Required Student Re-entry Testing

Dear Students,
 
We are excited to welcome you back to campus in the coming weeks. As you are likely aware, despite the introduction of a national vaccine, COVID-19 numbers are still on the rise throughout the country. Therefore, it is as important as ever to remain vigilant SAFE SAINTS. 
 
As a community, we came together in the fall to enter and remain on campus safely, with relatively few positive cases. Today, we continue to follow CDC guidelines and higher education best practices to employ preventative measures, including an increase in testing frequency. To this end, all Marymount employees and contractors have been required to get a COVID-19 test before returning to their on-campus duties this past week. 
 
In an effort to offer a safe and healthy start to the spring semester to all of our Marymount community members, the University has also determined the need to require all undergraduate and graduate students returning to campus (both residential and commuter) to be tested by Student Health Services (SHS) upon return. You will not incur any costs for this testing. Please read carefully the following procedures for back-to-campus testing:

Students coming to campus before the first week of the semester:

  • If you are coming to campus before the first week of classes, please contact SHS before you return to campus to arrange for testing.

 
Students coming to campus the first week of the semester:

  • You will be emailed with a timeslot during which you must come to the Lee Center gym and get tested. Dates of testing are as follows: Saturday 1/16, Sunday 1/17, and Monday 1/18. If you are assigned to one of these days but will not yet be on campus, please contact SHS to get assigned a different date.
  • You will be notified of your results by email 24-48 hours after testing.
  • Once you are tested, you will receive a wristband which we ask you to wear during the first week back on campus. Students not wearing a wristband while on campus will be redirected to get tested.
  • After you are tested, you do not need to quarantine or isolate until/if you are contacted and told to do so.
  • We strongly encourage you to get tested on your own before your return to campus as an additional safety measure.

 
Semi-remote students coming to campus at another point in the semester:

  • If you are not coming to campus during the first week of classes but sometime later in the semester, please contact SHS before you return to campus to arrange for testing.
  • After you are tested, you do not need to quarantine or isolate until/if you are contacted and told to do so.
  • We encourage you to get tested on your own before your return to campus as an additional safety measure.

 
Fully remote students not coming to campus this semester:

  • You are not required to get tested on campus this semester.

 
For questions about this process, please contact the COVID-19 hotline at 703-284-5782, or email covidhotline@marymount.edu.

Thanks again for all you do to help keep our community safe. With continued cooperation, I am very confident we will have another successful semester.

Sincerely,
 
William J. Bisset, PhD
Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs