Coronavirus Update – August 5, 2022

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to welcome everyone back to campus over the next few weeks! While we remain mindful of COVID and will continue to consult with our healthcare partners, we will now treat COVID much like any other contagious illness. We join you in looking forward to a robust and engaging fall semester.

The following update to the Fortify Franklin plan is effective August 15th. It is subject to change as conditions warrant and/or as advised by our healthcare professionals.  Students have received a separate communication with only the instructions that pertain to them. This updated information will also be available at: https://franklincollege.edu/coronavirus/.

  • While not required, we recommend all students, faculty, and staff receive the vaccine and boosters as advised in consultation with their healthcare providers. Students with questions about the vaccine or booster can consult with Nurse Katy.
  • Community members are asked to monitor their health and symptoms of COVID (listed below). Students experiencing these symptoms should self-isolate and contact Nurse Katy. Faculty and staff experiencing these symptoms should self-isolate, contact their healthcare provider, secure testing as recommended, and report positive cases to Human Resources. Common symptoms include:

Common symptoms include: 

    • Fever
    • Runny nose
    • Coughing
    • Sore throat
    • Headache
    • Muscle pain
    • Fatigue

Less Likely symptoms include: 

    • Shortness of breath
    • Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea
    • Loss of taste and/or smell
  • We are following current CDC guidance for quarantine and isolation.
    • Any student, faculty, or staff member who tests positive should isolate at home for 5 days from the date symptoms first began, returning to campus only after consulting with Nurse Katy (students), or after consulting their healthcare provider and contacting Human Resources (faculty and staff), and wear a mask for 5 additional days upon their return to campus.
    • Asymptomatic students, faculty, or staff who test positive for the virus should isolate at home for 5 days from the date of the positive test result, returning to campus only after consulting with Nurse Katy (students), or after consulting their healthcare provider and contacting Human Resources (faculty and staff), and wear a mask for 5 days upon their return to campus.
    • Unvaccinated students, faculty, or staff members (including students, faculty, or staff members who haven’t completed vaccination and first booster) who are exposed or have been in close contact with a positive individual should quarantine for 5 days, returning to campus only after consulting with Nurse Katy (students), or after contacting Human Resources (faculty and staff), and wear a mask for 5 additional days upon their return to campus.
    • Vaccinated students, faculty, or staff members who are exposed or have been in close contact with a positive individual need not quarantine, but should monitor themselves for symptoms and wear a mask for 10 days.
  • At this point, we will not require either reentry testing or surveillance testing. We will comply with any testing required for student-athletes by the NCAA or HCAC.
  • Franklin College will no longer conduct contact tracing or maintain a public COVID dashboard. We will continue to track cases among students, faculty, and staff in order to understand the campus landscape and to share data with our healthcare partners as needed.
  • Virtual access for students in isolation and quarantine is not guaranteed and is at the discretion of each faculty member, who will consider the pedagogical effectiveness of virtual course delivery. Students should work with their faculty members directly, and the Center for Student Success as necessary, to keep up with coursework if they are ill or away from campus in quarantine or isolation. For those courses where virtual accommodations are appropriate, timely communication is important to ensure access; virtual access may not be available with late notification. This policy is the same for any student illness. In all cases, medical documentation of illness may be required to attain extended virtual access.
  • Absences for students who have symptoms that align with COVID-19 and seek a healthcare consultation with either the campus nurse or an outside provider will be considered excused absences with appropriate documentation and will not negatively impact one’s course grade.  This is true even if the healthcare provider determines the illness is not COVID-19 related.
  • If a college official requires a student to isolate or quarantine, the corresponding absences will be considered excused and will not negatively impact one’s course grade. The VPAA’s office will notify faculty of students in their courses who have been asked to isolate or quarantine so that they can track their attendance accordingly.
  • Individual faculty or programs may require additional mitigation strategies based on the unique nature of their coursework or discipline. Faculty who wish to employ additional mitigation strategies beyond what is outlined in this document must consult with the VPAA prior to the start of the academic term for approval.
  • Residential and Co-Curricular Activities (including Greek Life) will resume as usual and without COVID-19 restrictions. Specific events or programs may require additional mitigation strategies based on the unique nature of the activity. Faculty or staff wishing to employ additional mitigation strategies beyond what is outlined in this document must consult with their Cabinet officer prior to advertising the event.

Students with questions should reach out to Vice President and Dean of Students Andrew Jones (ajones1@franklincollege.edu), and faculty and staff members should contact Director of Human Resources Matt Dusing (mdusing@franklincollege.edu).  We look forward to a great academic year ahead.

 

Kerry N. Prather
President