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We have risen to the challenges placed before us since 1873. No mean feat. We now take on our newest challenge – a safe and healthy academic year in the midst of COVID-19.
Last Updated: January 26, 2021
Residential Students: Move-in day for returning students will be Friday, January 22nd. The residence halls will open at 8:00 am for students to begin moving back in. The Commons and CX will both be open for students on the 22nd.
Required COVID Testing: Residential AND Commuter Students should report to the FSC Ballroom for COVID testing on January 22nd between 1-5pm.
You will need to do this BEFORE you arrive for testing:
Upon completion of your COVID test, you will receive the appropriate clearance to attend class on Monday, January 25.
If you have extenuating circumstances that will not allow you to attend the required COVID testing on January 22, you will need to get a COVID test at an off-campus location no more than 72 hours prior to returning to campus, and bring a copy of negative test result to the Dean of Students Office to receive clearance to attend class.
If you have tested positive within 90 days, will need to come to the Dean of Students Office to receive clearance to attend class.
If you are a student worker who will be required to work on campus prior to January 22nd, you will need to get a COVID test at an off-campus location no more than 72 hours prior to reporting to work. You will need to show a copy of your negative test result to your campus supervisor before you will be allowed to work.
Please note that you will not be able to attend classes on January 25th without receiving the appropriate clearance from the Dean of Students Office. Please plan accordingly so that you will be able to start the semester safely and on time.
Thank you for your cooperation and assistance as we continue to operate safely and respect the health and well-being of our community.
In the spring of 2020, Drury established the Student Health and Public Safety Committee and the Coronavirus Task Force to drive the rapid implementation of The Panther Plan as we returned to in-person learning. This team has worked directly with students, faculty, staff and administration to develop plans that will allow us to learn in person.
Among the many COVID-19 mitigation measures that have been implemented:
Any model we develop will include some risk of COVID-19 transmission, but together, we can minimize it.
A key requirement for reducing the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission involves significantly reducing the number of close people-to-people and people-to-infected-surface encounters. To accomplish this we need everyone to do their part:
If a student, faculty or staff member is exposed to COVID-19, they will work with a health department official or a Drury contact tracing representative to determine if they will need to quarantine.
If it is determined that an individual should quarantine, they must complete a 10 day quarantine. Individuals will only be released from quarantine if not experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.
Quarantine can be shortened to seven days with a negative test collected within 48 hours of an individual’s planned release from quarantine. He or she must quarantine the full seven days even if their negative test comes back sooner.
International students arriving from international destinations will be expected to quarantine for 7 or 10 days in their residential location (on or off campus) in accordance to the general quarantine protocol stated above. This applies to all international students, no exceptions.
Likewise, domestic students traveling internationally will be expected to quarantine for 7 or 10 days before coming to a Drury campus. Again, there are no exceptions to this requirement.
Domestic students who have not traveled outside the country will not need to quarantine upon return to campus.
While in quarantine, students are expressly prohibited from leaving their assigned apartment or assigned residence hall room/bathroom for any reason other than medical appointments as directed by a physician. Additionally they are prohibited from participating in University co-curricular activities (athletic practices, rehearsals, student organization events, Greek activities, etc.).
If quarantining will prevent a student from attending in-person classes, they must contact their instructors to make arrangements to receive their assignments and turn in work until they are able to attend class in person.
A team will be in place to ensure all students who are quarantining receive delivery of food and other necessary items, as well as have the opportunity to socially connect with the broader Drury community.
Complete the form at drury.edu/covid-result to confidentially report to campus officials that you are in quarantine.
We know each person plays an essential role in protecting our community and respecting the rights of all individuals. When students returned to campus this fall, we asked all students to sign the Drury University Community Health and Safety Pledge.
We can continue to learn on campus and protect each other by meeting the following conditions:
If you have been advised by a contact tracer that you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or you have symptoms of COVID-19, immediately begin to self-isolate or quarantine.
Call the Panther Clinic at (417) 873-6300 to make an appointment Monday-Friday or utilize CoxHealth’s no-cost virtual visits in the evenings or on weekends. Testing is available Monday-Friday from 2:00-3:30 at the Panther Clinic on campus. They are open from 9:00-2:00 each weekday for non-COVID-19 visits.
