, the Bistro itself is closed.
Most classes are now in some sort of HyFlex format which “combines traditional in-seat instruction with participation in the course via ZOOM,” the Returning to Campus FAQ page states.
Students are required to wear masks in classrooms if they are not six feet away from other students. If they are six feet away, then they are allowed to take off their masks when permitted by their professor. The Returning to Campus FAQ also states, “Students are expected to have a mask on before entering campus buildings and while passing through hallways and stairs, or riding elevators.”
Chapel is a staple for every Asbury student. In order to keep social distancing guidelines, students are only required to attend once a week instead of the usual 3 times. They must be at this one assigned time every week unless they are otherwise excused. Two additional services have been added in order to make space for everyone. Attendees are allowed to take their masks off after they are seated in Hughes Auditorium. It was announced last week that, until further notice, students are not allowed to participate in congregational singing during chapel.
“If a student exhibits symptoms or believes they have been exposed to COVID-19, they are asked to remain in their room and contact Student Health Services and their Residential Director,” according to Asbury’s Guidelines for a Safe and Healthy Campus.
“Following these guidelines will help ensure Asbury University is a healthy campus to learn and work.”
