I am proud of the impressive Covid-19 surveillance testing system built by our faculty and staff, and I am deeply grateful to all who are working tirelessly to run it. I am also thankful to the thousands of students who’ve already been tested, and to the dozens of student leaders, including many in fraternities and sororities, who are working hard to encourage others to get tested regularly.

The details of our testing system are discussed in this recent panel. It is hard to exaggerate how crucial it is that we all get tested regularly. Testing is the radar that helps us fight this invisible threat. It is key to our ability to contain infection in our community and keep our campus open. 

But testing only helps if all of us get tested regularly. 

All of us. 

Every week.

If you find out you’re positive, there’s absolutely nothing to hide or to feel bad about — other than feeling bad about your symptoms, if you have any. On the contrary, when you report your positive case, (a) we have a chance to help you, and (b) you have an even bigger opportunity to make a difference in the lives of many others.

When you isolate yourself, you are fighting for all of us. It may be frustrating to lock yourself in for couple of weeks, especially if you’re lucky to be asymptomatic and feel fine. But every day you're in isolation, you are helping to defeat a dangerous chain of contagion that can hurt many people.

If a fraternity, a sorority, or any student organization finds out it may have a cluster of positive cases, there’s absolutely nothing to hide or be embarrassed about. When you report it, (a) we have a chance to help you deal with the health risk to your members and (b) you have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of many. 

What SigEp did this past week to help identify and isolate the cases among their members is a great example. Their actions and their statement to the community should be a source of pride to SigEp members and alumni. 

Here is the issue. As of now, our level of testing is still not good enough. Greek Housing residents are testing at higher rates than students in residence halls. But, with some laudable exceptions, neither group is reaching overall the 90% rate that is necessary to catch outbreaks on time. We are currently exploring tools that can help us reach that level. Meanwhile, I need your help to get there.

I'm posting the numbers we’ve collected as of August 22 below. I hope they trigger your competitive juices. This is a competition worth trying to win — for you, for your friends, for all of us.

Greek housing testing through Aug. 22, 2020

Residence hall testing through Aug. 22, 2020

Testing, of course, is no substitute for prevention. While no one should be stigmatized for testing positive, we cannot allow any kind of behavior that puts others at risk, whether hosting an unsafe party on or off campus, or not isolating or quarantining when asked to do so.

Our Code of Conduct prohibits any behavior that endangers the health or safety of any person or the campus community. We’re ready to use the student conduct process as strictly as we can. If you see someone putting others at risk, report it.

This is not about blaming students, as some are quick to argue. I accept my responsibility for our ability to keep our campus safe and productive. And I am humbled by what many around me are doing day in and day out to help us do just that. But the nature of this virus makes it essential that we fight it as a community. I need your help to keep our campus open and productive.

We can only fight this fight together as a community. Thank you for being part of the solution.