Latest Updates - Page 9 of 31 - Coronavirus Response

Thursday, March 25, 2021Dear graduate and professional students,Earlier today, the State of North Carolina announced it will expand eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination to include college students beginning March 31. Duke Health expects to obtain sufficient supply of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from the State to offer all currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate/professional students in the Durham area the option to get vaccinated in the next several weeks.

The single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been demonstrated to effectively prevent serious illness from COVID-19 infection and may prevent asymptomatic spread of the virus. You can learn more about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on the Centers for Disease Control website.

Since the vaccine does not reach its full strength until two weeks after it is administered, and because it’s possible that vaccinated persons may still transmit the virus to others, all students must continue to follow Duke Compact and behavioral guidelines for the remainder of the semester. Students who have been participating in spring surveillance testing will be required to continue.

In the coming week, all Duke students who have not already been invited to receive the vaccine will receive a message to their Duke email account providing an opportunity to schedule an appointment for the vaccine, starting April 1. Specific details regarding registration, scheduling, and location will be included in the email. Due to uncertainties in the supply chain, it may take several weeks to schedule an appointment at Duke. We also encourage you to explore all options for vaccination, such as local public health departments, pharmacies, and other providers that may have additional supply.

As a reminder, students are not required to get the COVID-19 vaccine. If you have concerns about whether you should get the vaccine, you should reach out to your medical provider at Student Health or your personal physician. You can learn more about the COVID vaccine, appointments, and scheduling at https://covidvaccine.duke.edu/.

Both the criteria for eligibility and the amount of vaccine available are controlled by the State of North Carolina, not Duke University nor Duke Health. The availability of the vaccine will continue to dictate how many and when eligible students will be able to schedule appointments for vaccination with Duke Health.

Our hope is to make the vaccination available to as many students as possible, as quickly as possible. Last week’s stay-in-place directive for undergraduates was a stark reminder that we are still in the midst of a global pandemic. Regardless of your vaccine status, everyone must continue wearing a mask, maintain social distance, report your symptoms, report for your surveillance tests and wash hands often to keep yourself and our community safe. Thank you for all you continue to do this semester to keep yourselves and each other safe so we can finish out the semester strong.

Thank you, and go Duke,

John Vaughn, M.D.
Director of Student Health Services

Jennifer Francis
Executive Vice Provost

Vaccination for Undergraduate Students

By Paul Grantham

On March 25, 2021

In For Students

Dear undergraduate students,

Earlier today, the State of North Carolina announced it will expand eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination to include college students beginning March 31. Duke Health expects to obtain sufficient supply of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from the State to offer all currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate/professional students in the Durham area the option to get vaccinated in the next several weeks.

The single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been demonstrated to effectively prevent serious illness from COVID-19 infection and may prevent asymptomatic spread of the virus. You can learn more about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on the Centers for Disease Control website.

Since the vaccine does not reach its full strength until two weeks after it is administered, and because it’s possible that vaccinated persons may still transmit the virus to others, all students must continue to follow Duke Compact and behavioral guidelines for the remainder of the semester. Students who have been participating in spring surveillance testing will be required to continue.

In the coming week, all Duke students who have not already been invited to receive the vaccine will receive a message to their Duke email account providing an opportunity to schedule an appointment for the vaccine, starting April 1. Specific details regarding registration, scheduling, and location will be included in the email. Due to uncertainties in the supply chain, it may take several weeks to schedule an appointment at Duke. We also encourage you to explore all options for vaccination, such as local public health departments, pharmacies, and other providers that may have additional supply.

As a reminder, students are not required to get the COVID-19 vaccine. If you have concerns about whether you should get the vaccine, you should reach out to your medical provider at Student Health or your personal physician. You can learn more about the COVID vaccine, appointments, and scheduling at https://covidvaccine.duke.edu/.

Both the criteria for eligibility and the amount of vaccine available are controlled by the State of North Carolina, not Duke University nor Duke Health. The availability of the vaccine will continue to dictate how many and when eligible students will be able to schedule appointments for vaccination with Duke Health.

