SRSU COVID-19 Updates & Info

If you have tested positive for COVID, been around someone who tested positive for COVID, or have symptoms that characterize COVID, please fill out the online Self Report form.

1/3/2022
Spring 2022 Update

While the year hasn’t started as any of us have planned, we look forward to welcoming you back for the spring semester. We all have dealt with COVID for almost 2 years now and many of us have had to deal with the new Omicron variant over the holidays. As this new variant is spreading rapidly, we hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy.

While your instructors will be back on campus this week preparing for classes, return to in-person classes will be delayed a week. This means classes will still begin on Monday, January 10, as scheduled, but the first week will be online.  All other academic deadlines will remain in place.

We are pushing the start of in-person instruction a week to give you time to isolate before returning to campus. We ask that you use this time to get started on your assignments and make sure you are healthy to return to campus. If you have been in contact or test positive before returning to campus, please fill out this form .

Making sure you return to campus without COVID will help ensure the rest of the Sul Ross community stays safe and we can proceed with the rest of the semester as planned.

ALL CLASSES will being January 10 ONLINE; in -person classes will resume Tuesday, January 18, after the MLK holiday.

ALPINE Campus:

For students who live on campus, move in has also been pushed back a week. Move in for Spring 2022 will be January 14-16. Please pay attention to notifications from ResLife staff.

We advise all students to quarantine and limit their contact prior to returning to campus and we encourage you to seek a test no more than 2 days prior to returning to campus. If you test positive please contact the university and fill out this form.

Please pay attention to your email for future communications.

Stay safe, stay healthy!

7/16/2021
Fall 2021 Update

When I came to Sul Ross, I said we would be transparent about our COVID situation (ours was among the first university dashboards – long before they were required). Since then, my commitment to transparency has only increased.

Stay current on our Alpine campus’ COVID situation via our dashboard, which can be found here:   https://srinfo.sulross.edu/covid-19/ . Because our RGC campuses have been entirely remote, we haven’t tracked the numbers on the RGC side.  I expect that may change this fall.

We will continue to provide regular COVID testing for the Alpine SRSU community as we enter the fall semester. And, across all campuses, we will continue to do all we can to limit the spread of COVID within our limitations as a governmental entity.

Remember, masks and regular hand-washing with soap or sanitizer remain the best ways to prevent COVID. There’s nothing wrong with wearing a mask while you’re in the enclosed space of an office or classroom.  Please feel free to do so — especially with all of these COVID variants running around.

In the meantime, if you’re feeling unwell or excessively tired, if you’re coughing consistently and regularly, please stay home.  We must all do our part if we want to beat this thing and really make our lives ours again.

-pete

9/15/2020 Healthy Lobo Initiative
COVID Fatigue & Update

We have started testing students, faculty, and staff. Free tests are being offered a minimum of two days a week. If you’d be interested in taking a short training and helping facilitate administration of the tests, let us know. Email Michael Pacheco (michael.pacheco@SulRoss.edu) or Marina Cavazos (marina.cavazos@SulRoss.edu).

Keep an eye on your university email for times and days where the test will be administered. We alternate between the University and Gallego centers as we try to reach our biggest concentrations of students, faculty and staff.

The virus takes several days to show itself in a test; if you think you have been exposed, please fill out this form, isolate yourself, and wait at least three days before getting tested. If you start to feel symptoms, say something. If you don’t know if you have been in contact, but start feeling common symptoms – please let us know here.

In our first two weeks, we had one COVID-19 case. Now, we have 8 active cases. The individuals promptly reported their results. We were able to contract and notify others of a potential issue. As a precaution, we have asked several individuals to quarantine. If you look at our COVID-19 dashboard, understand that not everyone who has tested positive is on campus and not everyone in isolation has tested positive for the virus.

