Arkansas State employee tests positive

The first case of Covid-19 has been discovered at Arkansas State University and, in another instance, a student has been tested and is awaiting resuts.

Both were announced to students in a campus security alert as well as an e-mail from chancellor Kelly Damphouse late this week.

According to school officials, an employee of the Jonesboro campus informed the university he or she had tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday. The employee had shown symptoms of the virus on Friday, March 19 - the final day of classes before spring break - and was tested the same day.

It took 14 days for the test result to be given to the employee. Many students and faculty were not on campus the first week of the employee's wait and online classes and minimal on-campus personnel were implemented the first week back from spring break.

Meanwhile, university officials sprang into action on another front as a student visited a healthcare facility and was tested for the virus.

"A student living on-campus was tested for COVID-19 by their healthcare provider, and has since been placed in isolation while they await the test result," the campus alert stated. "The student has not been in contact with others in their residence area, and notified the university upon being sent for COVID-19 testing."

Despite the newly discovered threats, the Jonesboro campus remained open Friday to assist students who live on campus. The notice said the university will roll out additional measures to detect the virus this weekend.

"At this time, [the] campus is restricted to approved on-campus students and essential employees," the notice stated. "Most faculty and staff will continue to work remotely, and classes will continue through online course delivery.

"Beginning Saturday, Arkansas State will begin using a questionnaire to screen all employees coming to campus, and will ask students living on campus to daily participate in the screening questionnaire. Arkansas State will continue its use of enhanced disinfecting and cleaning for areas that are occupied by faculty, staff and students. All personnel are reminded to continue practicing strong hygiene habits and physical distancing."

The notice was sent in accordance with the Clery Act, a 1990 statute that requires transparency on college campuses regarding reporting of crime and other vital statistics important to inform students of potential risks. The act is named after Jeanne Clery, a Lehigh University student who was murdered on her campus in 1986.

University housing had already been limited by Damphouse, who had previously emptied the residence halls of students.

Damphouse told students "the time to return home is now" last Friday in a letter to them. In addition, he said, "only those who have no alternative – international students, those whose return would be a health or academic burden, or those who do not have a safe room/board alternative – should stay on campus."

Damphouse told students he empathized with them. The chancellor has long been popular with students as he has lived in a dorm while at the University of Oklahoma and had a room for he and his wife in a Jonesboro residence hall. "I have also been working closely with local health officials," Damphouse wrote. "And it is my opinion that things are going to get worse before they get better. I also wanted to come up with a solution that addresses how we manage room/board balances as soon as possible."

On another front, Damphouse has asked university faculty to consider a pass/fail option to grade students this semester amid the COVID-19 interruption of routine university activity.

"I believe that authority over grades rests with the faculty, so last week I shared with Faculty Senate some alternate grading scale models that I have seen being used across the country in response to COVID-19," the chancellor wrote to students. "And I asked them to consider making a proposal to the Provost. It is a complicated issue because some students will need a specific letter grade to apply to professional/graduate school or to advance beyond their prerequisite course to more advanced courses."

Damphouse noted that social distancing has meant many school officials have met through online resources, so the recommendation may take a while. A pass/fail scale, or "credit/non-credit," as Damphouse prefers, also affects scholarships and academic probation.

"While we might hope that future decision makers will take COVID-19 into account, it may be too risky for students to choose a non-letter grade option," he wrote.

Students returned to ASU last week with online courses. Professors have utilized an array of platforms to conduct their classes, and some have struggled to grasp the online method of delivery. Also on Friday, the University of Arkansas announced it, too, had identified an employee who had tested positive for the coronavirus.