Our hope is to make the vaccination available to as many students as possible, as quickly as possible. Last week’s stay-in-place directive was a stark reminder that we are still in the midst of a global pandemic. Regardless of your vaccine status, everyone must continue wearing a mask, maintain social distance, report your symptoms, report for your surveillance tests and wash hands often to keep yourself and our community safe. Thank you for all you continue to do this semester to keep yourselves and each other safe so we can finish out the semester strong.

Thank you, and go Duke,

John Vaughn, M.D.
Director of Student Health Services

John Blackshear
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

Mary Pat McMahon
Vice Provost of Student Affairs

Gary Bennett
Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education

Testing Update: March 15-21, 2021

By Kristen Brown

On March 23, 2021

In Community Messages, Duke University, For Faculty, For Staff, For Students, Testing & Reporting

Duke University’s comprehensive COVID-19 testing and contact tracing program administered 20,018 tests to 9,729 students and 2,437 tests to 1,246 faculty/staff for the period March 15-21 2021, with a total of 78 positive results. The total positivity rate was 0.35 percent.

This represents a significant decline from last week. The downward trend allowed the university to lift most of the restrictions that were part of the “Stay in Place” order for undergraduate students which began March 13 at midnight and ended at 9 a.m. March 21.

The full announcement of testing results is posted to Duke Today.

Testing data is also available on our Testing Tracker, which is updated every Tuesday.

Update on Stay-In-Place sent to Faculty, Staff, and Graduate & Professional Students

By Kristen Brown

On March 20, 2021

In Community Messages, Duke University, For Faculty, For Staff, For Students

This message is being sent to all Duke faculty, staff and graduate and professional students.

March 20, 2021

Dear Colleagues,

Please see the message below that was just sent to all undergraduate students. Based on the decline in positive COVID tests and the continued low rates among graduate and professional students, we have decided to lift the stay-in-place guidance as planned effective 9:00 AM Sunday. Therefore, beginning Monday morning, all classes will return to their Spring 2021 delivery mode, so please plan accordingly.

We will continue to closely monitor testing results and trends and will be prepared to insitute another pause in activities should there be another surge. In addition, off-campus undergraduate students will only be permitted access to campus for classes, other academic purposes and essential services.

Thank you for the rapid and successful modifications that you all made to continue our teaching mission and student support during this past week. We greatly appreciate it and look forward to working with you and our students to protect the health and safety of our community.

Sincerely,

Sally Kornbluth
Provost

Kyle Cavanaugh
Vice President for Administration

This message was followed by the full text of the message sent to undergraduate students earlier in the day. That message can be found here: https://coronavirus.duke.edu/2021/03/update-on-stay-in-place/

Update on Stay-In-Place

By Kristen Brown

On March 20, 2021

In Community Messages, Duke University, For Faculty, For Staff, For Students

This message is being sent to all Duke undergraduate students.

Saturday, March 20, 2021

Dear students,

Last week, we asked all Duke undergraduates to stay-in-place for one week in order to stop the spread of COVID as quickly as possible. THANK YOU for cooperating with our public health measures this week.

The good news is that we’ve seen a decline in the number of undergraduate students testing positive for COVID. This means that we can lift most elements of the stay-in-place order effective at 9 a.m. Sunday, March 21.

However, this doesn’t mean that the pandemic is over. We continue to see students testing positive at a higher rate than last semester and earlier this year, and our data indicate that the virus is becoming more contagious. Please remain vigilant and carefully follow the Duke Compact and additional public health guidance. We’ve heard you clearly that you want to successfully complete the semester and to support our seniors on their way to graduation. Given the collective effort we’ve seen from you this week, we know these goals are within reach.

DETAILS
When the stay-in-place is lifted Sunday at 9:00 AM:

All in-person courses—including lab classes—will resume their standard spring 2021 delivery (whether in-person or hybrid).
Students living in Duke-provided housing (including Avana, Blue Light, and the Washington Duke) may freely move about campus, but we ask that on campus students remain on campus grounds, and should only leave campus for essential travel and wellness-related activities through March 28th.
Students living off-campus in the Durham area are only permitted to be on campus for in-person classes and essential academic activities, to participate in surveillance testing, seek medical care at Student Health, or pick up grab-and-go food orders at the Brodhead Center.
Students must follow Duke guidance limiting any indoor gatherings to 10 people or fewer, indoor or outdoors, on or off-campus, unless otherwise permitted through the student events approval process.
Common spaces such as the Bryan Center, Brodhead Center, and other campus buildings will re-open to residential students. However, indoor dining will not be permitted at this time.
Libraries will reopen for undergraduates.

