August 28, 2020

Dear North Central College Campus Community,

We are writing to share additional details about the College’s COVID-19 testing plans. As has been previously communicated by President Hammond, the College’s testing strategy involves both entry testing of specific student groups upon arrival to campus, and ongoing and surveillance testing of additional members of the campus community, as well as testing of symptomatic individuals. Testing for active COVID-19 infections plays a critical role in both the delivery of healthcare to our campus community and in monitoring and containing the possible spread of the virus.

As of last week, we completed the initial phase of our testing strategy—entry testing—and have since moved into the ongoing and surveillance testing phase, which will continue throughout the fall semester. Ongoing testing will be conducted among student-athletes and athletic staff who are participating in fall sports activities. This strategy is informed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), and the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) and is being organized by the College’s athletic department in collaboration with the Dyson Wellness Center. Surveillance testing will be conducted among the broader campus community as a strategy to help monitor and contain the possible spread of the virus. By routinely testing sample groups of students, faculty and staff, the College can monitor the effectiveness of other campus-wide health and safety measures and identify increases in infection rates should they appear.

Starting next week, our plan is to conduct weekly surveillance testing among approximately 5% of the general population of students, faculty and staff, and 10% of students living in the College’s residence halls. Individuals will be selected at random from the pool of campus community members for testing on a particular week. Those selected will be notified in advance by email and will have the opportunity to choose the 15-minute time slot that works best for them on their designated testing day. Individuals already included in the ongoing testing program will not be included in the pool for surveillance testing. Graduate students in programs that are 100% online, will also be excluded from surveillance testing.

It is the College’s expectation that, if selected, all campus community members will participate in this process as part of the #TogetherNC pledge to protect the health and safety of our community. If you have questions, please refer to the “Health” section of  covid.northcentralcollege.edu and the “COVID-19 Testing” section of the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Sincerely,

Peter Barger
Assistant Provost; Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning
Co-Chair COVID-19 Institutional Response Team

Kimberly Sluis
Vice President for Student Affairs and Strategic Initiatives
Co-Chair COVID-19 Institutional Response Team