Follow the instructions from your health care provider to get tested as soon as you can. Students, inform your RA (if you live on campus) and professors you are self-isolating. Faculty and staff, inform your supervisor. Remain in self-isolation until you receive your test result.
Complete the form at drury.edu/covid-result to confidentially report to campus officials that you are in quarantine.
If your test comes back positive, let your RA, professors and/or supervisor (depending on your campus role) know you are required to self-isolate and complete the form at drury.edu/covid-result to confidentially report your positive test to aid in contact tracing. If you live on campus, food and necessities will be delivered to your room. A health department official or Drury contact tracing representative will contact you to assess potential community COVID-19 exposure and advise you on next steps.
Drury guidelines require that you self-isolate for 10 days after the date you were tested and be fever-free for at least 24 hours without the aid of fever reducing medication before you return to on-campus activities.
A downloadable flow chart outlining this process is available in the resources section of this page.
If an individual exhibits symptoms of COVID-19, they can make an appointment at the Panther Clinic or utilize CoxHealth’s virtual visits on demand using the code COVID for a no-cost consultation. The individual should follow their directions regarding if they should seek additional medical care or be placed in self-isolation in their own residence.
Students will self-isolate in their residence room for the recommended time, since all students have single occupancy rooms. We will deliver food and other necessities to their residence.
We will work directly with the Springfield-Greene County Health Department to conduct contact tracing to identify anyone this student may have come into prolonged contact with and notify them of their next steps.
Drury GO students should contact their local healthcare provider for guidance.
Any individual who tests positive must and self-isolate for 10 days after the date they were tested and be fever-free for at least 24 hours without the aid of fever reducing medication before returning to on-campus activities.
All individuals who test positive should complete the form at drury.edu/covid-result to confidentially report their test results to campus for contact tracing and student support purposes.
Classes will resume in-person January 25 after an extended six week winter break. A-block will conclude on March 17 with a four day spring break. B-block will begin on March 22 and the rest of the semester will proceed as originally planned with another day off on April 2 for Good Friday and finals week May 10-14.
As with all other schedule changes, these were made with the goal of keeping our students, faculty and staff safe while fulfilling our educational mission in the most effective way possible.
Full details on these dates can be found in the academic calendar.
A number of changes have been made to the classroom experience to ensure safety and to help facilitate in-person learning:
Class attendance policies reflect the current situation. Students should contact their faculty to receive instructions on how to continue learning while in quarantine or self-isolation.
It is important students communicate early and often with their professors to ensure they can make up any work they may miss.
All students will live in single rooms this academic year. This will allow for better social distancing and gives private space where students can quarantine or self-isolate if needed. By assigning single rooms to all students, we are committed to enabling students to live safely on campus for the duration of the year, even if there is ever a need for classes to move online.
To keep everyone safe, there will be a few additional guidelines our residents need to follow:
The Commons and CX will both be open this fall. The Commons will still have buffet-style dining, but Fresh Ideas staff members will serve the food instead of students serving themselves. Seating in the Commons will be available but limited to promote social distancing. Additional seating has been added in the FSC upper lobby and the patio outside of the Ballroom. Grab and go options will be available as well.
The CX will have carry out items, and Fresh Ideas has implemented delivery services. Seating will not be available inside Springfield Hall for dining.
We are happy to welcome visitors to Drury’s campus. The university offers two campus visit times per day for a limited number of attendees. So we can best accommodate our guests, we ask that guests pick a few dates that would be suitable for a visit when scheduling.
Please arrive at Bay Hall 10 minutes early. Upon arrival, all campus visitors will be greeted at the welcome desk, have their temperature taken and given a small bottle of hand sanitizer and visit guidelines. If a person has a fever of 100.4 or greater, they will be asked to reschedule their visit.
For the health and safety of the Drury community, all campus visitors will be asked to comply with the following guidelines:
Per social distancing guidelines, we will discourage personal contact. Don’t worry, we won’t interpret the lack of handshake as rude.