REMINDERS
These items are not new, but it is extremely important that you continue to follow this guidance:

Travel: We expect that you will remain in Durham for the rest of the semester. If you must travel, it is crucial that you register prior to your departure, and follow university guidance—as outlined on the Keep Learning page—for sequester upon your return. Adherence to these return guidelines is crucial to our collective success.
Public health guidance: Continue to follow all public health guidance in place this spring: wear your mask when you are around others, avoid gatherings, complete your surveillance testing, report your symptoms and respond quickly and honestly to contract tracers.

THANK YOU
We have been so impressed with all the ways we’ve seen you rally to take care of yourselves and each other this week as we navigated the stay-in-place order. Seriously: great work. Let’s ensure we can finish out the semester strong.

Go Duke,

Mary Pat McMahon
Vice Provost of Student Affairs

Gary Bennett
Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education

John Blackshear
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

Update on Stay-In-Place for Undergraduate Students

By Kristen Brown

On March 18, 2021

In Community Messages, Duke University, For Faculty, For Staff, For Students

Duke University President Vincent Price addresses undergraduate students about the ongoing spring semester.

This message is being sent to all Duke undergraduate students.

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Dear students,

It’s been quite a week. As we have travelled across campus in the past few days, we continue to be impressed by how you’ve rallied to take care—of yourselves and others—as we navigate the stay-in-place order.

We’re now 4 days in and we are seeing the improvement we had hoped from the undergraduate community. For testing conducted through Wednesday, we had 54 cases of COVID, down from 107 cases in the same period last week.

However, we’re not there yet so the stay-in-place order will remain unchanged through 9 a.m. Sunday, March 21.

During the next few days, continue to follow all guidance: wear your mask when you are around others, avoid gatherings of more than three people, complete your surveillance testing, report your symptoms and respond quickly and honestly to contract tracers.

As a reminder: students are expected to stay in Durham throughout the semester. Any students who must travel right now must also carefully adhere to return guidance as outlined on the Keep Learning page. Adherence to these return guidelines is crucial to our collective success. Thanks to those of you who registered their travel.

We remain cautiously optimistic that this pause will help us get through this uptick in COVID cases but we need you to stay vigilant. Let’s maintain the health of our fellow students and neighbors, and support our seniors on the way to graduation. Thanks again for all you’re doing and we’ll update you again on Saturday afternoon with more detail.

Go Duke,

Gary Bennett
Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education

Mary Pat McMahon
Vice Provost of Student Affairs

John Blackshear
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

Student Conduct Updates March 17 — Sent to Parents and Families

By Kristen Brown

On March 17, 2021

In Uncategorized

This message was sent to parents and families of undergraduate students

Dear Parents and Families,

Each month the Dean of Students Office sends an update to all undergraduate students to provide transparency and awareness of our response to COVID-19 related and other allegations of misconduct. Duke University takes the health and safety of the Duke and Durham communities seriously and part of our responsibility during a pandemic is educating our students about their responsibilities and holding individuals accountable when violations of policy occur.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards has reviewed all submitted allegations of Duke Compact violations and held those found responsible of flagrant or repeated disregard of these policy expectations accountable.

Thanks,
Parent & Family Programs

This message was followed by the full email sent to undergraduate students. That message is available here: https://coronavirus.duke.edu/2021/03/student-conduct-updates-march-17/

Student Conduct Updates March 17

By Kristen Brown

On March 17, 2021

In Community Messages, Duke University, For Faculty, For Staff, For Students

The message is being sent to all Duke undergraduate students.

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Dear students,

We are writing to share the March COVID conduct and compliance update. In the first three days since we asked undergraduates to stay in place we have seen the terrific effort being put forth by students to get through this period. We will provide you with an update on Thursday, but in the meantime, keep up the great work. We know many of you are focused on midterms and thinking about making sure our seniors get to have commencement. Thanks to your faculty, too, for all the ways everyone has adapted to additional remote classes this week, too.

