COVID guidelines for 2022

Dec. 29, 2021

Dear campus community,

Happy new year! The start of January term is in just four days, and I am writing today to every Augustana College student, employee and parent to ask for your help and support, so the in-person classroom experience can get off to a great start in 2022.

Testing before classes resume

Testing for COVID-19 is one of the most important precautions we can take. If time allows during the next four days, please test before returning to campus.

Similar to what was required during the fall semester, testing will continue to be mandatory for unvaccinated members of our campus community, and an additional test is needed between now and Jan. 3.

→ Unvaccinated students are required to complete COVID-19 testing before returning to the classroom on Jan. 3, 2022. 

→ Unvaccinated employees are required to complete COVID-19 testingbefore returning to work on Jan. 3, 2022. 

These tests can occur  before returning to campus or at the PepsiCo Recreation Center on the morning of Jan. 3, 2022 .  

For complete details about testing, read the Dec. 20 update at Augustana Strong, or see your message from Dean of Students Dr. Wes Brooks Dec. 20, 2021.  

Precautions in early 2022

As the COVID-19 infection rates increase, Augustana will increase precautions on campus. Please be aware of the following precautions and requirements established by college leaders in consultation with Dr. Cheryl True, an alumna of Augustana and medical director of the Rock Island Public Health Department.

• All student club and organization meetings and all employee meetings must be held virtually. 

• Office of Student Life, Office of International Student and Scholar Services, and Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity activities are limited to 20 people or fewer, and such activities must have an employee present to ensure masking and capacity limits are followed. The preference is to hold virtual programming rather than in-person.

• We will launch a new COVID-19 app starting the week of Jan. 3. It will replace Campus Clear, and it will be required for admittance into the dining center and PepsiCo Recreation Center.  

• Additional plexiglass partitions will be added in the Gerber Dining Center.

• The PepsiCo Recreation Center will allow limited participation in pick-up basketball games. Intramural programs will be revised to limit contact.  

• Spectator attendance will be limited for athletic events. Details will be shared through the Augustana Athletic Department.

The precautions listed above are intended to be temporary and represent proactive measures to help us coexist with COVID-19 in the midst of growing concerns about the Omicron variant and high levels of spread in Rock Island County. The campus community’s compliance with masking, regular testing and self-reporting of symptoms will impact our ability to coexist with COVID-19, in the way we have done to this point.

What you can do now

→ Get your booster shot, if you are eligible. The COVID-19 booster is free and the nationwide Vaccine and Booster Finder is a great resource to find available appointments. Or plan to get your booster when you return; booster shots are administered at the campus health clinic. 

→ Buy yourself several new high-quality masks before returning to campus. Masks are required indoors – in all public spaces such as hallways, classrooms, the library, etc. 

→ Get a new bottle of hand sanitizer. And wash your hands often. Good hand hygiene reduces the number of microbes on hands and can lessen spread.

→ Practice social distancing, and keep your social group small. Six feet of physical distance between people helps prevent the spread of COVID-19.

If you think you might have COVID-19, contact Augustana’s Public Safety Office at 309-794-7711. Someone in that office can help you safely and quickly navigate the next steps.

What's next

A spike in COVID-19 cases at Augustana would force us to make further changes to the ways our campus operates. Therefore, we ask that students, faculty and staff remain flexible with plans and expectations. We will continue to closely monitor the public health situation on campus and in Rock Island County. And we will plan to share an email update with campus on or before Wednesday, Jan. 5. 

Finally, please accept my thanks for your continued patience in these uncertain times, and know that I join with you in looking forward to a healthy 2022. After all, we are #AugustanaStrong.

Sincerely,

Dr. Wes Brooks, Dean of Students