We all have COVID fatigue – the feeling of “I am tired of this, when will my life get back to normal?!!” or “I’m over these rules and [even though I know better] I don’t want to keep following all these guidelines.” Some days I feel that way, too. Then I take a deep breath, a short walk, and I remind myself that people I knew around town have died of COVID — and that we are making decisions, however difficult and frustrating, with the safety of students, staff, faculty and their families as the top priority.

COVID fatigue cannot force us into decisions we will ultimately regret if someone gets sick or dies from a COVID-related illness. I put this in here because if I am feeling it – you might be too. Every once in a while, it helps to step back and remind ourselves of why following our guidelines actually matters. If everyone keeps following instructions on minimizing spread of the virus and reporting appropriately, we will be ok.

Please be vigilant in checking your campus email. That’s how we will keep you updated on COVID and when testing will occur around campus. It isn’t necessary to get a test if you have not been in contact with someone who has COVID, but please feel free to sign up for testing if you want to make sure.

We will do this. Together.

8/5/2020 Announcement-Returning to Campus for the Fall Semester

DEAR SUL ROSS FAMILY IN ALPINE:

We look forward to seeing everyone on campus soon! The health and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff remains our top priority. We have been working diligently to create a campus environment in which everyone feels secure.

We have prepared a document about returning to campus and I hope that you will read it and use it to plan your own return. It may be found at the link below.

Rising to the Challenge The Sul Ross State University Return to Campus Plan

If everyone does their part, we can limit the spread of COVID-19 and study and work in a safer and less stressful environment.

Wear a face covering when in public.
Wash your hands regularly, for 20 seconds.
Use hand sanitizer with at least a 60% alcohol base.
Practice social distancing, of at least 6 feet.

Please stay safe — and let’s take care of each other.
-pete

7/31/2020 Letter from Pete Gallego

Dear Fellow Lobos:

I’m excited to welcome you back to Alpine for the 2020 Fall semester, which marks my first semester as president of our university. I hope you and your loved ones are doing well and have found a way to safely enjoy the summer. 2020 is definitely going in the record books; we are seeing something many of us thought could only happen in the movies.

I’m writing today to ask that you take part in our efforts to prevent the spread of COVID on campus by voluntarily quarantining yourself by limiting interaction with people outside your household for 14 days before arriving to school this fall. As we are approaching our first days back to campus-We need this in effect immediately. This will help protect not only our campus community, but the larger Alpine community as well. Since you left this spring, we’ve been continuously updating our procedures and our entire campus to make Sul Ross a safer place for your return. Sul Ross already has some great advantages due to our size and temperate climate. Seats in the indoor classes have been marked to provide acceptable distancing and we will be utilizing outdoor spaces where possible; hand sanitizers have been placed at entrances and exits to all of the buildings; and a mandatory campus-wide mask policy is in place.

COVID is still a threat, but each day we learn more about the virus and how to live with it. We continue updating our plans to include the most current local and federal guidelines. Personal responsibility, though, remains the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID. We’ve all now learned the importance of social distancing, washing our hands regularly, and wearing a mask in this “new normal” setting.

Many of my best memories are from my own experiences when I was a student here at Sul Ross. Despite the pandemic, myself and our dedicated faculty and staff hope you can create your best memories here, too. We are working around the clock to provide a safe environment that can help foster those experiences for you. We ask that you take part in helping to do the same for others in the Sul Ross community.

We’re in this together; let’s take extra care of our Lobo family.

-pete

6/16/2020 Letter from Pete Gallego

DEAR SUL ROSS FAMILY IN ALPINE:

At this point, we know of no positive COVID-19 cases on campus — but the virus is definitely circulating. We know that some members of our Lobo family have been in close proximity to individuals in our area who have, in fact, tested positive. If you fall in this category, WORK FROM HOME. DO NOT COME TO CAMPUS. You should also notify anyone else you’ve been around. They should work from home also.

I want to reiterate the responsibility we have as a university community to take care of each other. If you or anyone around you is showing symptoms of COVID 19, or has been in contact with someone who has tested positive, report the situation to your supervisor immediately and begin following CDC recommended precautions.

