COVID-19 Information

Bucks County Department of Health

https://www.trackmyvaccine.com/register

Locations:

• Bucks County Community Campuses
• Neshaminy Mall
• Warwick Square

Montgomery County Department of Health

https://vaccine.montcopa.org/

Locations:

• Montgomery Mall, (former Sears) 600 Montgomery Mall, North Wales, PA 
• King of Prussia Mall (Former JC Penney), 160 N Gulph Road, #5000, King of Prussia, PA 

Philadelphia County Department of Health

https://www.phila.gov/services/mental-physical-health/get-vaccinated/sign-up-to-get-a-covid-19-vaccine/

Delaware County Department of Health

https://delcopa.gov/covid/vaccination.html

CVS

https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine

CVS will administer just a second dose if needed.

Rite Aid

https://www.riteaid.com/covid-19

Walgreens

https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19

Wegmans

https://www.wegmans.com/covid-vaccine-registration/

Fever

Cough

Shortness of breath

The CDC believes the symptoms of the coronavirus may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure.

We are coordinating our planning with other educational institutions and our response will be in accordance with local, state, and federal experts. For the latest updates, please check this page. Due to the evolving nature of the situation, we encourage everyone to stay as informed as possible.

The CDC recommends the following everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including influenza:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Stay home when you are sick.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or the inside of your elbow. Immediately throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Get a flu vaccine if you have not yet done so.

Do not share personal items that come in contact with saliva or other body fluids, such as water bottles, drinking glasses, utensils, cosmetics, lip balm, toothbrushes or smoking materials.

Students with concerns should immediately contact the Health and Wellness Center at 215.489.2252 during regular business hours or Public Safety at 215.489.4444 after hours for access to medical care. Members of the faculty and staff with symptoms or concerns should contact their healthcare providers. More information about the coronavirus is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

As many of you are aware, information regarding COVID-19 is a rapidly evolving situation and the risk assessment may change daily. Countries worldwide are working diligently and taking drastic measures to contain the disease. These actions may include quarantine of exposed persons, limiting travel and closing highly visited public facilities. The latest updates are available on CDC’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) website.

Wherever your travels take you this spring break, stay healthy and safe with these tips from CDC Travelers’ Health. And as a reminder, CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases.

The CDC advises, if you’re not feeling well after your trip, call your doctor and tell them where you have traveled, including where you went and what you did on your trip. You may have picked up a virus or other infection during your trip, even though you did not have symptoms until you returned. Telling your doctor where you have been will help your doctor consider infections that are rarely found in the United States.

How often are the case numbers updated on the COVID-19 dashboard on the DelVal website?
The cases are updated daily showing the past 14 recorded days. The online dashboard also shows the resolved and positive cases since Aug. 21, 2021. Testing at DelVal is reported weekly on the website.

How are COVID-19 policies enforced? How do I report a concern?
Under the principle of shared responsibility all students, staff and faculty are expected to adhere to our community norms and calls for good citizenship. If these are disregarded, the University will seek adherence to our expectations through the Student Code of Conduct and relevant Human Resources and employment procedures established to address non-compliance.

A COVID-19 Compliance Concerns form is available to report observations of non-compliance by any member of our campus community. These reports are routed to the Dean of Students and Director of Human Resources for resolution through the appropriate University procedures for students and employees. Click here to access the form.

Who is required to wear a face mask on campus? Where are masks required?
Face masks are required for everyone on campus when indoors regardless of vaccination status.

Are masks required for community members who are attending events on campus?
Community guests should bring face masks to wear indoors at campus events. Face masks are required for everyone on campus when indoors regardless of vaccination status.

Is COVID-19 testing available on campus for students? If so, how do I get one?
Diagnostic testing for symptomatic students remains an important part of our community health protocols and will be available through the Health Center. Please call the Student Health Center at 215.489.2252 to inquire about COVID-19 testing.

What type of COVID-19 testing is available? Is rapid testing available on campus?
The majority of COVID-19 tests conducted on campus are rapid tests and have a turnaround time of same day. PCR testing is also available for diagnostic purposes.

What is the policy on COVID-19 testing? Who is required to get a COVID-19 test? Are you doing random testing?
Testing will remain an important strategy to keep our community safe and fully operational. Fully vaccinated students who submit documentation will be waived from this requirement. Non-vaccinated students or those who have not submitted vaccination cards or taken action for an exemption will operate under a testing protocols for regular testing which will occur at the Health Center, with a modest cost ($5/test) billed to a student’s account.

Student-athletes who are not vaccinated should be aware that guidance from the NCAA and the Middle Atlantic Conference may require more frequent testing for non-vaccinated students and you should anticipate that you may have to take the responsibility to be tested up to three times per week at the Health Center, depending on the nature of your sport.

Additionally, non-vaccinated students, faculty and staff must continue to use the daily

Medicat health screener. A green badge is required for non-vaccinated individuals to be on campus. Instructions for use may be found here.

How will DelVal support students and employees who are high risk?
Certain individuals may have pre-existing medical or disability issues which might pose difficulties in a face-to-face academic or workplace environment. Students may request reasonable accommodations for themselves for certain disabling or medical conditions that, per the CDC, put them at an increased risk of severe illness due to COVID-19. Employees seeking an accommodation request under the Americans with Disabilities Act should complete a request form. Examples of accommodations that may be needed are working from home. Contact Human Resources with any questions about accommodation requests.

I need help making an alternative arrangement for an E360 activity that was impacted by COVID-19, who should I contact for assistance?
Please contact the Center for Student Professional Development at cspd@delval.edu or darrah.mugrauer@delval.edu for assistance with your E360 activities.

Are students required to have the COVID-19 vaccine?
The expectation of the University is that all students who are able will be fully vaccinated prior to returning for the fall semester. This requirement will allow for the following exemptions: (1) medical or disability-related reason, (2) sincerely held religious belief, or (3) strong moral or ethical conviction. While these exemptions may be requested, please note that exemption from vaccinations will not exempt individuals from certain health and safety protocols and mitigation activities related to COVID-19 including regular COVID testing.

Where can I upload a copy of my vaccination card?
Students can upload their vaccination cards to Medicat. Please click here for the instructions. DelVal employees can add their vaccination cards to ADP using the instructions provided by HR.

Where can I get vaccinated? Where can I find a vaccine appointment?
The one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine is available at our Student Health Center for students, faculty and staff. To make an appointment to come to campus to get vaccinated you can call the Health Center at 215.489.2252. Students having difficulty finding the vaccine in their local community may reach out to student health at healthcenter@delval.edu for assistance.

Who should I contact if I test positive for COVID-19?
Regardless of vaccination status, individuals who develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19 are urged to report them. Students should call the Health Center at 215.489.2252 during normal business hours, or Public Safety at 215.489.4444 when the Health Center is closed. Employees should seek guidance from their primary physician and communicate with Human Resources by phone or email. Staying home when ill is an essential community health practice.

Non-vaccinated students who have been exposed/identified as a close contact are required to quarantine until their status is known and will do so off-campus.

Vaccinated individuals who have been exposed but are asymptomatic are not required to quarantine, per current CDC guidance, but must wear a mask, monitor symptoms for 14 days or until test results are negative, and are recommended for testing three to five days post-exposure.

I tested positive for COVID-19 and completed my quarantine. When do I return to classes?
All positive cases (regardless of vaccination status) will be isolating for 10 days from either a positive test result or onset of symptoms. Positive cases will be kept out of classes and campus activities until isolation is completed and they are cleared to return by the Student Health Center using CDC guidelines for ending isolation.

What should students who are required to quarantine off-campus do to keep up with their academic assignments and tests?
As with any illness, students are encouraged to communicate directly with faculty regarding class attendance and assignments.

How is Athletics being impacted? Will we be able to attend games?
Athletics is proceeding with a complete competitive schedule for the fall semester, subject to health mitigation practices as defined by the NCAA and the Middle Atlantic Conference. By all means attend games and cheer on the Aggies! Masks are not required to attend outdoor competitions but will be required indoors.

Do student-athletes have to be vaccinated?
It is the expectation of the University that all students will be vaccinated unless they have applied for and received a vaccination exemption. Student-athletes who are not vaccinated should be aware that guidance from the NCAA and the Middle Atlantic Conference may require more frequent testing for non-vaccinated students and you should anticipate that you may have to take the responsibility to be tested up to three times per week at the Health Center, depending on the nature of your sport. Student-athletes who are not vaccinated and who are exposed are reminded that their personal participation with their team (practice, interaction, competition) will cease during any period of quarantine.

What areas are open to commuters?
The commuter lounge is open as usual for commuter students.

Is the gym open? Are alumni able to access the gym?
At this time, use of Work gym is limited to student-athletes who work in groups under supervision of their coaches. The fitness rooms in the residence halls are available to fully vaccinated residents.

