Oct 14: Weekly Update from President Nowaczyk

Oct 14, 2020 5:00 PM

As the semester continues, I encourage the campus community to take some time to get outside and enjoy our beautiful surroundings, especially at this time of year. We all need to hit the “pause” button from time to time. Here are some updates.

Performances: I want to commend our performing arts departments, the Provost and the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for their work in coming up with a way to balance the need for safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic with the needs of our students in the performing arts to practice their craft. Together with the Guests on Campus working group, they adapted the COVID-19 guidance for Fall 2020 meetings and events to create a framework for performances. Audience sizes are limited, and attendees come from our campus community only. The Department of Music has already had some events, which are also available to view virtually, and more are in the works. Their lineup can be seen at www.frostburg.edu/concerts. And the Department of Theatre and Dance will perform “Charlotte’s Web” beginning next Thursday through Saturday. Please take the opportunity to support them if you can.

Cluster Testing: We have revised our language for our COVID-19 surveillance testing program to better describe our procedures. While we continue to test a stratified random sample of the campus community every two weeks, but select groups, following the pattern of athletics, will be tested at a higher percentage. For example, actors in the Department of Theatre and Dance who have been preparing for their first performance, were added to yesterday’s testing population. When you see “surveillance/cluster testing” in messages, this is the practice it is describing.

Brady Health Protocol: The Brady Health Center continues to see student patients, but I want to remind you how the pandemic has revised their practices. Appointments are required; no walk-in patients can be seen. If you think you may be showing symptoms of the coronavirus, you need to call first at 301-687-4310 to be evaluated. The nurses on staff will evaluate your symptoms and determine if you should be tested, or potentially, if your symptoms are serious enough that you should go to an Urgent Care center or the emergency room. Other serious conditions will also be referred to Urgent Care or an ER, as Brady Health is an ambulatory health center, equipped for minor illnesses and injuries, not an Urgent Care center.