Fall 2021: BW Be Safe

Face Masks Required Indoors - Effective Monday, August 9, 2021

The CDC released guidance on July 27, 2021, stating that ALL people (including vaccinated people) should return to wearing masks indoors if they live in a county with substantial or high spread. Cuyahoga County, the county in which the BW campus is located, has reached the federal government’s threshold for “substantial” transmission of COVID-19, triggering the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation that vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors.

Face coverings are required in academic, classroom, rehearsal, studio, lab and related spaces. Beverages are permitted in classes; food is not permitted.
Face coverings are not required in private residential spaces. However, we require students to wear face coverings in communal spaces of our residential facilities.
Face coverings are required in all dining facilities when not eating or drinking.
Face coverings are not required when you are alone in a non-shared workspace.
Face coverings are required in the Lou Higgins Recreation Center, Packard Fitness Center and Dance Studios unless you are actively engaged in physical activity, or you are alone in a non-shared workspace.
Face coverings are required when driving or riding in a BW vehicle with others on official University business and activities.
At this time, physical distancing is not required on campus. Classrooms, dining halls, lounges and auditoriums have returned to normal configurations and full capacity.

Unvaccinated student arrival testing protocol

Arrival COVID-19 testing of unvaccinated students living in residential halls and all unvaccinated performing arts students will be completed the day a student arrives on campus. All athletes will follow NCAA protocols as outlined by their coach.

In the event a student tests positive upon arrival, the student will be directed to return home for an isolation period. In rare instances, a student who is unable to return home will be provided accommodations. For students traveling long distances to BW, it is recommended you complete a COVID-19 test, less than 48 hours before leaving your hometown. Unvaccinated students may present those test results upon arrival.

Weekly Surveillance Testing for Unvaccinated Residential Students and Unvaccinated Residential and Commuter Performing Arts Students - Effective Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Anyone who has not yet shared their vaccination record with BW will be considered unvaccinated. If you are vaccinated and have not yet shared your vaccination record, please do so now at Med+Proctor.

Weekly surveillance testing of unvaccinated residential students and unvaccinated residential and commuter performing arts students will begin Tuesday, August 24, 2021. Unvaccinated residential students will receive reminder emails each Monday with instructions for COVID -19 test pick-up and use of the Navica testing app. ALL unvaccinated residential individuals will be required to complete a COVID-19 test each week before Thursday at 5:00 p.m.

Please note: All unvaccinated student-athletes regardless of residential status, will follow COVID-19 testing protocols established by their coaches.

You can pick-up your BinaxNOW home test kit in the Union lobby Welcome Desk, Lou Higgins Recreation Center Welcome Desk, BW Health Center, the One Stop desk in Bonds Hall, Conservatory Office or at the Knowlton Center main office on the second floor. Other locations may be added throughout the semester.

When you pick up your BinaxNOW testing kit you will be instructed go online to eMed.com through your webcam-enabled device or phone and start your eMed supervised home test. The BinaxNOW rapid antigen test is a self-sampled nasal swab test, authorized by the FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). You will administer your COVID-19 test yourself, in your residence, under video supervision. There is nothing that needs to be returned to a lab. Your test should take only 20 minutes.

Home testing is easy with the BW partner Navica, a division of Abbott Labs Company. You will receive an email invitation to download the free Navica testing app and create a personal account. Look for an email from noreply@abbott.com

If you have properly connected your Navica testing app to BW, your results will be shared with the BW Health Center. If you test negative for COVID-19, there is nothing more you need to do. If you test positive for COVID-19, you should contact BW Health Services immediately for instructions on your next steps.

If you have any questions about BinaxNOW home testing kit, please contact BW Health Center at (440) 826-2178.

Covid-19 Dashboard

BW's total campus population is 4,298 (898 full and part-time faculty and staff, 3,400 full, part-time and evening undergraduate and graduate students).

Cases in Isolation

Isolation protocol is required for individuals who test positive for COVID-19. Isolation will continue until the person is fever free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and it is at least 10 days since their symptoms first appeared.