Are visitors allowed on campus to visit students?
Resident students must be aware that the presence of guests in a room is with the mutual agreement of roommates. This agreement process occurs at the beginning of the term. Residents are advised that given the potential health and safety concerns, the expectation for mutual agreement will be heightened. Guests and visitors to campus are expected to be free of illness. The host individual or sponsoring department is responsible for communicating this expectation to guests. Visitors must be denied access to campus if symptoms are detected.

I’m having a guest/speaker come to campus. What should they do before coming to campus?
Guests and visitors to campus are expected to be free of illness. The host individual or sponsoring department is responsible for communicating this expectation to guests. Visitors must be denied access to campus if symptoms are detected. Guests must wear face masks indoors.

What is the plan for the May 2021 Commencement?
Last spring, we were able to hold Commencement in-person to celebrate and, we hope to offer the same opportunity this year as long as COVID-19 safety protocols allow us to do so. We will communicate plans with graduates closer to Commencement.

Dear students, faculty and staff,

We are excited to welcome you to campus for the new academic year. We look forward to hearing about your summer experiences and having opportunities to be together on campus as one community. Hands-on classes, our vibrant campus life, and personal connections are vital to the Aggie experience.

As we come back to campus from different areas and re-establish our living and learning communities, and due to the recent spike in COVID-19 variants, we are updating our masking policy for the start of the academic year. To keep everyone safe, and in adherence with recommendations from health officials, we will be requiring all individuals (including vaccinated members of the DelVal community) to wear masks indoors effective Monday, August 16, through Labor Day.

The brief attached video featuring Chief Medical Officer of Doylestown Health Dr. Scott Levy explains the value of wearing masks at this time.  And, if you have not done so already, please get vaccinated to keep yourself and your fellow Aggies healthy. We will re-evaluate the masking policy after Labor Day. Our intention remains to allow vaccinated individuals the option to not mask indoors but we will be guided by the evolving COVID conditions and federal, state and local health recommendations. Please continue to follow the guidelines posted around campus for safety protocols.

We anticipate that we will be refining protocols for student activities, events and facilities use up until opening, given the regularly evolving conditions and the vaccination rate we are able to achieve within the student body. Please remember that a high rate of vaccination within the student body, and being vaccinated yourself, are the best strategies for you to enjoy an active and engaging semester.  Our student Health Center can provide the one-dose J&J vaccine.  Please reach out to them at 215.489.2252 to make an appointment.

Our ‘official’ first day of the semester is August 23rd.  Please note that rather than gathering for Convocation, we will follow a regular Monday class schedule. Please watch out for our video welcome to you that day!

I have been impressed with how the DelVal community responded to COVID-19. Last year was extremely successful for us despite the pandemic, because of our collective teamwork, resilience and determination.  What I have also seen is kindness under extremely difficult circumstances, and to our returning students, faculty and staff, I’m grateful to each of you for what you do to make DelVal a great living and learning community! To our new students, I look forward to meeting you and being a part of your college experience!

Dr. Ben Rusiloski
Interim President

Dear students,

I hope you are well and having an enjoyable and productive summer. While the start of the fall semester seems far away, here on campus we are planning and preparing to welcome you in August. This message is intended to provide you with some COVID-related information for the semester ahead.

Our goal and intention for Fall 2021 is to every extent possible, return to the kind of campus experience that DelVal does best: an in-person and experiential academic environment, complemented by out-of-class experiences that engage and involve you through athletics and sport, clubs, activities and events. We want you to be able to spend time with your friends and do the things you enjoy without the essential precautions that precluded most of these activities throughout the last academic year.

We have been evaluating the guidance from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the CDC, the Bucks County Department of Health, the American College Health Association, World Health Organization, and the NCAA Sports Science Institute to determine the efforts we will take this fall to protect the health of our campus community and to provide as ‘normal’ a semester as we possibly can.

After much review and discussion, we have determined that in order to operate as we all wish, it will be important that we reach the highest possible level of vaccinations within the DelVal community. A high vaccination rate will be the key to loosening restrictions on campus just as we have seen vaccination efforts making an impact in our home communities and across the country.

Therefore, the expectation of the University is that all students who are able will be fully vaccinated prior to returning for the fall semester.

This requirement will allow for the following exemptions: (1) medical or disability related reason, (2) sincerely held religious belief, or (3) strong moral or ethical conviction.

While these exemptions may be requested, please note that exemption from vaccinations will not exempt individuals from certain health and safety protocols and mitigation activities related to COVID-19, that will be required in lieu of vaccination, including but not limited to those described below.

As the summer progresses, we anticipate additional guidelines will be developed for event, activity and facility use that will clarify opportunities and expectations for vaccinated and non-vaccinated students.

If you are not yet fully vaccinated, we will be providing resources to help you accomplish this in time for your return in the fall:

• A vaccine information session will be held via zoom on June 30th at 12:00 noon, led by Meredyth VanVreede, our director of student health services. Details on how to join will be forthcoming and it will be recorded for those who cannot join.
• Free Johnson & Johnson vaccine clinics will be held on campus in July.
• If you do not live near campus and are having difficulty finding the vaccine in your community, you may reach out to student health at healthcenter@delval.edu for assistance.

Dr. Vari will be communicating with you in the very near future with details for the Zoom information session, vaccination clinics, the exemption request form and how to access it, and instructions for uploading your vaccination card.

As I stated at the outset of this message, reaching the highest possible level of vaccinations within the DelVal community will be the key to the kind of campus experience that I know you all want. Together, I know we can do this. The best way to support your Aggie community now is to get vaccinated.

Below is link to a message from a member of our internal community talking about why she got vaccinated:

Dr. Melissa Langston's Message

If you have any questions about what I’ve communicated, please click here to submit them. We will be adding an FAQ on the COVID-19 page once we see the nature of your questions.

Stay safe this summer and I look forward to seeing you all on campus this fall!

Dr. Ben Rusiloski
Interim President

Dear students, faculty and staff,

A year ago, as we headed into our winter break, we could not have imagined what 2020 would have in store for us. A year filled with an enormous number of challenges for our world and ourselves, as our nation struggled with political and ideological differences, raging wildfires, widespread calls for social and racial justice, and a global pandemic. Transformation does not happen without acknowledging the problems we face and working collaboratively to solve them.  We need all voices. Real world experience, yes my DelVal Aggies, we have had numerous opportunities to tackle them both personally and professionally.  But that is what a DelVal education is all about, and the world is literally our living laboratory.

As we move towards the New Year, I am optimistic and filled with gratitude. I am so thankful for the healthcare workers and scientists who have worked tirelessly fighting this pandemic. I am thankful for our partners here in Doylestown, including Doylestown Health and the Bucks County Department of Health, who worked closely with us to inform our plan for safely opening campus in the fall. With their support and the commitment of all of you, we were able to keep COVID-19 cases low, and to remain open in order to deliver our mission of hands-on experiential education expertly and safely.

We learned so much as a community through this pandemic to-date and we have incorporated this knowledge into our updated plan: Spring 2021 Blueprint: COVID-19 Operating Plan. Revisions include new guidance for off-campus students, an expanded dashboard on our website, and the call for all students, faculty and staff to complete the Medicat health screening daily, whether they plan to be on campus or not. The updated plan is now on our website at delval.edu/healthy.

As we enter the most challenging phase in the fight against the pandemic there is renewed hope. The first vaccines were administered this week to healthcare workers. We strongly encourage everyone to remain vigilant in following the simple guidelines until the vaccine has rolled out across the country. Please – wear your mask, social distance, practice good hygiene, and stay safe.

I wish you all health, hope and light as we move into 2021.

Sincerely,

Maria Gallo, President
Delaware Valley University

Congratulations! Final exams are done, and we completed a successful semester on campus during a global pandemic. Everyone deserves all the kudos we can offer.  This has been a time of reflection, hard work, and growth.  Like pressure changes carbon into diamonds, the hardships we conquer in life shape our character.

For the students who have completed your time at DelVal this semester, I hope you will stay engaged and in touch with your alma mater as you move on to new opportunities. For those who will be returning to campus, I look forward to all the opportunities that await as we journey toward new knowledge.

We are in the process of finalizing the update of our opening plan for Spring 2021 based on what we learned in fall, and on the status of the pandemic. We will send you a copy of that plan before the end of the calendar year.

As you know, we are in the most challenging part of the fight against COVID-19. As the pandemic surges, we must do our part as responsible members of our communities to be extremely vigilant. PA is rolling out increased restrictions in an effort to reduce case counts, hospitalizations and deaths. Vaccines are on the near horizon and so we will have an important tool to protect ourselves and each other. We will be victorious.

Stay strong Aggies!

"Overflowing Gratitude"
Fr. Brian Cavanaugh, TOR

"Here’s a thought based on Oprah’s book club: Sit down at the end of each day and write out 5 things for which you are grateful.

