Safe Return to Campus
The top priority of the University is the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and campus community.
The University will continue to develop and revise guidelines that address the expectations of all members of the community, personal safety practices, staffing options, workplace environments, emotional wellbeing, on-campus visitors, modification of facilities, and workplace education as we continue on-campus life. Now more than ever, it is imperative that the Chowan University community live and abide by the core values of the University.
This webpage is the source of information for on-campus living and learning. These published plans are continuously evolving. Please check back frequently as details and announcements are made. The University has also created reopening@chowan.edu as a method to ask questions related to the reopening of the University that cannot be found on the reopening webpages.
Update as of 7/21/21:
Chowan University's administration communicated our intent to return to a more vibrant traditional campus experience. Vaccinations are an essential tool in accomplishing this goal. We strongly encourage our students, staff, and faculty to get vaccinated.
The research and data have demonstrated that vaccines were very effective in earlier trials and appear to be as effective in real-world use limiting the spread of the COVID-19 virus and the severity of symptoms among those who may become infected. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) in conjunction with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) urges individuals 12 years and older to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Students who choose to become vaccinated may submit documentation providing proof of full COVID-19 vaccination to the Wellness Center. The fax number is 252-398- 6446 or you may scan and send it to hullc@chowan.edu.
For Spring 2022, our COVID -19 mitigation efforts, including masking (preferably N95 or KN95 masks), will remain unchanged from the fall semester. As we begin this semester, face coverings are required in all indoor spaces on campus for students, faculty, staff, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status. We will continue to monitor the data from our state and region.
All unvaccinated students, staff, and faculty will begin COVID testing next week. If you are fully vaccinated (2 doses of Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of Johnson and Johnson) and we do not have a copy of your vaccination card, you may submit it as follows students bring a copy to Penny Hall 201 or via email hullc@chowan.edu, faculty and staff may submit to the Human Resources Office or hr@chowan.edu.
The following face-covering requirement becomes effective August 1, 2021.
CU requires face coverings in the following indoor situations to protect against a possible COVID-19 surge upon return to full density on campus:
- Classrooms, teaching laboratories, studios, and other spaces where instruction occurs, unless a safety plan has been submitted and an approved exception has been issued
- Any indoor setting where social distancing of at least 3 feet cannot be maintained
- Other spaces identified per the current Governor’s Executive Order.
On CU’s campus, no face covering is required outdoors. However, all unvaccinated individuals are encouraged to wear a face-covering when social distancing of at least 3 feet cannot be maintained. This face-covering restriction will be re-evaluated on or before September 15, 2021.
While the governor’s latest update reflects the great strides that North Carolina has made against COVID-19, the CU community must continue to do our part to protect ourselves and others. Vaccinations are strongly encouraged and available at most pharmacies and local health departments. (More detailed information on this is forthcoming.)
Thank you for continuing to do your part to keep the Hawks community safe. The senior staff monitors what is happening in North Carolina and in our immediate area. We will make adjustments for the campus as deemed appropriate.
Campus Guiding Signs
Protecting Yourself and Others
Continued Safety Measures
The University will prepare a public health plan that includes COVID-19 testing and tracing protocols, quarantine guidelines for students diagnosed as positive and for students who had contact with a diagnosed individual, and self-isolation guidelines for an employee who is diagnosed as positive or who has been exposed to or come in contact with an individual who has tested positive.
To provide safe spaces where learning, teaching, serving, engaging, living, playing, and working together can thrive, the University will modify facilities to include limiting capacity in spaces; closing, where possible, informal gathering places; creating visual cues to direct community members where to enter, exit, stand, etc.; installing, where possible, barriers to ensure physical distancing; and removing furniture in public spaces.
To facilitate social distancing, University faculty will employ a mix of instructional delivery methods to include in-person, hybrid, and remote, while maintaining instructional excellence in all courses.
To provide meaningful, safe and healthy experiences for all members of the community, the University will reimagine every dimension of the Chowan experience, including student organizations, residential life, dining services, athletic events, special programs, performances, exhibitions, admissions events, commencements, alumni and philanthropic activities, etc.
The University will implement standards, processes, and responsibilities for routine cleaning and disinfecting high-touch points and public spaces, such as classrooms, lobbies, and restrooms, etc.; for identifying areas to be deep cleaned following a presumptive for confirmed COVID-19 case; for distributing cleaning and disinfecting supplies to employees who have the responsibility of disinfecting their workspace on a regular basis several times per day; and for installing hand sanitizer dispensers at strategic points throughout campus.