Individuals in Quarantine

Quarantine protocol is required when contact tracing efforts indicate an unvaccinated individual has been in known close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19. Quarantine will continue for at least 10 days from contact with the infected person. Quarantining persons are asked to monitor their symptoms regularly and complete COVID-19 tests periodically. Total Positive Active Cases does not include students in quarantine; once individuals are confirmed positive, they are in isolation instead of quarantine.

As of Friday, September 24, the following are in quarantine: 0 students on campus, 5 students off campus, and 0 employees off campus. This information is updated weekly on Fridays.

Additional COVID-19 Preparedness Information

Baldwin Wallace continues to be informed by the latest science, public health guidance and knowledge from our campus community. BW offers a college experience designed to keep everyone as safe as possible and ensure that students have access to a quality education that will help move them toward the achievement of their professional and personal goals.

Fall Classes

Most classes will be taught in person, while some courses are offered fully online. All classes previously specified as partially remote will now be fully in person. All fully remote classes will remain fully remote.

Classrooms will continue to be cleaned regularly, and high-contact surfaces will be sanitized frequently. Additionally, enhanced air filtration and air-quality monitoring systems have been installed in learning and performance spaces across campus.

New health protocols effective immediately

BW will no longer require physical distancing on campus.
Athletes will be subject to additional health protocols as outlined by the NCAA and OAC.
Students participating in off-campus clinicals, off-campus experiential education, service trips or competitions will be required to follow the host site's health protocols.

Additions or changes to protocols will be announced by university administration as needed.

Get Vaccinated

Remember, the best way to have the ultimate BW experience is to get vaccinated against COVID-19. We strongly recommend all members of our university community get vaccinated. The COVID-19 vaccine is the single most effective way to protect our community as we return to full in-person experiences.

All university students, faculty and staff are eligible to receive a vaccine at the BW Health Center or at retailers within walking distance from campus. Call the Health Center at (440) 826-2178 to schedule a vaccination appointment. Remember, you are not fully vaccinated until two weeks after your final dose of the vaccine.

Share Your Vaccination Record

In accordance with community health standards, we have opened a portal that allows you to register the status of your various vaccinations, including COVID-19. We strongly encourage you to register your vaccination status.

There are several good reasons to share your vaccination information. Individuals that have not shared their vaccination record with BW will be considered unvaccinated and subject to weekly COVID-19 surveillance testing. Currently, the NCAA indicates that schools with 85% or greater campus vaccination rates are exempt from athlete COVID-19 protocols. This high rate of vaccination would help to ensure that ALL students will have a safe and fulfilling year.

High Vaccine Adoption Rate on Campus

As COVID protocols change, it is good to see a high adoption of the vaccine in the BW community. 75% of faculty and staff responded to the recent voluntary survey, and more than 90% indicated they either are or will be fully vaccinated by August 1. Additionally, 60% of students responded, and 83% of returning students indicated they will be fully vaccinated by August 1.

Yellow Jackets Care for Each Other

For anyone who needs help dealing with stress or anxiety, BW counseling and health care resources are available. All students have access to free, 24-hour telecare for counseling and health services through the JacketCare app. Register for JacketCare.

BW Supports the Health of Campus Community Members

BW is ready to assist any student, faculty or staff member in the event they become ill or show symptoms of COVID-19. BinaxNOW rapid COVID-19 tests are available at many locations across campus and to all members of the BW community. Members of the BW community can self-administer these tests and get immediate results. Or, if preferred, nurses at BW's Health Center can administer rapid antigen or PCR COVID-19 tests.

If a student tests positive for COVID-19, BW Health Services and Residence Life staff stand ready to provide the health care direction needed based on an individual student's needs. Contact tracing, isolation accommodations, health check-ins for students who are unable to return home during recovery and remote instruction protocols are all in place to support the health of the student and community when needed.

In addition, BW is prepared to implement campus wide protocols to remediate outbreaks when needed. The protocols we've implemented in the past year remain available to us as ways to contain and reduce the spread of the virus.

BW COVID-19 24/7 Helpline: (440) 826-7787

The BW COVID-19 Response Team has a helpline — (440) 826-7787 — for students who need to report a positive COVID-19 test result or are isolated or quarantined to easily connect with available campus services (residence life, dining services, academic office, counseling center, health center) while they are sheltered.