As students prepare for the spring 2021 return to campus, Geneva is providing a variety of information regarding the changing protocols. This includes President Calvin L. Troup’s student videos, FYI newsletters and Residence Life communications. We know that you may have questions about this information, so we are holding a virtual Spring Return to Campus Information Session for students and parents tonight, Wednesday, January 13 from 7-8 p.m. Questions were submitted in advance.

Geneva is making every effort to create a safe and infection-free environment as we start the spring semester. The actions of students are crucial to that effort. This is especially important for residential students, who are coming from homes near and far to start up new “households” on campus. In order to keep our community safe, we would like to make sure that those who are moving into residential housing are free from COVID-19 infection.

You will recall that we notified students to either:

• Quarantine for 14 days before coming to campus
• Or have a COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to coming to campus, and provide documentation of negative results

Some students may have found it difficult to test or quarantine, and it’s especially important for residential students, in particular, to begin their stay on campus without COVID-19. Therefore, we are offering a rapid antigen test to residential students during move-in time. This is an optional service for which you will not be charged and advance signups are required.

The COVID-19 test is mandatory for all student-athletes.

The test is not for commuter students, who will be maintaining their same households instead of moving into residence halls. Students also don’t need a test if they have had a COVID test within three days of coming to campus or have had COVID and recovered within the past 90 days. Please make sure to send us proper documentation (details in the next story).

Students who get a COVID-19 test prior to move-in will get a thank-you gift of either a $10 Sheetz or Beaver Falls Coffee & Tea gift card of their choice.

We look forward to welcoming students back to campus and will continue to do our utmost to keep our community healthy and safe. Find out more about our testing program by reading the newly posted FAQs.

It’s important that students send us their test results if:

• They have had a COVID-19 test at home within three days before coming to campus
• They've had and recovered from COVID within the last 90 days

This is an easy and confidential process. Please upload medical documents as soon as possible to Geneva Health Services’ secure site, Pyramed. Instructions are available at www.geneva.edu/pyramedupload.

Students who properly send us your medical documents will receive a $10 gift card for either Sheetz or Beaver Falls Coffee & Tea.

Classes begin next Tuesday, January 19. And within a matter of days, residential students will be moving back to campus. Students must sign up for move-in on Saturday, January 16 or Sunday, January 17. Due to the need to coordinate student move-in under COVID protocols and allowing time for COVID testing, resident students must move in on a designated day and there can be no exceptions.

Students are required to bring a thermometer with them when they return to campus. If a student does not have one, they will need to purchase a thermometer for $5 at check-in.

Any student who is experiencing COVID-19 related symptoms, tested positive for COVID-19 within ten days of arrival or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 should stay home and not return to campus until symptoms have resolved or the quarantine/isolation is complete. Students are expected to communicate accordingly via the Daily Health Screening and with Health Services. They should also contact their physician.

In order to develop the habit of completing the Daily Health Screening and to help Geneva better understand the health of students prior to campus arrival, students should be completing the Daily Health Screening now. If they are still at home, they will need to contact their physician if they answer YES to any of the questions and also contact Geneva College Health Services.

The daily health screening is an important tool to help Health Services in mitigating the virus in our community, and we expect everyone to complete it daily, whether or not they are on campus. Anyone who doesn’t have access to technology to conduct the screening should contact Dean of Students Jamie Swank at jrswank@geneva.edu. Beginning January 18, Geneva will charge a daily $5 fee to students who don’t complete the screening.

Here's more you need to know:

• We’re all called to care for our community. Faculty and staff will also be penalized when they don’t complete their Daily Health Screening.
• Students will continue to get a GC Alert reminder early every morning. If they don’t complete the screening, they will get a second reminder about four or five hours later.
• Students will be given three grace “misses” before charges begin.
• All moneys collected will go to improving the isolation and quarantine experience for students.
• We’ve wrestled with enforcing requirements on the Lord’s day. While you are encouraged to complete the screening seven days a week, you will not be fined if you miss on Sunday. But please understand it is especially important to complete the Health Screening when you experience symptoms, no matter the day.

It is our intention to start the semester on campus. Unless approval for a remote accommodation is granted in advance by the Student Success Center, it is our expectation that students will be present in the classroom for instruction.

Due to students leaving campus before finals week last semester, Follett extended a grace period for the return of books. They may be shipped to campus now or may be returned in person during the first couple of days of classes. The final due date for rental book returns, including the grace period, is Friday, January 22, 2021.

That means that no one will be charged non-return fees until after January 22, 2021. Students will not see any charges as long as books are returned to the store on or prior to Friday, January 22, 2021.