Student organizations are a great way to connect with the Drury community and we encourage students to stay involved. As with all activities, student organization leaders will need to consider how to conduct their activities safely.
Enjoying the company of fellow Panthers is one of the best things about our Drury experience. While that will certainly look different right now, we can still find ways to come together.
There are a few basic things to remember when making plans with friends, classmates and colleagues.
Even with these safety guidelines, there are plenty of fun things you can do to enjoy each other’s company in a lower risk way. Ideas include:
Community testing, also known as surveillance testing, is the ongoing sampling of a percentage of a population to infer how many people in the population likely have active cases of COVID-19. This will help us slow the spread of COVID-19 by allowing us to identify and isolate current cases, while also allowing us to know if its presence on our campus is growing.
Drury will test 20% of students each week and 20% of faculty and staff every other week. Based on ongoing education from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and in consultation with CoxHealth CEO Steve Edwards – a member of our Board of Trustees – we decided this was an appropriate step for our campus at this time. If information or recommendations change, we will adjust the percentage of the Drury community we test accordingly.
Dean Julian, Provost Harville and CHRO Marilyn Harris randomly select 20% of students, faculty and staff respectively to be tested. Selection is completely random so you may be selected more than once or you may never be selected at all. They contact anyone selected for a test directly via email prior to your test date. Student tests are typically conducted on Tuesdays. Faculty and staff are typically tested on Fridays unless notified otherwise.
Anyone on campus may request to opt into community testing at any time by contacting either Dean Julian, Provost Harville or CHRO Marilyn Harris.
The email you receive notifying you of your selection for testing will contain instructions for the time and location of your test, as well as a form you need to complete. Tests will be administered throughout a specified window of time on your selected day. Appointments are not needed.
On your test day, bring your completed form with you to the testing site. After checking in, you will be directed to self-administer your test under the supervision of a trained tester.
Once you take your test, you are free to go. If you do not hear from one of our testers, your test was negative. If your test comes back positive, we will call you immediately to return for a PCR test that will confirm your diagnosis.
Both rapid antigen and PCR tests are administered at no cost to you. Your insurance will not get billed for rapid antigen tests. If you are asked to take a PCR test, this will be prescribed by a doctor and, as such, covered by your insurance. You will receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your insurance provider, displaying allowable amounts that will be covered by insurance. This is not a bill.
Regardless of the amount displayed on your EOB, you should not receive a bill from our lab. In the unlikely event that this does occur, however, please contact Marilyn Harris, our CHRO, at mharris016@drury.edu and we will correct the issue immediately.
If you do not have insurance, CARES Act funding will cover the cost of your PCR test.
This plan is subject to change as new information and testing technology comes to light.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020. It establishes and funds the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), providing emergency funds to students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to coronavirus. Drury University will receive a total of $120,724 under 18004(a)(2), the Strengthening Institutions Program section of the CARES Act.
Drury will provide funds to students who demonstrate financial need and wish to continue their education in the 2020-2021 academic year. To demonstrate financial need, students must be Pell eligible and owe a balance to the university from the Spring 2019 semester. Funds will be credited to their account on or before July 15, 2020.
Student Portion of CARES Act Funds Intuitional Portion of CARES Act Funds
COVID-19 tests are offered through the Panther Clinic on campus from 2:00-3:30 each weekday. You must call them at (417) 873-6300 to make an appointment before your visit. CoxHealth virtual visits are still available any time and they can refer you to offsite testing.
With significant travel restrictions in place globally, study abroad opportunities are not available this academic year.
Yes. Through our partnership with Burrell Behavioral Health, students can access behavioral health consultation services at no cost. Students also continue to have access to our two Drury mental health counselors.
Yes. Until there is more information on how the vaccine affects transmission of the virus, current quarantine and testing policies still apply to everyone – whether vaccinated or not.
We know that, while very effective, the vaccine does not offer 100% protection. Also, it isn’t known if a fully vaccinated person can still pass the virus even if they show no symptoms. We will evaluate all policies as the science progresses.
The committee has been meeting three times a week and working on plans daily since late April in order to prepare for fall. The members are comprised of students, faculty and staff.
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