Kamaya Young fills vaccine syringes, sorting them by vaccine, during the COVID-19 vaccine booster clinic at the Breslin Center on Jan. 26, 2022. The vaccine she works with here is Pfizer, but she was filling both Moderna and J&J as well.
As the school year begins, COVID-19 is making a resurgence. With case numbers on the rise, universities across the country are once again updating their COVID-19 guidelines.
Up until the spring of 2022, MSU required students and staff to wear masks in all buildings on campus. The university also required vaccinations — with exemptions for medical and religious reasons — until the policy was dropped in February of 2023, though students are still encouraged to receive vaccinations.
“This is more along the lines of asking students and employees to take personal responsibility for some of these COVID-19 measures and ensuring that they themselves are staying updated on their vaccination status,” MSU Deputy Spokesperson Dan Olsen said.
With the exception of vaccine and masking requirements ending, MSU’s COVID-19 guidelines remain the same.
What should students do when they test positive for COVID-19 on campus?
If students and staff have any COVID-19 symptoms, regardless of their vaccination status, they are advised to isolate themselves and get tested. If a student tests positive for COVID-19, they are advised to isolate for five days and contact their instructor to discuss all materials that need to be completed while absent, Olsen said.
Since MSU does not provide a location for on-campus student residents to quarantine on campus, students whose roommates test positive should self-monitor their symptoms, limit contact with their roommates and consider wearing a mask. It is also recommended for students to leave their shared room if possible.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have the space that could accommodate setting aside those quarantine and isolation housing spaces,” Olsen said. “Last academic year, what we saw was most students, generally speaking, had returned to their primary residence to conduct their quarantine.”
One student's experience
One student who recently contracted COVID-19 is environmental geoscience sophomore Ashleigh Prisby, who said she’s been following CDC and MSU guidelines.
After contracting COVID-19 during Labor Day weekend, Prisby emailed her professors. Some required her to have a doctor’s note and a written letter from the dean of students of her college.
“So far, I’ve gotten only emails back from two of my five professors, and so far both have been helpful and understanding of the situation,” Prisby said. “But in my case, catching COVID-19 over a holiday weekend means I have to wait even longer to have my situation verified and excused.”
Prisby said she understood why students would have to be fully verified in order for professors to excuse them. She also said it’s exhausting to send emails back and forth with professors while being bed-ridden.
“I’ve been experiencing COVID brain fog, so it’s more difficult for me to write out a grammatically correct sentence... let alone remember which professors require a doctor’s note and what assignments I still have to do while I recover,” Prisby said.
To find more information about MSU’s COVID-19 policies visit the website.
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