We go through life each day so unaware, and take for granted so many things. There are those persons, unseen and unknown, to whom we need to be grateful. We take for granted turning on a light switch. We assume electricity will light the lamp, but how about the people that keep the system running? Same for the water, and the supermarket. We walk in and everyday it’s filled with food. How did it get on the shelves; how did it get to the stores; how did it get out of the fields; how did it first get planted?

Every day we need to overflow with gratitude. Looking at life from such a perspective will begin to change our daily attitude towards all life, and, possibly, even towards our self and others."

Dear students, faculty and staff,

As we approach the end of the fall semester, I am filled with gratitude for all of you. We have faced a global pandemic together as one learning community.

Thank you to our Core COVID-19 Response Team: Miriam Torres, Jennifer Brennan and Tim Poirier. Your daily focus on every case or suspected case of the virus, your diligent contact tracing, your work with the Department of Health, and your case work, have contributed immensely to the safety of our campus.

To our students: Thank you for adjusting to the guidelines that were put in place. Masks and social distancing are not the ideal college experience. We know it has been difficult to remain vigilant. We have learned so much this fall about how we can keep our campus safe. We are researching creative ways to provide additional opportunities for “safe” social interactions when you return so that we can minimize risk while still having fun. We will share updated plans and guidelines in January.

To our faculty: I am grateful that in the midst of a global pandemic, you have safely delivered the engaged, personal learning experience that defines a DelVal education. Thank you for adapting course and lab delivery to support safety protocols during this time.  Your commitment to DelVal students is what makes our university special.

To our staff: Every unit on campus has changed the way it operates in order to provide a safe campus environment. The Health Center and Campus Life have assumed significant new responsibilities to manage this crisis. Thank you to our operations, mail, and custodial staff, public safety, human resources, development and alumni affairs, finance, admissions and financial aid, marketing and communications, athletics and so many others for your flexibility and essential support this semester.

As we look ahead to the remaining days of the semester, please note that on Tuesday, the Secretary of Health of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania issued a new Travel Mitigation Order which requires anyone entering Pennsylvania from another state to have a negative COVID-19 test from a specimen collected within 72 hours of entry.  We urge you to re-consider any out-of-state travel plans you may have for this weekend so that you can return to campus to complete the final days of the semester, since you will have insufficient time to be tested, per the Order, prior to returning to campus.

So, as we reflect back and look toward 2021 with much anticipation, let us be grateful for each other. Wishing you all a safe, happy and healthy Thanksgiving and winter break!

As you know, we changed the campus status this week. The more rigid protocols are in place to protect our DelVal community and mitigate the increased incidence of COVID-19 that is occurring now both locally and nationally.  Did you know that more Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 than at any other time of the pandemic? We want to have our resident and off-campus students ready health-wise to go back home for Thanksgiving and the end of on-campus instruction for the semester. Protecting ourselves protects our families.

The good news is that there is no evidence of COVID-19 transmission in our classrooms or the dining hall – these are safe spaces when all safety guidelines are followed.  Students, we are asking you to limit your activities to class, the dining hall and work. Following this guidance is the best way for you to ensure that you remain healthy.

Some students have asked whether walking or running on campus is permissible. Getting fresh air and exercise are good ideas but you must do so alone and wear your mask.

We know that the isolation this creates can be difficult. But do remember that there will be an end to this – it is a sacrifice that we all must make now until the virus transmission stabilizes or lessens.   And once vaccines and proper therapeutics are widely available we will be able to return to the normal life we all crave.  In the meantime, we encourage you to connect with your friends virtually. Faculty and staff are here to support you and each other in the less than two weeks remaining on campus.

We’ve got this because we have each other!

Stay safe and have a relaxing weekend.

As you have seen from the COVID-19 dashboard, the number of COVID-19 positive cases continues to increase. 

There are still no known cases of transmission in the classroom. However, we are implementing the following modifications to the campus operating status. Effective immediately, we are permitting essential functions only.  What does this mean?

For Resident Students:

If you are not experiencing symptoms, you may only leave your residence to:

• Attend your classes and E360 experiences.
• Go to your place of employment.
• Eat meals in the dining hall (which is configured for social distance).

For Off-Campus Students:

• Cease inviting others who are not members of your ‘household’ into your house. Doing so is posing significant risk to our campus community and continuing operations. 
• Documented incidents will be adjudicated through the student code of conduct.

For Commuter Students:

• The assigned spaces for study and to take remote classes will remain available. 
• These spaces are only for commuter students and will be locked at the end of each business day.

For All Students:

Suspensions have been placed on all other forms of formal and informal congregating. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Small group activities which may have been previously approved as meeting the guidelines are suspended until further notice.
• No congregating in residence hallways.

• All athletic team activity is now suspended through the end of the semester.
• Visiting friends who reside in off-campus houses is strictly prohibited.

For everyone, we must continue to do all the things we know now by heart:

• Complete the Medicat screening daily and note any out-of-state travel.
• Wear face masks properly and at all times.
• Keep social distance.
• Practice good hand hygiene.
• Stay home if you are ill or if you have symptoms (a body temperature of 100.40F/380C or higher), cough, shortness of breath, loss of/altered taste or smell, fatigue, chills, body aches, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, and runny nose).

Students with symptoms should call the DVU Health Center at 215.489.2252 immediately. For faculty and staff, please see your personal physician and notify Human Resources at 215.489.2346 of your status.

My thanks to the COVID Response Team who, along with senior leadership, continues to monitor circumstances and cases daily. We will notify you whether further modifications are required.

Be careful and stay safe!

As you see on today’s COVID-19 dashboard, the number of positive cases has increased to 17 and there are 25 students in quarantine. There is no evidence of any classroom transmission of the virus. The transmission has occurred in social settings.  Contact tracing from this latest cluster is still in process with collaboration from the Department of Health and we continue to follow our plan.

The students who are in isolation (positive) or in quarantine decided not to follow the safety guidelines that have been communicated. We are seeing the impact of the increased incidence of the virus in Bucks and other counties across the Commonwealth and beyond.  As Dr. Fauci and other experts alerted us, these next several months will be difficult in terms of controlling the spread of the virus.  Pennsylvania’s health secretary, Dr. Levine, said that the virus is spreading at a troubling rate.

What does this all mean?  We have to be extra vigilant and more cautious than we were at the start of the pandemic.  Each of us has the ability to control the spread of the virus by following the CDC guidelines. We are two weeks away from the end of the semester on campus. You must follow the CDC guidelines every day in order to remain healthy through the semester and return home safely.

Be smart, be strong, and Go Aggies! 

We want to make you aware of an uptick in our positive COVID-19 cases that occurred over the weekend and the protocols we are following as outlined in our plan.

We currently have 10 positive cases. Each of these cases was from community exposure. We have no evidence of any transmission in the classroom. We are working closely with the Bucks County Department of Health to complete all contact tracing and anyone who has been in close contact with any of the positive cases will be notified directly.

Please don’t have social gatherings without adhering to the guidelines that you all know by heart now.  Doing otherwise is simply irresponsible!  Your actions not only jeopardize your health, but those of others. 

Our plan includes guidance on how to work through an increase in cases like this situation. With the community rate of COVID-19 rising around the country, including here in Bucks County, we are following our plan and all CDC and Department of Health protocols to keep our community safe.

Out of an abundance of caution and with the goal of mitigating the risk of campus exposure, we are temporarily suspending all athletic activities at this time. We are doing so because it is harder to maintain recommended social distancing during these activities.    

Health professionals anticipated an increase in the virus and so have we. It is crucial that every one of us follow these protocols to the letter: 

1)    Complete your Medicat screening every day.

2)    If you are ill, stay home. Students should contact the Student Health Center and faculty and staff should contact both HR and their primary healthcare provider immediately if you are experiencing any symptoms.

3)    Wear your mask properly at all times – with your nose and mouth covered.

4)    Maintain 6-foot social distancing

We will continue to update you with any information that is relevant to keeping our community safe.

Stay safe, Aggies!

Dear students, faculty and staff,

It is Halloween weekend in 1918. The Spanish flu, the deadliest pandemic of the 20th century, has been raging since January and has killed, by many estimates, 25 million people by mid-October. There have already been two spikes of the pandemic since the start and the population is weary of its impact on daily life.

Some cities banned Halloween activities and others did not, but many people celebrated openly and without safety precautions regardless of what city officials said. This was followed a few days later by November elections, where people stood in line to vote – again, not taking the kind of precautions we now know are effective in battling a world-wide pandemic.

As a result, the end of October through the first week of November in 1918 delivered a third large spike in pandemic cases and many, many more people died.

Now that is one scary story!  However, we have knowledge today regarding managing a pandemic that is backed by science that did not exist in 1918. We have been very successful at DelVal in keeping cases to a very low number by following the simple guidelines to keep ourselves safe. Let’s do our part to not have history repeat itself! 

