ALISA OPPENHEIMER
News Editor
How long has it been since you’ve checked the SUNY COVID-19 Dashboard?
If you haven’t, it’s probably because Fredonia’s positive case numbers have been so low recently.
In the very beginning of last semester, at our worst, our positive case numbers were rising every day by at least 10.
There was talk of our campus going fully remote again, and the campus-community had valid concerns about health.
But whether it be the various updates in protocols, or just the low number of positive cases in general, the campus climate feels a bit different this semester.
According to President Kolison, 7,100 COVID-19 tests have been administered since the Spring Semester started on Feb. 3.
Out of those 7,100 tests, only 15 have come back positive, with just three of those 15 being on-campus students.
And since Feb. 9, there have been no more on-campus positive results.
In an email sent campus-wide, Kolison expressed his opinion on why our campus has been receiving such great results.
“I am arguing that it is not luck. Rather, it is because we have remained vigilant about being safe,” he said.
This semester, there were various changes made in protocols that we didn’t see last semester, so to say that might have contributed to our success so far isn’t a stretch.
The first thing students were required to do was provide a negative test result within three days prior to returning to campus after break.
The other big change is testing on campus.
Last semester, students were tested a certain amount of times throughout the year. This semester, Fredonia requires that all students and staff are tested weekly, providing a more accurate description of how quickly COVID may or may not be spreading on campus.
With that, Enrollment and Student Services has informed students that there will be repercussions taken for students who don’t abide by this.
“If you fail to appear for [two] consecutive pool testing appointments, you will be contacted regarding the possible disabling of your E-services as a result.”
This means that students who break this rule will not be able to access any of their E-services: Fredonia email, network, campus log-ins, OnCourse and more.
Testing procedures have also been improved for both timeliness and convenience.
Have you heard of Steele Hall’s new “fast tracks?”
If you haven’t, then you’ve probably experienced them without knowing that’s what they were called.
Fast tracks are lanes that have been put into place about a week ago.
They allow students to follow instructions provided and test themselves after they’ve filled out the required online pretesting survey.
So far, the fast tracks have been successful and Fredonia has made testing an individually-done process.
Of course with this, volunteers are available to help, and at each station, there are step-by-step instructions on how to conduct your own test.
Lastly, Fredonia has officially become a designated vaccination site.
The school’s first day of hosting the vaccine clinic was on Saturday, Feb. 27, and according to Kolison it was, “very successful.”
Although many students aren’t currently eligible to get the vaccine, once they are, this will make it more convenient for them.
So while we may not have a clear answer on why this semester is going so well, we can most likely conclude it’s because of Fredonia’s due diligence.
In order to continue going throughout our Spring Semester safely, it’s extremely important that we don’t let our guard down.
“I want to encourage everyone to please stay the course of remaining vigilant. With vaccine opportunities increasing each day, I am very hopeful this situation will be over soon. So, let’s not give up as we approach the finish line,” said Kolison.