Jacqueline Peraza | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
As students, faculty and staff prepare to return to the university for fall courses, UTRGV has implemented the requirement of a self-screening process, facial coverings and social distancing practices.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley will ask all students and employees to answer a series of questions before stepping foot on campus through a new self-screening and reporting process.
โIf you answer โyesโ to any of that, weโre telling people, first of all, donโt come to campus,โ said Doug Arney, vice president for Administrative Support Services. โWe donโt want you to do that. โฆ The main thing is, hey, letโs protect the rest of the campus community members and weโll provide you help.โ
People who answer โyesโ to any of the screening questions, have been exposed (within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes) to someone to who tested positive or is currently being tested in the prior 14 days, or have tested positive for the virus and have not been officially released by a member of the COVID-19 Response Team, are being asked to stay away from campus and off-campus facilities.
If instructed to stay off campus, students and employees should communicate with instructors or supervisors, fill out the Preliminary COVID-19 Screening Form and wait for an email from the Response Team.ย
The UTRGV Infectious Disease Committee followed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to create the screening and reporting process.
โWe meet every week since the inception of [COVID-19],โ Arney said. โWe talk about things like, โHow can we best protect our employees and students on campus?โ And even provide guidance to them when theyโre off campus: Follow CDC guidelines, so on and so forth.โ
Members of the Infectious Disease Committee include: Arney, committee chair; Dr. Michael Dobbs, chief medical officer; Dr. Jose Campo Maldonado, infectious disease specialist; Richard Costello, director of Environmental Health Safety and Emergency Management (Oversight for COVID-19 Response Team); Dr. Scott Spear, medical director Employee/Student Health; Rick Gray, director of Student Health Services; Linda Nelson, senior director of Clinical Operations; and Pablo Mendez, Emergency Preparedness coordinator.
The committee will work with areas such as the library and Student Union to stay open and available to the campus community during the fall semester.
โEverything we do is predicated on proper protocol, which starts with social distancing and then face coverings,โ he said โWe have a mandatory face covering protocol when you come to campus.โ
According to the UTRGV Face Covering Protocols, โanyone entering a campus building must wear a face covering that covers the mouth and nose.โ
The protocol also states face coverings may be removed in office spaces when social distancing of 6 feet is possible and maintained. Facial coverings are required in โoutdoor settings when safe social distancing and gathering practices are not possible.โ
If someone on campus is seen not wearing a mask, it is advised to inform them of the universityโs requirement of facial coverings. The Compliance Hotline, (877) 882-3999, is available for community members to report a concern anonymously.
The full Facial Covering Protocol can be found here.ย
UTRGV will provide disinfectant wipes to students, faculty and staff across campus to wipe down their own space when entering a classroom or lab, as well as deep clean these areas on a daily basis.
โYou just grab [a wipe] from the hallway before you walk into your classroom … and you wipe down your own space โฆ [and] every evening weโll do a deep clean,โ Arney said. โWe have these big machines, and weโre going to sanitize all the classrooms that we utilize that day with chemicals.โ
Ana Zendejas, a psychology sophomore, said she plans on visiting campus twice a week but is still concerned about in-person classes.
โEven though itโs, like, less seating, itโs still probably going to be more than 10 [students],โ Zendejas said. โFor example, Iโve been taking care of myself but you donโt know if someone else has been taking care of themselves. So, you donโt know whoโs sick and who isnโt.โ
She said she believes the university was prepared for helping the community during the pandemic by offering COVID-19 testing sites and helping students financially.
โThey made sure all their students wouldnโt have to be stressed out because of tuition or parking โฆ like, not to add extra burden,โ Zendejas said. โThey took care of their students.โ
Arney said the university has been working toward creating an environment where students, faculty, staff and community members feel safe to return to.
โWeโve been working at this now for quite a while and I think we have a process in place that it will be safe โฆ when people start coming back,โ he said.
For more information about the return to campus COVID-19 guidelines, visit www.utrgv.edu/coronavirus.ย
