FAQ - Elizabethtown College

Frequently Asked Questions

Return To Campus
Health & Safety
Housing & Student Life
Quarantine
Athletics
General

Return to Campus

Elizabethtown College currently has a mask-optional policy for students, employees, and all guests. The College fully supports anyone who chooses to wear a mask and expects all members of the campus community to be respectful of this choice.

Please note: individuals who are identified as contacts are required to wear masks when indoors for 10 days following the most recent contact. Contacts are also required to test on day 5 following exposure. Individuals returning to campus after isolating should also mask for five days following their return.

Students and employees engaging in College-related experiences off-campus will need to comply with the requirements of external facilities when it comes to masking.

Should COVID-19 cases on our campus rise to significant levels or our county move into the CDC's high transmission categories, the College may reinstate the indoor masking mandate and will communicate that immediately.

Students and employees should upload their most recent vaccination and booster status on Jayweb using the student form or employee form.

Elizabethtown College strongly encourages all members of the campus community to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and booster. While the College does not require individuals to be vaccinated, employees and students are required to submit their most recent Vaccine & Booster Verification Status as soon as possible. Vaccination status will impact the steps taken in the College’s contact tracing process, which is consistent with the contact tracing process established by the CDC.

Yes. The building is open to the both students and employees. Students and employees will have access to the fitness center, demonstration kitchen, group fitness classes, and the field house track. These areas are not open to the general public.

Non-vaccinated individuals will be required to quarantine in place and wear a mask when around others for five days if identified as a contact of someone who tests positive for COVID-19.

The College is not offering students the option to take in-person classes remotely this fall. Unless a class is scheduled to be online or remote, it will be delivered in-person.

Students in isolation or quarantine should not report to class. The College will send a courtesy notification to faculty if the student requests it. Students are responsible for discussing options with their faculty for completing missed coursework during this time. Students who are unable to attend class for an extended period of time or who are diagnosed with a health condition they believe precludes their adherence to College Guidance regarding COVID should contact Lynne Davies in Disability Services to discuss reasonable accommodations.

Students who have tested positive within the past 90 days should send verification of the positive test result and date to Student Health.

Health & Safety

Any student testing positive for COVID-19 will not be publicly identified and the College will follow its FERPA and HIPAA requirements which guarantee privacy. With that said, notification of a positive test must be shared with local and state officials. Additionally, the campus community will be notified through the Dashboard of any reported positive cases on campus, and contact tracing will be promptly conducted. The College will only report positive cases that are self-identified. Identification suspected and reported by another individual is prohibited and will be met with swift and significant actions through our student conduct system or Human Resources office.

Prompt and efficient contact tracing is an essential public health activity to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The College has assembled a team of contact tracers who will be conducting the tracing process and each of them is certified through the Johns Hopkins University contact tracing program. When we learn that a student has tested positive for COVID-19, the College will follow the following procedure with that student:

Communicate with the student to offer support, share information about resources, and discuss Isolation procedures.
Make plans to stay in communication.
Work with the student who tested positive to develop a list of people who have had close contact on a regular basis (within six feet for a total of at least 15 minutes during a 24 hour time period) with the student since 48 hours before the student’s symptoms started (or two days prior to the positive specimen collection if the student who tested positive is not having symptoms). Each person named on the contact list will receive communication via phone from a member of the College’s contact tracing team to discuss next steps with them.
- Unvaccinated contacts are required to quarantine in their room or home for five days if they are not having symptoms and test negative at day five from their most recent contact.
- Vaccinated contacts who are not having symptoms do not have to quarantine. It is recommended to test 3 to 5 days from their most recent contact with the person who tested positive (this can be a rapid antigen test). Contacts who are having symptoms (whether they are vaccinated or unvaccinated) should get tested.

Students, regardless of vaccination status, who exhibit symptoms are directed to not go to class/work and immediately notify Student Health through one of the following ways:

During Business Hours you can reach Student Health:
- Call 717-361-1405—you can leave a message; or
- Mark “yes” on the Daily Digital Health Report (DDHR) on JayWeb
After Business Hours or 24 hours/day :
- Campus Security (717-361-1264)

When a student tests positive, Student Health staff will communicate with the student to assess their needs and provide support, describe isolation procedures, and do contact tracing. Students are expected to isolate at home or in an off-campus location of their choosing. Students are expected to leave campus promptly. For students who are having difficulty identifying an off-campus location to isolate, staff will provide contact information for hotels in the area. Campus Safety can provide transportation to the hotel in some situations.

Should an employee have symptoms, they should get tested as soon as possible and stay home. Employees who test positive should notify their supervisor and Human Resources. Human Resources will reach out with next steps including the contact tracing process.