Unfortunately, cases of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic are on the rise around the world, as well as the nation, and this is the worst possible time to let down our guard. I urge you to stay with your modified quarantine bubble this weekend and save the Halloween parties for next year. I urge you to vote – safely – by mail or in person with a mask and social distancing. I urge you to be smart and keep yourselves and all of us safe in the coming days.

And don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour before you go to bed Saturday night.  An extra hour of sleep, now that is sweet.

Stay safe, Aggies!

Dear students, faculty and staff,

The recent information regarding COVID-19 has focused on new cases currently rising in many states. There also is significant talk about managing this crisis in the winter months when people spend more time indoors and there will likely be a significant surge of positive cases. Please know that we are in the process of evaluating the reasons for our success this fall in managing the pandemic and examining potential additional steps to deliver a successful spring semester when classes resume on February 1st.  

Thank you for your continued vigilance as we keep ourselves and our campus community safe by following the guidelines you all know very well by now. We are succeeding in staying open where others have not and we should all be proud of this accomplishment. It is important that you know the facts about the limited case count that we have experienced, as reported on the web site COVID-19 dashboard:

• We have not documented any cases of on-campus transmission of the COVID-19 virus, including any classroom transmission.
• All of the positive cases we have to date are from non-academic activities including social gatherings, shared automobiles without mask wearing, and other non-campus related activities.
• We conducted a third random testing campaign over the past two weeks which resulted in one positive out of 82, or a 1.2% positivity rate. That person contracted the virus in an off-campus setting.  That case has resolved. As of today, DelVal has no known positive COVID-19 cases. 

We will continue to monitor the changing CDC and Pennsylvania guidelines on all updated protocols for managing this pandemic. The safety of our campus community continues to be our first priority.

We are truly in the home stretch to make it to Thanksgiving week with a wonderful story about Aggies succeeding. As Halloween approaches, please remember that a holiday mask does NOT protect you or your friends against the virus. If you are going to wear a festive mask - put on your disposable mask first. This is not the time to let down our guard. The virus is on the upsurge.

We are doing it. We are doing it together. We are proud.  We are Aggies!

Have a safe and socially distanced weekend!

Dear students, faculty and staff,

On Tuesday, we added new details to the COVID-19 dashboard at delval.edu/healthy to provide more context to our daily report. Specifically, we are now including:

• To the number of COVID-19 positive cases – where the person is isolating (on or off campus);
• To the number of persons under investigation (PUI) metric – where the person is isolating (on or off campus);
• Total quarantine counts including where the person is quarantining (on or off campus);
• Bucks County COVID-19 positive rates for the past 7 days and the 7 days prior.

We are doing a good job of containing the virus and suppressing transmission as you are seeing in our low numbers. This is due to everyone’s efforts in following the robust and effective protocols in our Fall 2020 Blueprint Reopening Plan. 

Some important notes:

• All of the positive COVID cases to date have occurred in off-campus social settings.
• There is no evidence of any transmission of the virus in classrooms or within the on campus environment.

We also have added web links to the PA, NJ, NY and MD state COVID-19 tracking programs if you are interested in using them. These are apps that you can download on your phone so that you may be notified by these authorities of possible exposures outside of the DelVal community. Please note that these do not take the place of our communications, protocols, and daily Medicat screenings. All students, faculty and staff should continue to conduct Medicat screenings every day.

I encourage you to continue to follow the guidelines of mask wearing, social distancing, hand-washing and Medicat screenings.

Wear your mask! We can do this, Aggies!

Dear students, faculty and staff,

We are in the home stretch! Less than 50 days to go and we will have completed a safe and successful fall semester on campus. I know this has not been easy for any of us, but I am proud of our entire community. Mask wearing can be tiring and social distancing is not how we typically relate to each other. But Aggies are strong and we are following the science and the safety guidelines, and that is why we are able to remain open and currently have no active cases.

For the homestretch, let’s “Mask Up for the Win!”  Students, we are providing you with enough masks to bring you to the end of on-campus instruction before you return home for finals and the end of the semester.

Watch this great video - Mask Up for the Win.  As a reminder, wear your mask properly and – fully cover both your nose and mouth!

I also want to share some thoughts on the current social climate. Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we were already living in an increasingly polarized environment. The political divide, fueled by rhetoric and social media, was permeating our lives. The pandemic and the need for physical isolation has added significant mental and emotional stress to us all.  So, perhaps this is a good time to contemplate one of our core values at DelVal:

“Value the World of Ideas and Differences: Our community recognizes the necessity of cultivating curiosity and honoring diversity. We engage with ideas that challenge us and with people different from ourselves, showing deep respect for diverse points of view and backgrounds.”

This does not mean that we always agree with each other; it means we try to respect each other and engage in honest and productive dialogue. We do not know the path that someone else has walked, but we can listen and try to understand. We are entitled to freedom of speech, and our core values can guide us to build bridges, not tear them down.

One of the many inspirations that Ruth Bader Ginsberg gave us was her friendship with fellow justice Antonin Scalia. Their interpretations of the law were often very different, but they put their differences aside and developed a deep friendship built on common ground.  As RGB said, “You can disagree without being disagreeable.” 

I encourage you to engage in civil discourse and find common ground wherever you can.

Stay safe, mask up for the win, and enjoy this weekend!

Sincerely,
Maria Gallo, President
Delaware Valley University

“Wild is the music of the autumnal winds amongst the faded woods.”  - William Wordsworth

Dear students, faculty and staff,

Today we learned that President and Mrs. Trump have both tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and are quarantining.  This is a cautionary tale for all of us, and it underscores the need for us to unite against the virus by continuing to follow all of the precautions that drastically reduce the risk of becoming infected and the subsequent consequences. 

We currently have no active COVID-19 cases at DelVal.  That is great news and a tribute to the hard work we all are doing to maintain a safe environment.  Let’s remain committed to the important safety guidelines that we all know by now:

• Wear a mask unless you are in your room
• Social distance – stay at least 6 feet apart
• Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly
• Complete daily Medicat screenings
• If you feel sick, contact the health center at 215-489-2252 immediately

We recognize that this continues to be a difficult time for all of us. It is natural to feel stressed, anxious and even depressed with the ongoing pandemic. Here are a few things you can do to help deal with these issues:

• Spend time outdoors and get exercise
• Talk to your friends or family about how you are feeling
• Access support services. The Blueprint plan details several resources: the Counseling Center (for students), the Employee Assistance Program (for staff), and TAO - Therapy Assistance Online (for everyone).  We encourage you to take advantage of these services.

Enjoy what promises to be a gorgeous Fall weekend!  Stay mindful and safe.

“I am a very strong believer in listening and learning from others.”   - Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Dear students, faculty and staff,

We have received several questions through our web page (delval.edu/healthy) regarding the COVID-19 dashboard. To provide greater clarity, we have made several additions to the dashboard.  Included now are the total number of positive cases that have been resolved. Resolved means that these individuals no longer have the virus and have been cleared by their medical provider or county health department to return to the community. 

Please remember that these data are a daily snapshot. Accordingly, numbers posted reflect the status each morning. The web page will continue to be updated each weekday by noon. Additionally, the cumulative positive case number since 8/1/2020 (current active cases + resolved cases) has been added to the dashboard. We hope that this information provides a clearer picture of COVID-19 at DelVal.   

Know that these case counts are reviewed every morning by the DelVal core COVID-19 Response Team, comprised of the Dean of Students, Director of Human Resources and Director of Student Health. This team discusses and tracks our campus status and daily counts as well as communicates with affected students and county health departments. They also provide regular updates to me and DelVal’s leadership team and make recommendations as appropriate on policy and communication. I want to thank them for the work they are doing to keep us all safe and informed. You and they are the reasons why we have been successful to date.

For our off-campus and commuter students, The Blueprint reopening plan has been updated with additional information specifically for you. We have provided additional guidelines for you to stay healthy and safe. Remember that you have the same access to our health and wellness resources and services as resident students. Please use them. You also are expected to follow the same health and safety guidelines related to screening, testing and reporting of illness as described in this plan. The updated plan can be accessed at www.delval.edu/healthy.  

In addition to remaining vigilant with our mask wearing, it is time to get flu shots! DelVal is offering free flu shots for all students on September 29 and 30, and October 1. Please register at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/DVUFlu.

Don’t forget, Fridays are “Spirit Friday” at DelVal so wear your Aggie swag proudly! Stay safe and enjoy another beautiful fall weekend!

Dear students, faculty and staff,

Who are Aggies? Aggies are tough, smart, practical students with plenty of school spirit. Aggies also are team players who know how to win, because we are succeeding in holding back the COVID-19 virus. Our case count, as you know, has been minimal and that is because of your diligence.