Rest assured that your supervisor will be flexible in finding a solution that will allow you to work remotely. Understand that, if you arrive at work showing symptoms — or if you begin to show symptoms during the workday — your supervisor is being directed to send you home immediately. If you’re feeling ill, please let your supervisor know at once.

In all such instances, the following protocol is to be observed:

‣ Supervisors will report the incident to the president’s office.
‣ Physical Plant staff will be deployed to deep clean offices and high trafficked areas.
‣ A decision will then be made by the administration in concert with the supervisors, regarding any additional steps to be taken.

For those who report possible cases to their supervisor, please follow the CDC recommended steps and immediately contact your medical provider. You and your primary care doctor can make the best decision for your individual case. You may not return to work until your medical provider has cleared you to return to work.

If everyone does their part, we can limit the spread of COVID-19 and work in a safer and less stressful environment. Again, please:

Wear a face covering when in public.
Wash your hands regularly, for 20 seconds.
Use hand sanitizer with at least a 60% alcohol base.
Practice social distancing, of at least 6 feet.

Please stay safe — and let’s take care of each other.
-pete

6/13/2020 Letter from Pete Gallego

My policy is to be transparent, always. To that end, I am providing all of you with the following information.

Recently, Alpine received news of a handful of positive COVID-19 cases. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), this now brings our total to eight cases. Though this is not welcomed news, I am told that the individuals involved are all now self-isolating at home. DSHS is working to contact those who may have had contact with the individuals who tested positive.

As I write this, no patients have close ties to the university itself. However, Alpine is a small and close-knit community. It is not inconceivable that the university could have its first COVID-19 case in the near future. For now, our campus remains closed to the public. Employees on campus will notice limited or no access to buildings and hand sanitizing stations at or near all building entrances.

Our plans do not stop there. Over the next several days, we will be receiving shipments of sneeze guards for use at various locations. We will also be receiving a shipment of infrared thermometers so that we will have the ability to measure the temperatures of individuals on campus.

We continue to encourage our employees to WEAR A MASK or other face covering both on campus and off. The mask or face covering should cover both nose and mouth. As I often say, “If you don’t like the mask, you really won’t like the ventilator.”

The health and safety of our students, staff and faculty is our priority. Thus, we continue to fine-tune our anti-COVID-19 “Safe School, Safe Students” prevention plans.

We receive new information almost daily from health professionals as well as federal, state, and local authorities. Our response plans must remain flexible to allow for changes in circumstances.

This past Friday, the CDC issued new guidelines for the summer. These guidelines revolve around the same core principles: (1) respect individual space (2) wash your hands regularly and (3) use face coverings.

For everyone except staff now assigned to the physical plant, working remotely from home remains acceptable.

For all faculty and staff coming on campus, please follow these simple and basic recommendations while you are here:

• Wear a mask or other face covering while on campus;
• Wash your hands frequently for 20 seconds with soap and warm water;
• Use the hand sanitizer with 60% alcohol-base found at or near entrances and exits;
• Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose;
• Avoid close proximity to those who are sick;
• Clean surfaces before and after use;
• Maintain social distancing, at least 6 ft (two arms’ lengths) away from others;
• Cover your face when sneezing or coughing (but not with your hands); and
• Dispose of tissues properly.

PLEASE STAY AT HOME IF YOU ARE SHOWING SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19.

We hope for a successful and speedy recovery for anyone affected by this virus. As we continue through these trying times, I ask everyone to do their part and to act responsibly. Together, we can stop the spread.

I will be sure to keep you updated as things progress.

Pete-

Pete Gallego, President

5/27/2020

Dear Sul Ross Community:

Following close monitoring of local, state, and federal guidelines, Sul Ross will continue to reopen in phases over the next two months. We will take necessary precautions and follow CDC guidelines to ensure a safe opening. Our plan is subject to change depending on state and local conditions.

