Dear Allegheny College Campus Community,
I hope you’re having a healthy, safe, and restorative break with family and friends. As we celebrate the arrival of 2021, I wanted to send you an update so that you have a clear picture of plans for the upcoming spring semester. This update has critical information that you need to know as you plan for January and February. We will be following up with more detailed emails about some of the topics mentioned here, so please keep an eye on your email in the days and weeks to come.
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Module 1—fully remote—will start as planned on January 19, 2021, and will run through February 11. Module 2 classes will start, face-to-face as planned, on February 23, 2021. Students were asked to confirm at the end of last semester if they will be living and learning on campus during Module 2; if plans have changed since you submitted your survey, please contact us ASAP at fall2020@allegheny.edu. The Allegheny College Health Agency continues to watch guidance from the county and state; at present, our plans are on track to begin in-person classes on February 23, 2021, as planned. We will of course communicate to you immediately if we need to change plans based on CDC or government mandates or action.
You will be receiving an email to register for an at-home COVID-19 test kit two weeks before you return to campus. Our many experts continue to emphasize that an essential key to a successful semester is testing for everyone—students, faculty, and staff — before they arrive on campus. For that reason, for spring we will require proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test selected by the College just before arrival. Look for an email from Inspire Diagnostics and read it carefully. You will need to register for the test and enter the best mailing address to receive the test during the two weeks before you return to campus. If you have medical insurance, please enter that information. If you do not have medical insurance or if for some reason your insurance company rejects the claim, Allegheny College will cover the expense. Please carefully read as well the instructions that come with the test, which will tell you the best date to take the test. Timing is critical for the testing to ensure maximum effectiveness.
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Students will be able to move into on-campus residences on February 18 and 19. As in the fall, all students (including commuter students, as well as all faculty and staff) will be required to take an additional COVID-19 PCR test on campus during these two days. Allegheny College will continue to operate with proper physical distancing and masking protocols in place. Therefore, as in fall, we need students to stick to their assigned move-in time to avoid congestion. Students will receive information about scheduling their move-in time as soon as possible. Based on our success in the fall, a second, in-person COVID-19 PCR test will also be required for all students on February 25 and February 26. We will, again, have an on-campus quarantine; this is tentatively scheduled to end March 4, but we will not finalize the date until we confirm there is no campus spread of COVID.
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I am pleased to announce that Allegheny College will be doing even more testing during the spring semester, to ensure the health, safety, and success of our community. We’re investing in this additional testing to make sure we once again complete the semester face-to-face. Such testing will be mandatory for those individuals who will be on campus, a practice that will help maintain a safe on-campus experience for all. We wish to ensure that all of our students can maintain their academic progress and have a productive semester. As always, ACHA and Dr. Morrow are available for questions and concerns. Email them at healthagency@allegheny.edu or gmorrow@allegheny.edu.
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We have formed a Vaccine Task Force that will be partnering with local medical and public health authorities to educate our community and—as soon as possible—to make vaccines available. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.
As always, our community’s health, safety, and well-being are our highest priority, along with ensuring that nothing disrupts our students’ ability to achieve their academic goals and earn their degrees on time. Thank you all for your continued dedication and resolve and, above all, for the kindness and respect you’ve displayed toward all members of the Allegheny College family. I’m proud to be a part of our amazing campus community.
I look forward to a wonderful semester ahead. In the meantime, I wish you and your loved ones a coming year filled with good health, happiness, success, and so much that is good, including vaccines for all!
President Link