Housing & Student Life

Yes.

Yes, students are allowed to visit others on campus.

Quarantine & Isolation

Your school's dean is a valuable resource and can help students navigate the support systems available in each school. The Center for Student Success can assist students in identifying appropriate academic support. Student Health can provide updated COVID-19 information and resources for ongoing health and wellness. COVID-19 related questions can be directed to the COVID Task Force.

Due to limited housing available on campus, students who test positive for COVID-19 during the fall semester will be required to isolate themselves at home or in an off-campus location. As a precaution, students should consult with their families and support networks prior to returning to campus to establish a plan for isolation. Students in need of assistance or who have questions about their plan should contact the COVID-19 Taskforce .

When a student tests positive for COVID-19, they are expected to notify Student Health Nurse Kati Frey (phone: 717-588-1059, freykati@etown.edu) or Associate Dean of Students for Student Counseling and Health Needs Bruce Lynch (phone: 717-361-1405, lynchbg@etown.edu). Student Health staff will communicate with the student to assess their needs and provide support, describe isolation procedures, and do contact tracing.

Isolation Procedure

Students who test positive for COVID-19 are expected to isolate at home or in an off-campus location of their choosing. Isolation should last at least five days. After day five, if you experience no symptoms, you may return to campus but should continue to mask indoors for an additional five days. Students are expected to leave campus promptly. For students who are having difficulty identifying an off-campus location to isolate, staff will provide contact information for hotels in the area. Campus Safety can provide transportation to the hotel in some situations.

Quarantine Procedure

Individuals should only quarantine if showing symptoms of COVID-19. If you are showing symptoms of COVID-19, you should contact Student Health, test immediately and quarantine while you await results. Students who quarantine on campus will do so in their rooms and follow these guidelines until they are cleared:

The student who is quarantined, and any roommates, will wear masks while awake and stay six feet apart as much as possible.
The student who is quarantined will not attend class in person.

Individuals who are identified as contacts through the contact tracing process are not required to quarantine, regardless of vaccination status. Individuals who are identified as contacts are required to wear a mask when indoors for 10 days following the most recent contact, and test on day 5 after the most recent contact if not having symptoms.

Our Dining Services team will deliver meals to each student’s door while in quarantine. They will receive a lunch delivery and a dinner delivery; dinner will include continental breakfast items for the next morning. The meal deliveries will continue until the student is out of quarantine.

Students in isolation will not have access to Dining Services.

Athletics

At this time, the Landmark Conference and the College are highly encouraging student-athletes receive the COVID-19 vaccine and will not require participation surveillance testing. The College’s COVID-19 procedures for student-athletes does not differ from that of the general student community.

General Coronavirus-Related Questions

According to the Centers for Disease Center (CDC), the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China.

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

Fever
Cough
Shortness of breath
According to the CDC, you should seek medical advice if you develop symptoms and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or if you live in or have recently been in an area with the ongoing spread of COVID-19.

The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person

Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet for at least 15 minutes).
Respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.
These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
Some recent studies have suggested that COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
Put 6 feet of distance between yourself and people who don’t live in your household.
Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others.

More information and daily updates can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.

Elizabethtown College

717-361-1000

1 Alpha Drive
Elizabethtown, PA 17022

Elizabethtown College does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, possession of a general education development certificate as compared to a high school diploma, or any other legally protected status. This commitment applies but is not limited to decisions made with respect to hiring and promotion, the administration of educational programs and policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other College administered programs. Discrimination or harassment of any kind is strictly forbidden.

Frequently Asked Questions

Page Menu list

Return to Campus

What is the College's Mask Policy?

Where can I update my vaccination and booster status?

Will the COVID-19 vaccine be required for students and employees at Elizabethtown College?

Is the Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness, and Well-Being open for students and employees?

If I choose not to get vaccinated, what are my requirements when on campus?

Can I choose to take classes remotely this fall?

What do I do if I have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days?

Health & Safety

If someone on campus tests positive, will I be made aware?

What is Etown’s procedure for contact tracing?

What if I have COVID-19 related symptoms?

Housing & Student Life

Am I allowed to leave campus to visit others?

Is interhall visitation allowed?

Quarantine & Isolation

Where do I go if I have more questions?

Have the College’s quarantine and isolation procedures changed?

Isolation Procedure

Quarantine Procedure

Will I have access to Dining Services while in quarantine?

Athletics

Does the Landmark Conference or Elizabethtown College require student-athletes to receive the COVID-19 vaccination or participate in surveillance testing?

General Coronavirus-Related Questions

What is COVID-19 or coronavirus?

What are the symptoms?

How does COVID-19 spread?

What are ways to prevent the spread of coronavirus?