We are four weeks into our fall semester and most of us are doing a great job following the guidelines that are in place. In fact, we conducted random COVID-19 testing of 60 students late last week and are very pleased to report all tests were negative.

I know that we are all getting weary of wearing our masks, but we must continue to be vigilant in our mask wearing and social distancing for our success to continue. I want to remind you of a few simple things that make all the difference in keeping you and our community safe.

• Please complete your Medicat screening every day. This has helped us identify the few cases of COVID-19 we have had and keep it from spreading.
• If you are eating outside of the dining halls, with no plexiglass safety dividers, please stay six feet from your friends. It is not safe to sit in close proximity to others without any protection while you eat. 
• If you are driving to campus, be sure that everyone in the car has their mask on during the trip. Enclosed spaces are known to be the most dangerous for transmission of the virus.
• Please wear your mask properly – covering both your nose and mouth completely.

And get outdoors! Fall weather is here (fall is my favorite season) and this is the perfect time to be outside with your friends and enjoy our beautiful campus. We have plenty of space to spread out so let’s take advantage of our campus and celebrate the season.

It also is important to remember that COVID-19 protocols are not the only things happening on our campus. We have great programming coming up, including the next “Racism: Question it! Change it! Colloquium Series” on September 21.st This session, which you can join on Blackboard, will focus on Monuments, Memorials, Race and Power. And you can join the Career Exploration Series that takes place October 19 to 30th.   Plenty to do to expand your mind and horizons!

Who are Aggies? Aggies are tough, smart, practical students with plenty of school spirit. Aggies also are team players who know how to win, because we are succeeding in holding back the COVID-19 virus. Our case count, as you know, has been minimal and that is because of your diligence.

We are four weeks into our fall semester and most of us are doing a great job following the guidelines that are in place. In fact, we conducted random COVID-19 testing of 60 students late last week and are very pleased to report all tests were negative.

I know that we are all getting weary of wearing our masks, but we must continue to be vigilant in our mask wearing and social distancing for our success to continue. I want to remind you of a few simple things that make all the difference in keeping you and our community safe.

• Please complete your Medicat screening every day. This has helped us identify the few cases of COVID-19 we have had and keep it from spreading.
• If you are eating outside of the dining halls, with no plexiglass safety dividers, please stay six feet from your friends. It is not safe to sit in close proximity to others without any protection while you eat. 
• If you are driving to campus, be sure that everyone in the car has their mask on during the trip. Enclosed spaces are known to be the most dangerous for transmission of the virus.
• Please wear your mask properly – covering both your nose and mouth completely.

And get outdoors! Fall weather is here (fall is my favorite season) and this is the perfect time to be outside with your friends and enjoy our beautiful campus. We have plenty of space to spread out so let’s take advantage of our campus and celebrate the season.

It also is important to remember that COVID-19 protocols are not the only things happening on our campus. We have great programming coming up, including the next “Racism: Question it! Change it! Colloquium Series” on September 21.st This session, which you can join on Blackboard, will focus on Monuments, Memorials, Race and Power. And you can join the Career Exploration Series that takes place October 19 to 30th.   Plenty to do to expand your mind and horizons!

Dear DelVal Community,

The start of the Fall 2020 semester is fast approaching, and we are excited to welcome back students, faculty members and staff to campus once again. Our return is especially gratifying this year as we all continue to cope with the challenges of the pandemic, and I am very proud of the resiliency and grit that each of you has shown in your commitment to adapt to the many changes we have seen since March.

As you know, the University has committed to re-opening the campus so that we can continue to provide the special brand of experiential learning and “science with practice” that are hallmarks of a DelVal education. We recognize that while this is exciting news, it also comes with questions about how we will re-open campus, and specifically, what steps the University will take to ensure the safest environment possible on our campus.

To address these issues, I am pleased to share with you the “Fall 2020 Blueprint: COVID-19 Re-opening Plan,” which details how we will return to campus. At the outset, I want to thank all of those who worked swiftly and diligently to put this plan together, and particularly the members of the President’s Re-opening Task Force and its Health and Safety subcommittee. In developing the Blueprint, we prioritized the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff while upholding our core values and educational mission.

This letter summarizes the key elements of the Blueprint, and the full plan can be found here.

To be clear, the Blueprint requires all of us – every one of us – to abide by the policies and practices set forth in the plan.   It also requires us to remain flexible as we navigate the weeks ahead. I am counting on each of you to work together for our safety. We will continue to update the Blueprint as conditions may warrant in the weeks to come, guided as always by directives from state and county Departments of Health, the state Department of Education, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Key highlights in the Blueprint for Fall 2020 include:

Academics

• The academic calendar for Fall 2020 has been modified to conclude in-person instruction by Thanksgiving break. All students will leave campus on November 25 to continue instruction remotely. No one will return to campus after the holiday in an effort to reduce risk associated with travel and social interaction.
• Course instruction will include a combination of in-person (75%) and remote (25%) offerings.
• All in-person courses will abide by social distancing guidelines and will require the use of face coverings by everyone.

Student Life on Campus

• Following guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the CDC, residence halls will be open with additional safety measures in place, including shielding, enhanced cleaning, and social distancing.
• Traditional dining operations will be conducted with reduced capacity, distancing and shielding, increased cleaning, and availability of grab-and-go options.
• Lounges, residence hall common spaces, and other congregation areas, including the commuter lounge, will be closed at this time.
• Commuter students are expected to follow the same health and safety guidelines as those living on campus.

Health and Safety

• Enhanced cleaning and disinfection of classrooms, all building bathrooms, lobby and hallway hard surfaces, and high touch areas will be performed to meet current CDC guidelines, including the use of approved products recommended to disinfect these areas.
• Signage will be prevalent throughout campus to remind the community of CDC guidelines on the use of mandatory face coverings and social distancing (6 feet), general and hand hygiene, and health and safety practices to reduce the spread of infection.
• Hand sanitation stations will be placed at 130 locations throughout campus.
• All faculty, staff, students, and any pre-approved campus visitors, such as contractors and vendors, are required to wear face coverings while on campus.
• A COVID Compliance Concerns online form will be available for all community members to report observations of non-compliance.

COVID-19 Response

• Students with a positive diagnosis or with known exposure to COVID-19 must notify the DVU Health Center. Similarly, employees must notify Human Resources.
• In the case of a positive test result, the DVU Health Center will initiate contact tracing and report directly to the Bucks County Department of Health. Contact tracing will be done in a manner that preserves the confidentiality and privacy of all involved.
• The University has established procedures for isolation and quarantine of resident students in collaboration with the Bucks County Department of Health.
• If a case is confirmed on campus, the University may rely on a third-party sanitation provider to treat and disinfect areas with known exposure to the virus.

In the weeks ahead, we will provide updates as conditions require. Students, faculty and staff should check their DelVal email regularly. I also urge you to read the full Blueprint report and review the FAQs available on our site. If you have remaining questions, please submit them here. 

Thank you again for your continued patience and support as we work together to meet the challenges of the “new normal” in the weeks ahead. I look forward to seeing you on campus when the Fall 2020 semester begins on August 24th, and in the meantime I hope you have a great rest of Summer!

The MAC announced this morning that fall sports will be postponed until spring 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic. The decision was made with the safety and well-being of our athletes, trainers, coaches and the DelVal community in mind. 

My heart goes out to our student athletes and coaches who are affected.  I know that the entire community is disappointed that we will not be able to cheer on our beloved Aggies this fall.  

I shared with the student athletes in a separate communication that I believe that strong bonds develop when a community unites to fight adversity together. At DelVal, these bonds grow stronger each day.

As Vince Lombardi once said, “Individual commitment to a group effort, that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work,” And I know it will make DelVal work too!  We will look out for each other’s health and we will support one another through this pandemic. 

I can’t wait to welcome all students back to campus in a few weeks, and remember…Go Aggies!

Dear Students,

The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges for all of us as we move through summer 2020. We know that many individuals and families continue to suffer economic hardships as a result of the very real impacts this pandemic has on our daily lives and work environments.

As a result, DelVal has decided to freeze the rates for room and board at current 2019-2020 levels. This decision follows our earlier decision to freeze tuition and fees for the coming year and is consistent with our commitment to provide high quality, affordable education to our students.

You will note that the room and board fees included on your upcoming bill will reflect a lower amount than previously communicated for the 2020-2021 year.

Your safety is our number one priority. DelVal is undertaking significant protocols to provide the safest possible environment for our learning community this fall. These precautions include, but are not limited to, personal protection equipment (PPE) for all students, faculty and staff, increased cleaning protocols, revised meal protocols, and the addition of Plexiglas dividers on residence hall sinks and in offices and classrooms as needed to ensure social distancing guidelines are met. We have invested in enhanced testing equipment at the health center not only for COVID-19 but also for strep and flu detection.