As you know, we will remain under Emergency Operations until May 31 when we close out Phase I. During Phase I, buildings remained closed to the public, hand sanitizer stations at each building entrance were installed, university employees were provided masks, offices and common spaces were cleaned and sanitized, sneeze guards were installed in several high traffic areas, employees were encouraged to work remotely, additional PPE was ordered (including thermometers), signage encouraging social distancing was ordered, and classrooms were rearranged to maintain social distancing.

The Recovery Plan Task Force met weekly to discuss recommendations that made safety and health the top priority. Other task forces focused on needed changes in instructional delivery, sports, and business operations for the fall semester. The Governor’s Office has declared that masks are not required as part of our state reopening. As a state agency, we will follow the Governors instructions and encourage the use of masks while ultimately leaving that particular decision to the discretion of each individual.

Phase II will begin on June 1^st and will initiate a return to campus process. To accomplish this we will take the following actions:

• Gatherings of 10 or more should be avoided unless precautionary measures for social distancing are enacted.
• Virtual meetings and phone conferences will continue to be utilized when appropriate.
• Vulnerable or sick individuals should continue to work from home or shelter in place with supervisor approval.
• Employees, with supervisor approval, may continue to work remotely.
• Limited buildings will be open under restricted access based on the needs and occupancy rate.
• Supervisors should work with staff to enact staggered or flexible schedules to limit the number of employees in each office, where feasible.
• Non-essential travel remains cancelled until further notice.
• The Recreation Sports Center and Gallego Center will remain closed through the month of June.
• The University Center will be open to on campus residents and university employees but will not permit large gatherings and will adhere to strict social distancing and sanitization protocols.
• Campus tours may be given while practicing social distancing and/or visitors may take a self-guided tour as developed by the Enrollment Specialists.
• Employees must have doctors’ notices when ill and be cleared to return to work by a medical provider.
• Supervisors will be given latitude to ask visitors or employees to leave offices if they appear symptomatic. In such instances, supervisors are asked to use compassion and show respect for the individual.
• Summer I classes will continue with remote delivery.

Phase III – On July 1, the University will enter its final phase and will begin “normal” operations. All buildings will be open to the public and the majority of university employees will return to campus for regular business operations. Division heads and supervisors will remain in close contact to monitor safe working conditions.

To open safely and through a university-wide effort to mitigate the risks, we will:

• Practice social distancing protocols and follow CDC guidelines
• Encourage personal hygiene practices, including regular handwashing
• Provide hand sanitizer at building entrances
• Request employees, visitors, and students to self-monitor and screen for symptoms of COVID-19 before coming to campus
• Encourage face coverings or other PPE to be worn at the discretion of individuals
• Check temperatures when necessary if social distancing cannot be maintained
• Sanitize and disinfect common and high traffic areas
• Require isolation, if positive cases of COVID-19 are confirmed and follow with contact tracing by the local health authorities
• Limit university-related business travel
• Prevent symptomatic people from returning to work until cleared by medical provider
• Continue taking precautions to protect the most vulnerable among us, especially those who have a heightened risk for infection

Every day we learn more about the virus and its impact on our nation, state, and local areas. Like many of you, I am ready to move back to a normal life, but I remain cognizant of the need to be cautious and careful in the decisions we make. While we hope to return to some normalcy this summer, we must all be ready to take necessary action if the threat grows greater.

Thank you for your patience and continued dedication to Sul Ross. We will get through this together.

Bill

Previous Updates 5/5-4/2

• 6/23/2020 COVID-19 TESTING Update
• 6/19/2020 COVID-19 TESTING Update
• 6/18/2020 COVID-19 TESTING Update
• 5/7 Update
• 5/5 Letter from Dr. Kibler
• 5/1 Update
• 4/23 Update
• 4/15 Student Update
• 4/15 Employee Update
• 4/2 Letter from Dr. Kibler
• 4/2 Update
• 3/19 Letter from Dr. Kibler
• 3/16 Update
• 3/14 Update
• 3/12 Letter from Dr. Kibler