Back to Campus in the time of COVID

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As a member of the Flagstaff Community for 10 years, I confess that over the years I blamed NAU (Northern Arizona University) on occasion for traffic, lack of housing options,  and constant construction near the campus.

However, I am now a student at NAU in the College of Education and my views have changed.

Lately, I have seen posts on social media that blame the number of positive COVID19 cases on NAU students. This is not fair! NAU alone is not the problem. 95% of the students in my classes are working from their dorm rooms, family homes, or even out of state. I do not know anyone that has a positive case. I have been on campus one time this entire semester. A lot of faculty and staff did want to stay fully remote for the Fall 20 semester but it was not allowed. They are not thrilled with the idea but want to keep their jobs. A lot of students were told they could not receive refunds for housing, so they came to FLG and are working remotely.

Yes, there are more people in town because of the start of the semester and as of Sept. 18, NAU is managing 273 cases of on- and off-campus students. In comparison, ASU said 1,580 students have tested positive as have 30 staff and faculty members — a 2.8% positivity rate.  UofA (University of Arizona – Tucson) has seen a total of 1,951 cases campus-wide since Aug. 4 as of Thursday evening. 
Also, the number of positive tests being seen is because of testing being done at the NAU Fieldhouse.
Community members can register for a free test at this link: https://nau.edu/jacks-are-back/testing/ Without that location doing FREE testing, a lot of community members might not be able to get a test.
 
Please don’t blame NAU as a whole for the total number of cases.

 

Remember to follow the local and state guidelines for COVID. In addition, please make safe choices for yourself and your family. Wear a mask when you are unable to stay socially distant, and stay home if you are sick, whenever possible. If you think you may have COVID or have been in contact with someone that has it, please get a free test. More information here