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Ursuline’s pandemic protocol is informed by close consultation with experts from Cleveland Clinic and the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and follows the guidelines of the State of Ohio and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This page tracks testing and confirmed cases among our community members and is updated every Wednesday.
Below are frequently asked questions. To read more in-depth updates, including information about federal relief funds, go to our Coronavirus News Section. Additional updates are available to Ursuline students, faculty, and staff on the College's intranet, MyUrsuline, where a log-in is required.
All students on campus, both undergraduate and graduate: before arrival must email one of the following to vaxcard@ursuline.edu : 1) A picture of your vaccination card (both sides); OR 2) Proof of a negative COVID test, taken no more than 72 hours prior to your arrival on campus; OR 3) Proof of a positive COVID test, no more than 90 days prior. If you have tested positive, follow the instructions of your healthcare provider about length of isolation.
Yes. The College conducts random surveillance testing of approximately 3-5% of our unvaccinated campus population every week. Students, faculty and staff are notified by email when their names are randomly drawn for a test. Those who then submit a vaccination card are excused from testing. Testing happens on campus under the supervision of a faculty member from our Breen School of Nursing. In addition, the Athletics Department regularly tests student athletes according to NCAA guidelines.
This is random surveillance testing; not mass testing of all students. As noted above, unvaccinated students are required to get their own COVID tests no more than 72 hours before coming to campus for fall 2021 semester.
Yes! Our classrooms have been equipped so that we can provide face-to-face instruction with virtual learning for those who are in isolation or quarantine, for most courses.
All in-person course meetings follow strict guidelines requiring facial coverings for all, asking for those not vaccinated to practice social distancing, and other protocols to maintain health and safety.
Yes. With a increase in COVID prevalence during summer 2021, Cuyahoga County, Ohio has met the CDC’s benchmark for “substantial transmission.” The CDC states: "To maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission." This goes for vaccinated and unvaccinated people. To protect ourselves and others, we are all wearing masks inside Ursuline buildings, unless we are alone in a room (office, or residence hall room).
We have installed hand sanitizer stations at locations around campus, and we’ve placed more hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies at each copy machine. Each classroom and computer lab is stocked with wipes, disinfectant, paper towels and hand sanitizer. Students and faculty are asked to wipe down all surfaces they will touch (primarily desks and keyboards) at the beginning and again at the end of each class.
We increased the hours of the cleaning staff. They are committed to three cleanings per day of each restroom plus disinfecting high-touch surfaces throughout campus several times a day. Responsible behavior by all of us will help keep our campus clean.
Those who are un-vaccinated should maintain social distance from others.
Student Affairs and Admission events are a mix of virtual and face-to-face encounters, depending on the activity, venue, and ability to ensure student safety. Again, a culture of shared responsibility will help us avoid infection.
We continue to urge all members of our campus community to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible, toward the goals of protecting your own health and promoting herd immunity on our campus and in our larger communities. Find a COVID vaccine near you.
Thank you for taking care of yourselves and, in the spirit of Saint Angela Merici, considering the health and well-being of others.
Beyond vaccination, the most important steps we can take are also pretty simple steps: wash hands frequently and for at least 20 seconds each time; avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth; wear a mask and maintain social distancing if you are not vaccinated or are in the presence of un-vaccinated people; self-isolate for 14 days if you experience symptoms of COVID-19.
Students, faculty and staff are all required to sign a form acknowledging that they understand that before entering campus every day, they are to assess their own symptoms, watching for:
• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea
This list does not include all possible symptoms.
Those who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 should not enter campus buildings until symptoms have been absent for at least 14 days. The Cuyahoga County Board of Health recommends that someone who tests positive may return to work or class when symptoms have improved for 24 hours without medications and at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
We will urge any resident student diagnosed with COVID-19 to recover in their permanent home. Faculty will provide online instruction. If that is not possible, students who live in a single room in the residence halls can isolate there and have meals delivered while they recover. Any resident who develops COVID-19 but does not have a single room will be offered one.
Use this form to request the accomodations you will need.
According to the CDC, if you think or know you had COVID-19, and had symptoms. you can be with others (back in class or back at work) after:
• At least 10 days since symptoms first appeared and
• At least 24 hours with no fever without fever-reducing medication and
• Other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving
Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation.
If you had severe illness from COVID-19 (you were admitted to a hospital and needed oxygen),
• Your healthcare provider may recommend that you stay in isolation for longer than 10 days after your symptoms first appeared (possibly up to 20 days)
• You may need to finish your period of isolation at home.
If you tested positive for COVID-19 but had no symptoms, you can be with others after 10 days have passed since the date you had your positive test
Our goal is to maintain on-campus presence that enables us to offer valuable faculty-student interactions, at the same time that we protect the health and safety of the Ursuline College community. Coronavirus circumstances continue to evolve, however. For this reason, the Ursuline College administration pledges to continue to monitor guidelines from the State of Ohio, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, and the CDC. Students, faculty and staff are urged to stay on top of campus developments by reading Ursuline emails daily.
