Email to Campus from President LaFave 3/19/20
VCSU student in quarantine after test for possible COVID-19, results pending
Dear campus community,
On March 18, a Valley City State University student was tested for the possibility of COVID-19 — the coronavirus illness — at CHI Mercy Health in Valley City.
Test results are still pending from the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDOH), and the student is quarantined in secure isolation on the VCSU campus per NDDOH and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. Further information will be released as it develops.
It’s important that all of our community members are aware of what’s happening on campus. We’re concerned about the health of the student being tested, and I assure you that we are following all necessary protocols to protect the well-being of all of our students, faculty, staff, and their families, along with the Valley City community.
Currently most VCSU students are away from campus on spring break, which runs through this Sunday, March 22. For two weeks after that, from Monday, March 23, through Friday, April 3, 2020, classes will not be held on campus — we will deliver courses online during this time.
Know that I and the other members of the VCSU Emergency Management Team are meeting daily and in constant communication to help guide the university through this health crisis.
VCSU is maintaining a web resource at www.vcsu.edu/news/coronavirus-information with prevention information, links to NDDOH and CDC guidelines, and a log of campus communications regarding coronavirus. Please use these resources.
I urge all of you to take precautions to protect yourselves, your families and friends, and help slow the spread of this very serious illness, and, of course, do contact your doctor or clinic should you display symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath.
Thank you for attention and cooperation. I find reassurance in the notion that “We All Row,” and I trust that our collective efforts encapsulated in that phrase offer you some comfort as well.
Sincerely and with all best wishes,
Al
Alan D. LaFave, D.M.A.
President
Valley City State University