Responding to Covid-19

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Return-to-Better

 

Active cases
includes faculty/staff and students, both on and off campus
Recovered
includes faculty/staff and students, both on and off campus
Total
includes faculty/staff and students, both on and off campus
Last updated 05/13/2022

Total: Total number of cases (Active and Recovered) among Students, Faculty, and Staff, both on and off campus, since tracking began for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Active: Positive cases not yet recovered.
Recovered: Able to resume normal activities.

As of Friday, May 13, 2022, we have suspended tracking cases for the 2021-2022 Academic Year.

To date, no cases of COVID-19 among the community of Edgewood College have required hospitalization. 

 

 

Return to Better

We are committed to a return to classes on campus and in-person when the 2021-‘22 academic year gets underway.

Our students expect to engage with our outstanding faculty and with one another – both in and out of the classroom – and they expect to do that in-person, in one of the best college towns in America – Madison.  That's why we are committed to teaching and learning in classrooms, and in-person, this fall.

Our Return to Better Task Force is taking steps to make that happen - not to return to ‘normal,’ but to return to better, applying all the lessons we have learned and continue to learn through the experience of the pandemic.

Protocol Update - Masks Required Indoors

August 4, 2021

We are not out of this pandemic. Effective Thursday, August 5, 2021, masks are required inside campus buildings for all students, faculty, staff, and visitors. This requirement applies to everyone - those who are fully-vaccinated, and those who are not. As a valued member of the community, you will hear when this latest update to our protocol is no longer necessary. We do this for each other, because from the beginning of this pandemic, we have shown each other and Greater Madison that we live our values of Community and Compassion.

Again - getting vaccinated – for all who are eligible – is the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We urge each member of our community to be vaccinated. 

-Dr. Heather Harbach
V.P. for Student Development/Dean of Students

Update

July 1, 2021

As a community we have followed the guidance of our public health professionals since the beginning of this pandemic. The CDC and the Wis. Department of Health Services recommends that all who are eligible be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Therefore, we too are strongly urging each member of our community to be vaccinated.

Students – we have created a simple form for you to update your COVID-19 vaccination status, and have sent you the link via email. You will indicate whether you have been vaccinated, whether you plan to but have not yet, or whether you do not plan to be vaccinated against COVID-19. 

Please complete this simple form now, and no later than Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021.

There will be continued updates for students as we approach our fall semester, including some very attractive reasons for completing the form. (Did someone say ‘big scholarships?’ And ‘free parking spaces?’) Please remember to check your email often throughout the summer.

If you have any questions, please email deanofstudents@edgewood.edu. If you need assistance finding a vaccination appointment, reach out, we are here to help! 

Enjoy your summer!

-Dr. Heather Harbach
V.P. for Student Development/Dean of Students

Student, Faculty, and Staff Pledge 2020-21

Preventing the spread

In order to do everything we can to keep all of our community as safe as possible, the Edgewood College community will adhere to a number of safety protocols during the 2020-2021 Academic Year as a way of minimizing risk of the spread of COVID-19. These protocols are based on guidelines provided by Public Health Madison Dane County.

As a member of this Community, I will…

  • Wash my hands properly and regularly.
  • Cover any coughs or sneezes.
  • Comply with posted Public Health Madison Dane County requirements.  
  • Wear a mask covering my nose and mouth while in indoor spaces.
  • Maintain social distancing.
  • Assist in the use of disinfectant wipes to clean shared public workspaces prior to use.
  • Take reasonable precautions to avoid contracting COVID-19 both on- and off-campus.
  • Avoid public places and minimize interpersonal contacts if I have been exposed or have any symptoms of any illness.
  • Report any potential exposure or symptoms to the College and follow any instructions to seek medical care or to quarantine.
  • Agree to be tested for COVID-19, as prescribed by health care professionals. Agree to be cooperative and flexible as we work together to support one another and give our community the best balance of learning and safety.

COVID-19 Reporting for 2020-21

We tracked positive cases of COVID-19 beginning in August of 2020. Data includes students, faculty, and staff. This data includes both on-campus and off-campus students, faculty, and staff. We reached a peak of active cases (28) on September 19-20, 2020. 

For 2020-21, we managed a total of 171 positive cases. None of those cases are associated with on-campus transmission. No case required hospitalization, and all cases reported as recovered.

 

 

Covid-19 Updates

These pages are a resource for students, parents, and our entire community.

 

Fall 2020 Update - October is Here

Oct 1, 2020, 4:00 PM

Dear Students and Colleagues – 

In the musical, “Hamilton,” there is a line that goes, “In the eye of a hurricane there is quiet.” In the show, Alexander Hamilton has actually survived a hurricane as a child, and as an adult the events of his life feel like a hurricane is raging all about him. I thought about that today as I read the reports of the dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases in our state, and noted that our own COVID-19 situation at Edgewood College is manageable, and actually heading in the right direction.

So, I say “thank you” to all of you for working hard, staying flexible, and being smart about navigating our way through this pandemic. Even as it appears we are holding our own in terms of limiting the spread of COVID in our community, the storm is raging in our state, which had its deadliest day to date this week, and hospitals in some areas are being pushed to capacity as healthcare professionals struggle to keep up. Let’s all resolve to continue to be smart.

The two-week suspension of all team activities and the ‘shelter-in-place’ protocol for our student-athletes ends Saturday. Those students may resume in-person classes and activities, and some will get started with official practices on Sunday. I hope we all appreciate the steps these students have taken for the benefit of this entire community. No one signed up for life during a pandemic, and our student-athletes have all made a sacrifice for this community by giving up what counts as ‘normal’ when we experienced a spike in positive cases. I am especially grateful to those teams who went through the added inconveniences of sheltering-in-place even though no one on their team turned out to be positive for COVID-19. This is a sacrifice that shows their commitment to the community. We also recognize all students, faculty, and staff who have reached out either to the Dean of Students Office, or to our Human Resources area, to report awareness of possible exposure.  These are not easy days, and for some among us who have been in quarantine or isolation (I did it myself back in March) they’ve been especially challenging. Thank you for taking these steps to help limit possible spread of this virus.

Some among us said – either in jest or not – Edgewood College ‘wouldn’t make it past September.’ You probably don’t recall, but on August 19, the first day of classes, I said to our community “believe it or not, there are people who want us to fail, who can’t wait to say, ‘See? I told you those students couldn’t be trusted to come back safely.’ I believe those people are wrong. Let’s show them we can do this.” 

Well, October is here, and you’re doing it. 

Let’s keep it up - wear your mask, wash your hands, maintain physical distancing at all times, and tighten your social circles. This goes for on-campus and off-campus. We are doing well navigating these days and weeks – let’s do it for each other.

Be well.

Cor ad cor loquitur.

-Andrew P. Manion, Ph.D.
President