COVID-19 Information

December 4, 2020

Dear Campus Community, 

We hope that you all had a relaxing Thanksgiving holiday, including a brief respite and are busily preparing for a richly deserved joyous holiday season.

Below is information to keep you up-to-date on campus activities:

On Friday, Nov. 20, SIUE moved to Limited Campus Operations Mode in response to the implementation of Restore Illinois Tier 3 Mitigations for Region 4. SIUE has determined that campus operations will remain in Limited Mode through Wednesday, Dec. 23. More information can be found here. Please check individual department websites for the most up-to-date information. 

Current Testing and Dashboard 

Health Service staff performed 151 screening tests and had a positivity rate of 0% for the week. This week’s confirmed positive cases for those self-reporting or those identified through SIUE testing were 3 for students and 5 for faculty/staff. The number of current 14-day new positive tests stands at 4 students and 9 faculty/staff. For a more in-depth look at SIUE’s COVID numbers, you may connect to the COVID Dashboard by clicking here. 

With the reported increase in cases in the state, it is important to obtain a screening test as another defense mechanism. Information on local area testing sites is located here. Screening appointments can be scheduled here. 

We are extremely pleased with our campus community’s compliance with the 3 Ws (wear a mask, watch your distance, wash your hands) and the positive impact on the health, safety, and well-being of our students, faculty and staff. Nevertheless, please be aware that the Edwardsville City Council has mandated face-coverings while engaging in almost any activity outside of a residence. Anyone not wearing a mask in Edwardsville’s public spaces could be fined. Whenever you leave campus, be sure to wear your mask.

SIU Board of Trustees

The SIU System Board of Trustees met virtually yesterday and acted upon three important topics related to SIUE. First, they amended the Statutes of the Trustees to include a Values Statement as part of the Policy on Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action.

The Values Statement now reads as follows: The Southern Illinois University (SIU) System is an anti-racist community that opposes racism, discrimination and inequity in any form, and embraces diversity, inclusion, equity and justice for all people. 

The Board also approved revisions in the SIU System Executive Director for Diversity title and position. The new position will be known as the Vice President for Antiracism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer. The position description is currently being redrafted.  

Finally, the Board also voted to approve our Spring COVID testing contract with GENETWORx (Gx), so we can test everyone on-ground returning in January (faculty, staff and students) and can continue to do extensive voluntary testing using a random model for the remainder of the semester. This will help assure a safer environment, particularly after holiday travel affecting so many in the SIUE community.

The Board also reviewed the Performance Reports (see the reports at siusystem.edu/board-of-trustees, and view the pdf under the Academic Matters Committee) from the respective campus provosts regarding the outstanding academic work that is occurring, in spite of COVID, and received award and contract updates from campus research administrators relating to the grant work that is occurring throughout the System.  

Spring 2021 Testing Plan 

The Gx contract allows us to operationalize our plan to preserve the health and safety of our community while continuing to provide excellent service to our students. SIUE is offering a saliva-based COVID-19 test through this Gx partnership. The saliva-based Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test is considered the gold standard. It can detect the virus in people who are asymptomatic and/or individuals early in the course of disease, which makes it an exceptional screening tool. This specific PCR test has less than a 0.3% false positive rate. 

On October 21, CDC provided guidance to institutions of higher education, which included requiring entry screening and volunteer surveillance testing. In the next few weeks, you will be advised of more details, but here are some of the highlights of our four-phase plan to enhance our other mitigations: 

1. University Housing pre-entry: University Housing residents who leave for winter break will be required to provide proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test before checking back into their space for the spring term. Brand new residents for spring will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test before checking in for the first time. University Housing will communicate with international students about alternative plans, should testing not be available to them. 
2. Return to campus mandatory testing: Students and employees who are learning or working remotely, and are not otherwise planning to be on campus, do not need to participate in this mandatory testing between Jan. 4-21, 2021. However, any student or employee who re-engages in on-ground campus activity during this period, (regardless of how brief or intermittent the campus contact) is expected to get a screening test within 48 hours of arrival to campus. 
3. On-going, incentive based, voluntary surveillance testing: Each week, 496 (statistically significant) of on-ground students, faculty and staff will be invited to test and offered incentives. Testing will begin on Monday, Jan. 25 and run through April 30 (14 weeks). The incentives include: 
   • Students  
     • $5 deposited in Cougar Bucks 
     • Monthly Raffle for parking hangtag FY22 
     • One Raffle at end of semester for fall FY22 Tuition waiver 
   • Faculty/Staff 
     • $5 deposited in Cougar Bucks 
     • Monthly Raffle for parking hangtag FY22
4. One does not need to be invited to be tested if they do not have symptoms. However, they will not be eligible for the incentives.  Each week, all dental students will be required to be tested. Contact Tracing: In the event of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, SIUE will continue to follow its contact tracing protocol. Contact tracing is the process of quickly identifying, assessing and managing individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19, and is designed to prevent additional transmission. The specific goals of our contact tracing process include:  

• Providing comprehensive identification, isolation and evaluation of student, faculty and staff who might be exposed to COVID-19 
• Preventing transmission of COVID-19 from a faculty, staff member or student to others 
• Tracking and reporting cases of occupationally or socially acquired COVID-19 infection 
• Complying with recommendations from state and local Departments of Public Health (DPH), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 

SIUE Day/Giving Tuesday

On behalf of our students who benefit from your generosity, thank you for being a part of both the SIUE Day Faculty/Staff and #GivingTuesday campaigns! Today, we send much gratitude to the 80-plus SIUE Day Campus Representatives and 350-plus #GivingTuesday Social Media Ambassadors for being an integral part of our success. These ambassadors have shown such dedication and enthusiasm for SIUE, and we appreciate their willingness to help fund raise on our behalf.

• Victory SIUE (Athletics) reported raising $125,742 from 132 donors so far! 
• The SIUE Foundation Gift and Records team is intensely working to process all the SIUE Day Faculty/Staff and #GivingTuesday contributions. These gifts include: Engagement Center Gifts, Foundation Mail Deposit Gifts, Foundation Online Gifts (gifts made online on other pages besides the #GivingTuesday site), and SIUE Day Faculty/Staff Gifts. We will plan to share final numbers in the Dec. 11 report. 
• Please know that the #GivingTuesday campaign is still live and runs through tomorrow. There is still time to push for donations for your respective areas and increase support for SIUE. Visit siueday.com!

Finally, remember if you are feeling ill, don’t come to campus. If you are under quarantine or isolation, do not leave it early.

Please continue to practice grace with one another and with yourselves. Your actions and commitment help make SIUE an exceptional institution. We are proud to serve with you.

Best wishes for the weekend,

Randy Pembrook, Chancellor 
Denise Cobb, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs 
Rachel Stack, Vice Chancellor for Advancement 
Morris Taylor, Vice Chancellor for Administration 
Jeffrey Waple, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs