01/11/2021
By Julie Chen

After a very successful fall semester with a total positivity rate of 0.47%, the university looks forward to welcoming more faculty, staff and students back to campus for the spring semester.

To help keep our community safe, the university will be expanding surveillance testing capacity. Testing is required for residential students. In addition, faculty, staff and commuter students who will be on campus are expected to participate in the onboarding and weekly surveillance testing program. The combination of in-house and Broad Institute testing is enabling this increased capacity. Results are provided typically within 24 to 36 hours.

Surveillance testing participants must sign up in advance and are expected to get tested weekly beginning the week of Jan. 17, 2021. Sign-up information will be available on the COVID-19 website this week. 

Employees who have been working on campus or will return prior to Jan. 17, can report to the University Crossing Testing Center either Tuesday, Jan. 12 or Thursday, Jan. 14. between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. without an appointment for spring onboarding testing.  After this initial onboarding period, testing will be by appointment and only those participating in the program will be able to be tested.

Surveillance testing is for asymptomatic university community members. Those who have tested positive are exempt from testing for 90 days. Those who have been vaccinated should continue to participate in surveillance testing as they may still be carriers.

Anyone experiencing any symptoms or concerned about possible exposure should:

For more detailed information on the testing program, including the onboarding testing process for faculty, staff and students, visit the COVID-19 website.