COMPLIANCE AND CONDUCT UPDATES

As we have throughout the year, we are providing a monthly update to share aggregate data around conduct outcomes for individual students and student organizations found responsible for any violations of COVID and Duke Compact-related expectations. As you know, we follow up on all reports of on- or off-campus conduct and investigate to determine any student responsibility.

For the period from the start of the term through Friday, March 12, we can provide an aggregate overview of following categories of conduct sanctions:

72 students referred for educational interventions for less severe infractions of the Duke Compact — these outcomes are not part of a student’s disciplinary record.
Sanctions for COVID-related violations are implemented by either the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards or Housing and Residence Life. 128 sanctions have been issued this spring to students (total number of sanctions does not equal total number of students; in other words, one student could receive multiple sanctions). These actions, which include suspensions for an upcoming semester, formal warnings, disciplinary probation, withdrawal of campus privileges, and educational initiatives, may become a part of the student’s conduct record and in some cases reportable to graduate schools, study away programs, employers, and other university programs in which a student’s disciplinary record may be a factor in participation.
2 campus organizations currently on suspension for COVID-related infractions; this status carries over from the Fall 2020 semester in both cases. (Note: this does not include organizations disaffiliated with the University)

Administrative Action Review Panels are held to determine if allegations of flagrant violations of COVID policy expectations and the Duke Compact could result in interim measures to preserve the health, safety, and welfare of the Duke and Durham community, pending the conduct process.

9 students have had cases this semester addressed through Administrative Action Review Panels. Examples of flagrant violations include: hosting gatherings, failing to follow quarantine and isolation protocols to protect fellow students, and repeated violations of COVID expectations. (Note: individuals affiliated with unrecognized student organizations and who host organizational events are accountable as individuals, not as part of an unrecognized group.) As in Fall 2020, interim measures have included loss of campus privileges, interim suspensions, and other interim restrictions.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Academic dishonesty incident reports have more than doubled compared to a typical academic year. From a typical volume of approximately 89 reports during the fall 2019 semester, 243 reports were submitted during the fall 2020 semester. A majority of cases involved unauthorized collaboration such as:

Accessing online sites, such as Chegg, prior and/or during an examination window
Posting exams or examination questions to online websites
Collaborating with other students by copying and/or sharing answers to quizzes, post labs, and/or examinations.

Academic dishonesty is a violation of the Duke Community Standard. All reports are carefully reviewed and adjudicated; students found responsible for serious violations of academic integrity will also face sanctions of disciplinary probation or suspension from Duke. Do your own work and follow faculty guidance carefully in each of your courses. If you are experiencing challenges in your coursework, please reach out to your faculty member as soon as possible to seek assistance. There are also additional campus resources, such as the Academic Resource Center and the Thompson Writing Center, that can help through tutoring, time management, developing skills and strategies for writing essays and papers.

THANK YOU

Thank you, as always, for all you are doing to keep yourselves, your fellow students, and the Duke and Durham communities safe.

Thank you and go Duke,

John Blackshear
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

Jeanna McCullers
Senior Associate Dean & Director,
Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards

Testing Update: March 8-14, 2021

By Kristen Brown

On March 16, 2021

In Community Messages, Duke University, For Faculty, For Staff, For Students, Testing & Reporting

Duke University’s comprehensive COVID-19 testing and contact tracing program administered 19,131 tests to 9,675 students and 2,590 tests to 1,363 faculty/staff for the period March 8-14 2021, with a total of 231 positive results, 211 of which were undergraduate students. The total positivity rate was 1.1 percent.

This was the highest number of positive cases reported in a single week and nearly equals the total number of positive cases reported for the entire first semester (241). In order to curtail further spread of the virus, a “Stay in Place” order was issued for all undergraduate students effective Saturday, March 13, at midnight and extending through Sunday, March 21.

The full announcement of testing results is posted to Duke Today.

Testing data is also available on our Testing Tracker, which is updated every Tuesday.