As you know, the impact of the revised academic calendar for fall means that on-campus activities will end when we break for the Thanksgiving holiday. This change was made in the interest of the health of our students and the campus community, so that we can limit possible COVID exposures that might occur due to Thanksgiving travel. We are not pro-rating room and board fees to reflect this change, but we are eliminating the planned room and board rate increases, maintaining the tuition and fee freeze, and absorbing significant additional costs to ensure that we can provide the safest possible campus experience. We are all in this together.

We look forward to welcoming you back to campus in August. In the coming weeks, we will be sharing details of our added safety protocols and other changes you may find when you return that are necessary due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each of you will have a role in keeping our campus safe. We will work together to battle the pandemic and remain a united DelVal family.

Dear Delaware Valley University Community:

As we move closer to the start of the Fall 2020 semester on August 24th, I know that we all share the same feelings: excitement about finally returning to campus; concerns about protecting everyone’s health and safety; and questions about how the “new normal” will work on a daily basis.

One thing we all know for sure, while the Fall 2020 semester promises to be an exciting one, it will be different from any other year in the history of our university.  The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our community and our country has been enormous. You all have made sacrifices and displayed a remarkable level of patience and “grit” in coping with its effects.  The University will continue to follow the guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Education to safeguard the health of the DelVal community as we move forward.

Because there are many shifting factors to address daily, our return plan, known as the Blueprint for Fall 2020, is a playbook, so we will continue to count on your flexibility and patience as we progress. With that in mind, I want to offer you the following outline of the Blueprint for Fall 2020 as it has been developed, recognizing that we will continue to provide additional updates and details as they are finalized in the weeks ahead.

Enrollment Update

Amidst all of the challenges and uncertainty that we have faced over the past few months, there is good news to share.  We are pleased to report that our percentage of returning students is running higher than it has for the last two years.  And, we look forward to welcoming a large class of new learners this Fall.  This group is diverse, academically prepared and engaged.  They will add much to the DelVal community.  We continue to help all of our students navigate their unique situations and will do so all through the summer months. 

Academics

Calendar

• On campus instruction commences as originally scheduled on August 24.  
• Classes will be held on Labor Day (September 7) and there will be no Fall Break in October.
• The last day of ON CAMPUS instruction will be Wednesday, November 25, just prior to Thanksgiving.
• The last two days of classes (November 30 and December 1) will be held remotely.
• Final exams will take place from December 2-8, and also will be conducted remotely.
• No decisions have been reached about the Spring 2021 semester yet.  We will monitor public health conditions throughout the Fall term to aid in the planning for Spring 2021.

Format of classes

• Students can expect a mixture of remote and face-to-face course offerings with approximately 75% of all sections being offered face-to-face.  
• The format for each of your courses will be available by July 24.
• We are committed to providing the “hands on” experiences for which DelVal is known, both in lectures and laboratory courses.
• Social distancing will be required in all in-person classes (36 square feet per person) and labs (66 square feet per person).
• All faculty and students will be required to wear face coverings in the classroom.
• Faculty office hours and advising appointments will be handled virtually in the Fall semester.

Campus Life

Housing

We will open our residence halls according to federal, state and local health and safety guidelines, so that our students can prosper from the DelVal campus-life experience.  This will include the installation of protective shielding in residence hall bathrooms, enhanced cleaning to CDC standards, reduced occupancy where appropriate, limitations on common facility use, and isolation and quarantine contingencies.

A staggered and safe move-in experience is currently being developed and details will be announced when finalized. Housing questions can be directed to housing@delval.edu.

Dining

We also are finalizing the campus dining plan that incorporates modifications for safety and social distancing using both Levin Dining Hall and Moumgis Auditorium.  Signs and shielding will be in place when students return to campus.  More details about campus dining will be forthcoming.

Athletics

We continue planning for a safe re-start to the DelVal athletics program. We are relying on guidance for collegiate sports recently released by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the NCAA, and in coordination with our conference.  Important decisions are expected from these entities in early July and we will announce our plans in the upcoming weeks.

Extracurricular programs

Meetings and activities will be offered with a combination of in-person opportunities (following CDC, state, and college guidelines for health and safety) and virtual events.  Student leaders will receive guidance and ideas for engaging their members.  Club and organization travel, domestic and international, is suspended for the academic year in an abundance of caution for safety.

Gatherings and events

We will comply with public health orders, including occupancy adjustments for the number of participants or attendees, but the health and safety of our campus takes precedence.  If events are permitted, specific safety guidance will be provided and must be followed.

Health and Safety

Testing and screening

In keeping with prevailing guidance and the advice of medical and epidemiology specialists, we will execute a confident screening and testing strategy that mitigates community spread through early identification and personal responsibility.

Our campus health center will manage testing and referral procedures for students and provide guidance and consultation to the University on employee procedures.  

All members of the community will be asked to self-monitor for symptoms and will receive guidance and tools for how that will be accomplished. Additional health screening procedures will be implemented during fall move-in and as the repopulation of campus occurs.  

Contact tracing

University staff have been working closely with the Bucks County Department of Health on the process of contact tracing and our role in support of that process.  Health Center personnel have completed contact tracing training through Johns Hopkins University.  Specific details related to testing and tracing are under development and will be forthcoming.  

Distancing and shielding

We also will continue to observe physical distancing (at least six feet) from other people, which provides additional protection against transmission and spread of disease.  Physical adaptations will be made to high traffic customer service areas, residence hall bathrooms, dining space, and other areas around campus to maximize distancing.

Face coverings and PPE

All faculty, staff, and students are required to wear face coverings while on campus and must observe social distancing.  Face coverings are an important part of our community health practices as they can help protect others by containing respiratory droplets when the mask wearer coughs, sneezes or speaks. “Aggie” branded face coverings will be made available to our community members to supplement those that individuals will be asked to provide for themselves.

Face coverings will not be required when in one’s own residence hall room or suite; when alone in an enclosed office or study room; or in one’s own personal vehicle.

As indicated by work and role on campus, personal protective equipment (PPE), including surgical masks, face shields, goggles, and gloves, will be required in certain situations and provided by the University.  More details will be provided to those who are affected by these procedures including but not limited to health service clinicians, athletic training staff, those who work in certain labs and work environments, and custodial services.   

Isolation and quarantine procedures

In collaboration with the Bucks County Department of Health, procedures for isolating and quarantining resident students are being finalized. Students will be asked to prepare departure/safety plans in the event that they must be directed to isolate off campus.  Resident students will receive additional direction on completing these plans.

Cleaning and sanitation

The health and safety of the entire University community remains our highest priority moving forward, and we will continue to observe the guidance of the CDC to decrease the transmission of diseases, including frequent hand washing, respiratory hygiene, cleaning and disinfection of personal spaces, and staying home during times of illness.  

Hand sanitizing stations will be placed in 130 locations throughout campus – outside of building and classroom entrances, common spaces, and other high traffic areas.  These should be used regularly by all on campus.

Cleaning and disinfection of classrooms, residence hall and classroom building bathrooms, lobby and hallway hard surfaces, public spaces, and high touch areas will meet current CDC guidelines and use EPA approved products recommended to disinfect these areas.  Additional information will be forthcoming.

Employees

Employee work schedules

To decrease the number of people on-campus at a given time, selected staff will continue to work remotely throughout the summer and into the Fall semester, and work schedules are being finalized within each division of the University.  Employees can expect to learn these details from their respective supervisors as schedules are completed.

I will continue to update you as our plans develop over the next few weeks. Please do not hesitate to reach out to submit your questions through this link.

I look forward to seeing you back on campus on August 24th, which is fast approaching! In the meantime, I hope that you continue to enjoy your summer.  Take good care.

To the Delaware Valley University Community:

As you know, our intention is to welcome all back to campus with a combination of in-person and virtual learning in the Fall. While the President’s Re-opening Task Force continues to develop and finalize detailed plans for the Fall semester, I want to share with you the following updates.

First, I am pleased to share the finalized Fall Academic Calendar, which is also posted online:

• Fall classes will begin on-campus as originally scheduled on August 24th;
• Classes will move to a remote or virtual format following the end of Thanksgiving Break, starting November 30th;
• Classes will end on Tuesday, December 1st;
• Finals will be held remotely beginning on Wednesday, December 2nd and end on Tuesday, December 8th;
• To meet the demands of this schedule, please be advised that we have omitted the Labor Day and Fall Break holidays. Classes will be held on those days and on Wednesday, November 25th.

Second, we intend to open our residence halls to provide the DelVal campus-life experience in alignment with federal, state and local guidance for safety. We recognize that students want to take advantage of the opportunities and responsibilities that living on campus affords.

We have developed a detailed housing plan that is being sent to students currently assigned to or registered for housing. A separate communication is being sent to students’ DelVal email addresses today. Students and families should review that communication thoroughly and reach out as instructed with questions. After reviewing these plans, students who would rather opt-out of housing will be released from their housing registration and contract with no penalty or additional fee. The deadline to notify Housing of any change in plans is June 25, so make sure to review the plan promptly so you can make the best decision for your circumstances.

