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.

 

Spring Semester Update - Resurrection and Renewal

Apr 1, 2021, 9:47 AM

Dear Students and Colleagues – 

This evening marks the beginning of Easter Triduum, which stretches from sunset Thursday evening to sunset on Easter Sunday. It is the holiest time in the Christian tradition. Tonight we commemorate the Last Supper, which was when Jesus gathered for the traditional Jewish holiday of Passover, a commemoration of the exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt. This year, Passover began this past Saturday and concludes April 4. These holidays are celebrations of freedom over slavery, life over death, love over hate, and the promise of God’s love for all of us. The season of spring also reminds us of the power of creation, and the annual renewal of life as our darker times grow short, and daylight takes over. Whatever and however you celebrate our break this weekend, please join me in thanksgiving for friends, family, for this community, and for the life and light of these spring days of 2021.

Students – I hope you saw the news that as of Monday, April 5, 2021, all Wisconsin residents above the age of 16 become eligible to receive the vaccine for COVID-19. I take this as another reminder of how far we have come it in our efforts – both as a community and as a state – to reduce and ultimately eliminate the spread of the virus. There is solid information, including instructions for getting on a list to receive your vaccine, online at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services [link]. Students – if you have questions about eligibility, or anything else related to getting a vaccine, please reach out to Deanofstudents@edgewood.edu and we will assist. 

Colleagues - speaking of vaccinations: if you’ve been vaccinated and want to let people know, you can pick up a ribbon to affix to your name tag or ID that says “Covid-19 Vaccinated.” If you don’t want to share your vaccination status, but want to express your enthusiasm for our full reopening, you can get one that says “Return to Better ‘21.” (I have one of each.) Ribbons are free and available to be picked up in the CAC.  We are not out of this pandemic yet, and it may be too early to call all this “light at the end of the tunnel,” but it feels to me like we know which way to look for the light in the tunnel, now, at least!

Even as we prepare to hold Commencement on campus on Saturday, May 15, 2021, we are looking ahead as well. We have made the decision to hold Commencement in December and May each year, which means we will celebrate a Winter Commencement in December 2021. Details will be forthcoming on that of course, but based on students’ input, and other factors, we will hold a Commencement ceremony in December 2021. 

For those of you who are traveling this weekend, please be safe, and enjoy your time. Let’s all renew our commitment to each other and to this community in the longer and warmer days ahead. Be well and be safe. Wear your mask, and keep your circles tight. Get a vaccine when and if you can, and let’s finish the semester strong.

Cor ad cor loquitur.

-Andrew P. Manion, Ph.D.
President