McKendree welcomes students to campus with masks, thermometers and a list of symptoms
Before they were allowed to start moving into their dorms Friday, McKendree students lined up in their cars outside the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts.
There, university staff in masks checked everyone in the car’s temperature with a forehead thermometer, asked where they were coming from, and ran through a checklist of COVID-19 symptoms with the student. One staff member gave a parent a small bottle of hand sanitizer.
It was only then that the students and their designated helpers could begin their move into campus housing.
About 50 students were scheduled to move in Friday, the university said — mostly freshmen and students working for New Student Orientation. Another 200 new students are expected Monday, and new student move-in appointments will continue through Wednesday. Returning students move in from Monday through Aug. 15.
Each student has one hour to move in, is limited to two “helpers,” and everyone is required to wear a mask. The university also staggered move-in times, to ensure that hall neighbors aren’t moving in at the same time.
Timothy Middleton, of Mascoutah, was there to move in his son Timothy Middleton II, a freshman on McKendree’s football team.
“It is kind of different and unusual,” Middleton said of moving his son into his dorm. He said parents always want to make sure their kids are safe and healthy.
In particular, Middleton said he was a little nervous about his son playing football, because of all of the equipment that gets touched by multiple hands. He’s been following the NFL’s plans for their season, and said he hoped colleges would bring in some of those same protocols.
Graduating high school seniors might have had an underwhelming send-off from their schools in the spring, but Middleton II said starting college was exciting, no matter what.
“I still feel like it’s an experience,” he said, before carrying a load of sneaker boxes up to his room.
Like many college freshmen during any normal school year, Kailee Carr of St. Peters, Missouri, was a little nervous about moving to a campus where she didn’t know anyone.
Carr is a powerlifter and a cheerleader, but she said those activities aren’t starting up until September.
“I was hoping sports would help me meet people,” she said.
Carr’s mother, Amy Carr, said she wasn’t nervous about moving her daughter in during a pandemic and that she though McKendree’s transition plan had enough safeguards.
“I’m not concerned,” she said while unpacking her daughter’s belongings. “I think the university has a good plan. We’re ready for life to get back to normal.”
McKendree’s return to campus plan
The 11-page return-to-campus plan for McKendree details procedures for the fall. Once classes start, all McKendree faculty, staff and students are required to wear masks while indoors and outside when social distancing is not possible — this includes classrooms, labs and communal spaces. Social distancing is encouraged whenever possible.
Classes started early, so they can end before Thanksgiving to limit travel. Virtual exams will be conducted between Nov. 30 and Dec. 3, and students will return in the spring semester.
If a McKendree employee has COVID-19 symptoms, they are to notify their supervisor and not return to work until they’ve been symptom-free for 24 hours. If they test positive, they are not to return to work until they have recovered fully and tested negative. If they were in close contact with someone who tested positive, they are to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Students who display any symptoms of COVID-19 should notify Health Services. To enter the Health Services building, everyone will have their temperature taken.
If a student was in close contact with someone who tested positive, they are to self-quarantine for 14 days, returning home if possible, or in their assigned space. Their temperatures will be checked twice a day and be monitored for symptoms.
Students with COVID-19 symptoms, or students who tested positive but aren’t displaying symptoms, will isolate for 10 days or until it’s determined safe. They’ll relocate to another residential location, either on or off campus.
Faculty will be notified of any students in their classes who are quarantined or isolated.
Some 16-week courses are being converted to a fully online format. Others are being moved to larger classrooms to comply with social distancing requirements, or will be taught using blended instructional methods. That may include synchronous distance learning, where groups within the same class rotate between in-person learning and participating in class from their computer; asynchronous activities, including pre-recorded lectures, projects and electronic discussion boards; or a combination of the two methods.
Southern Illinois University–Edwardsville
SIUE students will begin receiving students in the week after McKendree, with move-in appointments scheduled between Aug. 18 and 22.
According to plans on the university’s website, students will also be limited to having two people help to move them in, and everyone will be expected to wear a mask and practice social distancing.
Each student will be provided one free mask from SIUE.
This story was originally published August 10, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