Third, we continue planning for a safe re-start to the DelVal athletics program. We are relying on guidance for collegiate sports recently released by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the NCAA, and in coordination with our conference. We expect to announce our plans in the upcoming weeks.

All of these recommendations have been vetted by the Task Force’s Health and Safety Subcommittee. The subcommittee is following guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Bucks County Health Department, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Pennsylvania (AICUP) to ensure the health and safety of our community. The overall plan for a safe re-opening is addressing sanitation, PPE (personal protection equipment), social distancing and shielding, testing and screening procedures, treatment, and positive-case management (notification, reporting, quarantine, and isolation). At a minimum, you can expect that all of us will be required to practice social distancing and wear a face covering when we return to campus.

As we have all learned during this tumultuous year, events and conditions can change rapidly, and we must be prepared to move quickly to safeguard the well-being of all members of the DelVal family. For this reason, the Subcommittee will continue to advise on health and safety best practices as we move forward into the semester and beyond, and we will continue to share additional updates as they become available.

I want to thank all of you for your continued patience and support in dealing with the impact of the pandemic on our community. You have demonstrated remarkable resilience and creativity over the last three months, and I am proud to work and learn with all of you.

I hope that you have the chance to enjoy a wonderful summer, and I look forward to seeing you again when campus re-opens in the Fall.

Dear students, faculty and staff,

It is great to see everyone back on campus again! Our first week went well and I know we are going to have a great fall semester.

I want to update you on decisions regarding our COVID-19 protocols. As you know, the Delta variant continues to spread and we have decided to continue our indoor masking for everyone on campus beyond Labor Day. We will continue to monitor the situation and will update you with any changes.

Our first priority, of course, is the health and safety of our DelVal community. Please note the following important information:

• Everyone must wear a mask indoors regardless of their vaccination status.
• Please wear your mask correctly – covering your nose and chin. If your nose is not covered, you are not protecting yourself or others.
• If you have not already done so, please get vaccinated. This is the best way to keep our community safe. Information is on our website at delval.edu/healthy.
• If you have not been vaccinated and you are exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, you will be required to quarantine off campus.
• The FDA has now given full approval to the Pfizer vaccine. If you are having trouble finding a vaccination site please contact student health. Contact the Health Center at 215.489.2252 or healthcenter@delval.edu
• The Health Center has Johnson & Johnson vaccines free of charge. Please make an appointment if you wish to receive this vaccine.
• Students who may be in need of some masks can come up to the Campus Life Office on the second floor of the Student Center for a supply.

Please respect our DelVal community by following the COVID-19 safety guidelines. We persevered last year and I know we can do so again.

Stay healthy!

Dr. Ben Rusiloski
Interim President

Dear Faculty and Staff,

We are committed to continuing to share information about the status of COVID-19 within our campus community to help all of us manage this ongoing pandemic.  If you have been following cases on our COVID-19 dashboard, you will have noticed an increase in isolation and quarantine cases over the past two days.

Much of the increase is associated with a defined social and residential network of students.  The student Health Center personnel conduct very thorough contract tracing on any positive case and test all contacts that are identified.  This contact tracing and follow up gives us confidence that this is not a widespread transmission issue.

Know, too that the Health Center staff closely monitors every case and follows the CDC’s guidelines for release from quarantine and isolation. Students will come off the dashboard within varying time periods both short and long depending on their individual circumstances and case.  Remember as well, that per our plans, those placed in quarantine are non-vaccinated individuals and, but for extraordinary circumstances, any student isolating or quarantining is doing so off-campus.

While the vast majority of students who experience any symptoms of illness or concern are coming to the Health Center to be evaluated and tested if appropriate, it’s worth us all being vigilant about our health and how we are feeling, and continuing to be vigilant about wearing masks indoors and in reminding others (students, staff or faculty) to wear theirs properly as well. These messages are also being reinforced to students.

At the half-way point of the semester, we continue to feel positive about the number and nature of cases and our overall community health.  I know we are all fatigued with this issue but greatly appreciate everything you are all doing to maintain the opportunities for our students to live, learn and thrive on campus.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ben Rusiloski
Interim President

Spring 2022 Operating Plans for Delaware Valley University

We have successfully navigated another semester despite the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This is due to the careful planning we put in place, the vigilance of our COVID Response Team and the DelVal community working together to stay safe.

While we are all tired of wearing masks, our continued adherence to masking indoors and following the other COVID protocols have kept the spread of this disease out of our classrooms and laboratories. We have been able to proceed with the kind of campus experience that DelVal does best and that students value most: an in-person and experiential academic environment, complemented by out-of-class experiences that engage and involve you through athletics and sport, clubs, activities and events.

As we approach the Spring 2022 semester, we must all re-commit to the shared responsibility for keeping our campus and its members safe and focused on what matters most:  our students’ education both in and out of the classroom. 

Vaccinations continue to be the most important thing we can do as a community to mitigate the impact of this disease on our lives. While most of our community is vaccinated, we encourage anyone who has not yet received the vaccine to do so now. The Centers for Disease Control is recommending that anyone over 18 receive a booster vaccine in the prescribed time period for your specific vaccine.

For those who have requested exemption from vaccination, your responsibility is even more important.  You will be asked and expected to comply with a different mitigation pathway related to COVID-19, including regular testing through the Health Center.  Ultimately, a shared responsibility is just that – we accept the responsibility to take care of ourselves and to prioritize the welfare of our campus.  One of our core values says it best: 

Act as one learning community with one purpose.

At the time of this writing, a new variant of concern has been identified. The health experts agree that the most important thing we can do is to get vaccinated and continue to follow the protocols that, to date, have allowed us to manage this disease at a low rate within our community.

We will continue to live our lives as fully as we can while observing the protocols in this document which are essential to keep our community safe.  Please review this plan to ensure that you understand our intentions and are able to honor them. 

If you have any questions, please click here.

Be well, and I look forward to a successful Spring semester.

With Regards,

Dr. Ben Rusiloski
President

Dear students, faculty and staff, 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started in the spring of 2020, we have carefully followed CDC, state and local guidelines for mitigating the disease. We have done a good job of keeping our community healthy and infection rates low. This has allowed us to deliver our DelVal education the way we do best: primarily in person and face-to-face.

On February 24, the CDC issued updated guidance. This guidance categorizes communities based on the incidence and impact of COVID-19 and identifies individual and community-level health risk mitigation strategies.

Bucks County moved to the “low” classification on Thursday, March 3, and remains so today. CDC mask guidance for areas classified as low indicate that: People may choose to mask at any time. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.

Accordingly, as an institution we will be adopting revised and more flexible indoor masking protocols with the provisions below.  Effective Monday, March 28th:  

• Faculty members may exercise their discretion to require students and/or guests to wear masks in their individual classrooms, or laboratories 
• Faculty and staff members who hold meetings in their personal/private offices may request masks continue to be worn 
• Students may request friends and visitors in their residence hall rooms to wear masks
• Masks will still be required in University transportation including vans and busses.
• Any and all community members are welcome to continue mask wearing indoors, even if not in a required setting as noted above, for their own personal comfort.

Because there may be certain settings as indicated above where you are asked to continue masking, please keep one with you at all times.  The University has an ample supply of KN-95 masks which can be obtained in the Campus Life suite on the second floor of the Student Center.  

Finally, consistent with the current CDC guidelines, we are suspending surveillance testing at this time.  The Health Center will continue to utilize diagnostic testing when clinically indicated. 

Established COVID-19 tracing, isolation and quarantine protocols remain in effect.

We are pleased to be able to give our community some respite from mask wearing at this time. We do not know, of course, if another variant might come forward or if conditions change and the CDC again recommends masking. Please maintain your mask supply just in case.  

We will continue to update you with any changes.

Best regards,

Dr. Ben Rusiloski
President

Dear students, faculty and staff,

As we near the end of the academic year I want to thank each of you for your diligence and patience in dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

While we have been able to relax indoor masking rules based on the local level of hospitalizations and guidance from national and local health officials, we need to remember that the virus is still here and may remain so indefinitely. The best defense against the virus remains vaccination. If you want to get the vaccination and/or booster for COVID-19, please contact your health professional. The student health center can assist with getting students vaccinated for COVID-19 or getting a booster vaccine before the end of the semester. Please call the health center at 215-489-2252 for assistance.

It is critical that you stay home if you feel ill and contact your health professional (students – please contact the health center). And, please be respectful of members of our community who request masking while in their office, classroom, lab or workspace.

We must continue to work together as one community to keep each other safe.

