Spring 2023 Campus COVID FAQ

Students, faculty, and staff who are COVID-19 positive are expected to communicate directly with their close contacts. A close contact is someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24 hour period (for example, three individual 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes). An infected person can spread the virus 48 hours before they have symptoms until 5 days following when symptoms began.

Students who are COVID positive are responsible for contacting covidcare@rhodes.edu and all close contacts from the past 48 hours of exposure. Faculty and staff should communicate with all close contacts from the past 48 hours of exposure.

Students with a meal plan and are in isolation or quarantine protocol may access to-go dining options through the College’s Quarantine Café. Students order through the following link: Quarantine Café. Please create an account and then place daily orders by visiting the "Quarantine Café" section. We recommend that students place their orders for the week upon creating their accounts to avoid missing a meal. In order to pick up meals, students must leave the isolation/quarantine space fully masked and distanced to pick up prepared meals for each day. Students will pick up their food between 8-10am daily in the Brooks Room, which is located in the Refectory. Students will enter the Brooks Room using the outside entrance, which opens on the Refectory north patio and is located at the Hyde-Moore breezeway.. 

Yes, guests and visitors are welcome on campus.

Visitors are subject to any and all health and safety protocols in effect at the time of their visit. 

At present, the college’s normal visitor policies are in effect. There are no limits or protocols that apply specifically to visitors.

At this time we will not be requiring asymptomatic testing for students, faculty, and staff.

Masks are not required on campus. However, individual faculty retain the option of requiring the use of masks in their respective classrooms, labs, and studios. Faculty and staff may ask visitors to their private offices or work spaces to mask. If you are asked to mask in such circumstances, you are expected to comply with the requests.

As a reminder, everyone on our campus may choose to stay masked, and we as a community will respect their decision.

Students who have COVID must not attend class in-person and are responsible for sharing their need to isolate directly with faculty. Students will be on their honor in doing so but arenot be expected to provide medical documentation. Normally, a COVID positive student will remain in isolation for five days.

Faculty should develop their own attendance policies, in line with the College’s existing Class Attendance Policy. This policy states that “students are responsible for knowing the attendance policy in each of their courses, for obtaining and mastering material covered during an absence, and for determining, in consultation with the instructor, whether and under what conditions make-up work will be permitted. It is the student’s responsibility to address the issues related to missing a class whatever the reason for the absence.”

Faculty will use their best judgment in deciding how individual students can best make up class time or material that they have missed. Faculty may encourage the student to receive class notes from another student, meet individually with the student (either in-person and properly distanced or via Zoom), ask the student to review materials on Canvas (including a recorded lecture), or provide remote access to class for a student via Zoom. 

If a faculty member becomes sick they should consult with their chair and follow the Faculty Illness Policy. If a staff member is unable to work due to illness they should follow their department’s call-in procedures.

Student isolation and quarantine will occur in place, which means students will remain in their assigned room for the duration of the isolation/quarantine period. Faculty should be mindful that students isolating for the CDC-required five-day period will be required to miss class. 

Health Services will issue the appropriate documentation for students to share with their faculty.

Vaccinated roommates are not restricted from class and should be tested in accordance with the protocols.

Distinguishing mild symptoms from more significant symptoms: 

Significant Symptoms:

·         Lingering cough 

·         Fever within the last 24 hours** 

·         Severe respiratory systems  

·         Lingering GI symptoms like diarrhea or vomiting  

·         Severe sore throat, fatigue, headache 

·         Body aches, chills 

Mild Symptoms: 

·         Mild headache, mild or scratchy sore throat, mild fatigue 

·         Lingering loss of smell or taste 

·         Mild congestion (nasal) 

**For the purpose of this guidance, fever is defined as subjective fever (feeling feverish) or a measured temperature of 100.0oF (37.8oC) or higher. Note that fever may be intermittent or may not be present in some people, such as those who are elderly, immunocompromised, or taking certain fever-reducing medications (e.g., nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDS]). 

Student-Athletes will be required to follow protocols as outlined by the SAA under NCAA guidance and will receive guidance from the Coordinator of Athletic Training.  

Symptomatic and high risk/close contact testing for students will be available through Health Services COVID Care Clinic. Students should email health-forms@rhodes.edu to schedule a symptomatic testing appointment.

Faculty and Staff who need a COVID test should seek one off campus. Many pharmacies and clinics nearby offer testing by appointment. 

• The Shelby County Health Department lists locations for free tests, including at-home tests;
• CVS offers drive-through tests at many locations in Memphis and Shelby County;
• Walgreens also offers testing at most of their locations.

Please use the link below to submit questions about COVID guidelines.

COVID-19 Question and Comment Form (rhodes.edu)