Important COVID-19 and monkeypox updates for undergraduates

Dear undergraduates,

We are excited about beginning the new school year with in-person classes and events. As you settle into your fall housing assignments managed by Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE) we’d like to offer tips on how to share residential space responsibly so we can keep everyone as healthy as possible. More information is provided below, and on our student COVID-19 website.

Sharing space responsibly

COVID-positive undergraduates are now isolating in place, as noted in our August 8 message. This means you may be sharing a room or apartment with someone who is COVID positive.

Take a COVID rapid test immediately if your roommate or apartment mate tests positive, and then re-test again every three days until 5 days after everyone you live with tests negative. Review this guidance for more information.

If you test positive, university resources available to you include medical care and meals. R&DE provides undergraduates who are in isolation due to COVID-19 and who complete the steps outlined here the ability to order meals through UberEats.

If you or your roommate tests positive, take the following precautions:

• Wear face coverings as much as possible.
• Keep windows open as much as possible.
• Wash or sanitize your hands often.
• Avoid sharing personal items.

If you or your apartment mate tests positive, take these additional precautions:

• Stay inside your bedrooms with doors closed if possible.
• Avoid entering the bathroom within 15 minutes of others.
• Disinfect the bathroom and kitchen as often as possible.
• Eat in separate rooms.

Temporary alternative housing may be available for students who have critical health conditions (e.g., students undergoing cancer chemotherapy). If you have a critical health condition and you have been instructed by your medical care team not to share a living space with a COVID-positive individual, contact Student Support.

COVID reminders from previous messages

• Assemble your own first aid kit with over-the-counter medications such as fever reducers and decongestants. Be sure to include a thermometer.
• New arrivals should test on Day 0 (arrival day) and Day 5. Rapid and Color test kits will be provided at no cost at R&DE Student Housing check-in tables during move-in (Color is a lab test with results in 24-72 hours; here’s more information).
• Additional rapid test kits will continue to be available at no cost at the Arrillaga Family Dining Commons (AFDC). Color test kits are available for pickup here.
• Masking will be required in residential common spaces; classrooms (except while speaking); in healthcare facilities; and on Marguerite buses.

Monkeypox information

We have made arrangements to care for students who report testing positive for monkeypox, which spreads through close, personal, skin-to-skin contact. Students with symptoms or positive test results should contact Vaden Health Services for medical care and to learn more about other campus resources. Although Vaden does not have Monkeypox vaccine at this time, students can visit this Stanford Health Care site to learn more about registering for county vaccination clinics.

Resources for our communities

We are looking forward to seeing all of you in a few short weeks. Fall is a very exciting time. It can be challenging, too. Check out these Resources for Our Communities and the Residential & Dining Enterprises website to learn about the services, guidance and more available to all Stanford students. If you have any personal questions, please reach out to us here.

Sincerely,

Susie Brubaker-Cole
Vice Provost for Student Affairs

Mona Hicks
Senior Associate Vice Provost and Dean of Students

Shirley J. Everett
Senior Associate Vice Provost, Residential & Dining Enterprises
Senior Advisor to the Provost on Equity and Inclusion