Campus Update September 24, 2021
Dear Students,
Your health and safety is of utmost importance. I care about you and your families, as does the Leadership Team. We must be vigilant and considerate of others as we protect our own health, and we must be kind to each other as we maneuver the days of COVID. The Emergency Operations Center team continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation and has important news and reminders to share. First, here are important guidelines to follow:
- Wearing a mask is strongly encouraged while indoors and around others.
- Being vaccinated is a critical part of our path forward to beat COVID-19. Information on the $200 student incentive can be found on the Student Vaccination Incentive webpage.
- It is essential to monitor your health. Please do not come to campus if you have any COVID-19 symptoms. We ask that you self-assess your health on a daily basis.
- If you have any COVID-19 symptoms, we ask that you self-report, so we can do the appropriate contact tracing. Missy Kittner (employees) and Gale Kissinger (students) handle these situations and they know all of the appropriate steps to take for following our College protocols.
Secondly, testing is an important strategy for ensuring a safe environment on campus. The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District will continue to host COVID-19 testing in parking lot M on campus. The test is a PCR, self-administered, shallow nose swab.
I am excited to share news that we will begin additional testing for employees and students. This is non-mandatory but an important step to keep our campus safe and classes operational face to face. We believe this testing is one more important level of protection. Starting Monday, September 27, we will offer free self-administered nasal swab rapid testing for employees and students. This testing is now part of our contact tracing protocols, but it can also be used if members of the campus community want to monitor or check their health. The testing will take place in the Health Professions Simulation Building, Room 144. Faculty and students from our health professions programs will help administer the tests from 10:00 a.m.-noon and 1:00-3:00 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays. An online registration and scheduling tool is available at https://engage.mclennan.edu/portal/covid19_testing.
The College has many resources available on the COVID-19 webpage located at https://www.mclennan.edu/crisis-management/coronavirus-updates/. I encourage you to continue to be safe and to make the best decisions for you, your family, and your friends. Vaccinations and wearing masks are safe and effective and help to keep us all safe. The Leadership Team cares about you and needs your help.
Let’s do this together. . . because we can.
Johnette E. McKown
President