September 23, 2020

Now that all Susquehanna University’s students who have opted to return to campus have done so, the university is ramping up its COVID-19 testing efforts by implementing a new random testing protocol.

Each week, 20% of students living in residential buildings that are not monitored by wastewater testing will be tested individually, including commuter students, as well as students participating in off-campus internships and those leaving campus overnight. Each week, those randomly selected students will receive an alert to visit a testing station centrally located on campus. Random testing of faculty and staff will begin in the near future.

Any student traveling overnight is required to register their travel. Students are asked to limit their travel to essential business.

Students are to refrain from entering residence halls where they do not live. Additionally, although limited visitors are permitted on campus during the day, overnight guests (SU students and non-SU students) are not permitted in residence halls for fall 2020.

Susquehanna continues to monitor wastewater outflows by testing 13 locations across campus. A positive result will trigger throat swab testing of those living within the residential area from which the positive wastewater test originated.

Susquehanna began the semester with 25% of its students in residence halls, then progressed to 50% before all its students moved in. First-year and transfer students moved in as originally planned in mid-August, with seniors following two weeks later and juniors and seniors two weeks after that. All students were required to test negative for COVID-19 before arriving to campus.

“We are tremendously grateful to our first-year students and seniors for their contributions to getting the university this far and we thank our juniors and sophomores for their patience,” said Susan Lantz, vice president for student life. “We are now at a pivotal moment as we have all of our students on campus. We ask that everyone continue to be part of the university’s successful trend so that together we can complete the semester on campus.”

On-campus instruction ends Friday, Nov. 20, at which time students will depart campus until the spring semester. The last week of classes will be held remotely beginning Nov. 30. Finals will be administered remotely, beginning Dec. 7.