Dear DelVal students,

I hope that you are all enjoying a productive and healthy summer! As we continue to prepare campus for your arrival next month, I want to share the current plan for keeping you safe as we deliver the DelVal educational experience during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID Response Team (CRT) continues to monitor the current COVID-19 situation in Doylestown and our campus community, as it has from late spring of 2020. We continue to monitor updates and recommendations from the Bucks County Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, and others.

You should feel confident in DelVal’s response to the pandemic as we remained open during the 20/21 and 21/22 academic years. Last year, nearly all of our courses were delivered in person because that is how our students learn best. With a well-designed COVID safety plan, we were able to manage the disease at very low levels and keep our community safe.

The plan for fall 2022 is to follow the protocols we had in place at the end of the spring semester in May 2022. These protocols are in line with the national and local health agencies we continue to follow, and they include:

• Anyone who wishes to mask is encouraged to do so. Masking remains optional at this time, except when requested to wear a mask in classrooms, offices and laboratories by faculty or staff. If faculty or staff request you to mask, you must comply. Residential students may request visitors to wear a mask while in their rooms. We encourage everyone to maintain a supply of masks as the masking protocol could change during the semester. Masks will be made available to faculty for distribution as needed in their classrooms, offices and laboratories.
• The Student Health Center will continue diagnostic testing for individuals with symptoms, but we are not planning any surveillance testing at this time based on the recommendations of scientists and health professionals. The surveillance testing did not provide any mitigation of the spread of the disease.
• If you are ill, you should stay home. If your symptoms are consistent with a possible COVID infection you should get tested and contact your healthcare provider. Students should contact the Student Health Center for testing and guidance.
• If you are positive for COVID-19 you are expected to isolate off campus. Residential students will be expected to remain in isolation off campus for a minimum of 5 days as instructed by Health Center and will be cleared to return by Health Center staff . Upon return to campus individuals will follow modified quarantine protocols.
• The core CRT will manage cases but we will no longer report case counts to the community unless there is a change in campus status that leads us to do so. Based on recommendations of the CDC and local health officials, we will generally not contact trace but may do so at our discretion to determine if there are any clusters of disease that need to be considered (i.e. several students in a residence hall or on an athletic team).

As you know, the best way you can protect yourself, your friends, your campus community and family, is to be fully vaccinated and boosted (as recommended by your healthcare provider). We require all students to be fully vaccinated. It is not too late to get the vaccine and be better protected from disease and serious infection before you return to campus.

We will be in touch again the week before you return with another COVID update and more information about the start of the new academic year. If you have any questions, please email healthq@delval.edu.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Best Regards,

Dr. Ben Rusiloski
President

Delaware Valley University Creating Plans to Open Campus for the Fall 2020 Semester

Delaware Valley University announced today that the school is creating plans to hold classes on campus for the fall 2020 semester.

"We will follow the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania regarding how we open campus," said DelVal President Dr. Maria Gallo. "There is no question that our students, faculty and staff want to be together as a community again.”

Governor Wolf recently created the Governor’s Paths Forward Education Committee to provide recommendations for reopening education at the K-Graduate levels.

Dr. Gallo is on the board of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP) and added, “AICUP leadership, which is on the Path Forward committee, will be working closely with the Governor to develop strategies for a safe opening for schools.”

The University’s opening will prioritize public health and safety and will include enhanced safety measures. Senior administration is working with individual areas to develop a specific reopening plan. An implementation task force will coordinate those plans with strategies for social distancing and other contingencies that may be required for a safe opening.

"We will provide updates over the coming weeks as we work through the details for opening the campus to students," said Dr. Gallo. "DelVal faculty, staff and administration are working tirelessly to bring our community back together safely on campus as soon as possible."

A Message to the Delaware Valley University Community on Commencement 2020

I am writing to share news that I know will be disappointing to the DelVal family. The  spread of COVID-19 is unlike anything schools and students have faced before, and our lives are changing rapidly as we work together to slow the spread of this dangerous virus. Therefore, based on public health guidelines about large gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have decided that it would not be responsible for the University to hold an in-person Commencement ceremony in May 2020. This decision was made to protect the health of the entire DelVal community, including our graduating class, their families, and other campus guests.

My heart goes out to the graduates and families who will be affected by this decision. I am truly sorry that this semester has not been what you had looked forward to or imagined. I want to assure you that the Class of 2020 and your many achievements will be proudly celebrated. We are exploring alternatives and will share details as information becomes available.

The DelVal community will continue to find new solutions as well as ways to support each other and all our students through this trying health situation. Now is a time for coming together, and I thank you for your ongoing understanding and support as we face the unprecedented challenges of this pandemic.

The heart of DelVal’s work – to empower all learners to transform the world – will not change because of COVID-19. We will get through this together. I am impressed by what everyone is doing, and I know that we will continue to work hard. I am especially proud of the Class of 2020, and look forward to enthusiastically acknowledging your accomplishments in a meaningful way.

Please adhere to the health guidelines and stay safe.

Prorated Reductions in Housing and Meal Plan Charges to be Offered to Delaware Valley University Students

The spread of COVID-19 has disrupted daily lives all over the nation and the world. This is an unprecedented situation for higher education students and their families, many of whom are already feeling the financial impact of this public health crisis. With this in mind, Delaware Valley University will offer affected students prorated reductions in housing and meal plan charges for the spring 2020 semester.

The University will determine details and share them in a future message to students and parents. Currently, the University is focused on immediate steps to protect the health of our community.

“Delaware Valley University is grateful for the support and trust of our parents and students, especially as we navigate new territory together,” said Cheryl Moyer, Interim VP for Finance & Administration/Associate Vice President of Finance. “We would like to provide some reassurance during this stressful situation that we are committed to working in collaboration with students and families to address the financial challenges this pandemic is creating. We will provide additional details as soon as they are available.”

The prorated reductions in room and board charges may differ depending on individual circumstances. After this reduction is applied, students with a credit balance on their student account will be offered various options, such as to apply the credit to Fall 2020 or receive a refund. More information will be known by April 1 at which time we will communicate to each individual student who has a credit balance. To submit a question or contact us about a need for immediate support, please visit this link.

Dear Aggies,

I hope this email finds you well. Please read this entire email thoroughly. You recently received an email from Dr. Gallo announcing that DelVal is moving to online courses and the residence halls are closing.
Instructions follow on the move-out process.

Please click here to download the full message and move out schedule (PDF).

Please make every effort to come during one of the assigned times below. This schedule is intended to maintain the social distancing expectations established by the CDC and the Governor. We ask that each of you limit the individuals in your room to one additional person if such assistance is needed. All other individuals should wait outside by the curb or by their vehicle. This is for everyone’s health and safety.

Staff will be available in the halls with you during the move-out process.

Move out details:

• You will be required to swipe into your hall before entering (bring your DVU ID). The front doors will be propped, but you must swipe your ID card the first time you enter.
• There will be a staff member in the South and Centennial lobbies during the designated move out times to answer any questions.
• You will be required to remove all of your belongings and take your trash out to the dumpster.
• If you rented a microfridge, please unplug the unit, leave the doors open and leave it in your room.
• Lock your door and place your key in the key envelope.
• Key envelopes will be in the lobby of each building. Please fill out all the information on the envelope and place your key in the sealed envelope. Please bring your own pen to fill out the envelope.
• Return the key envelope to bin outside your RCD’s office (the offices are located in South and Centennial Halls).
• Do not leave anything in your room.
• Delaware Valley University will address any refunds in the near future.
• Please continue to check your DVU e-mails often for new updates.
• We also recommend that you bring hand sanitizer and/or disinfecting wipes. We will be unable to clean door handles, elevator buttons, etc. often enough during these times.

The resident student MUST be here to enter the room. We will not permit other family or friends to collect your items. You must come to access your room in person, and you must leave when finished.

If you need longer access or special assistance, email housing@delval.edu to make those arrangements before entering your room.

Mail room:

The mail room in the Student Center will be open on Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22. Hours will be 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. If you have packages or mail to pick up, or other mail related business to conduct before you depart please take care of it before or after you clean out your room.

Furthermore, if you or someone you are living with has been ill or if you have traveled outside of the United States in the past 30 days, please do not come to campus. Email housing@delval.edu and we will work with you to gather your items.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we navigate this unprecedented event together.

Please stay safe and email housing@delval.edu with questions. We will respond to you within 24 hours...

Sincerely,

Carey Haddock
Director of Residence Life and Housing

Message from the President: Remote Instruction through the remainder of the Spring 2020 Semester

Dear Students,

Thank you for the cooperation and understanding you have shown while we have adjusted our campus schedule to do our part to limit the spread of COVID-19. While there are no reported cases on campus at this time, we are making proactive adjustments to keep you and the University community safe. This health crisis is rapidly evolving and we are keeping pace with the guidelines provided by the CDC, the PA Department of Education and other federal and state governmental agencies.

Please read the important information below.

Key Information:

DelVal Will Be Moving to Remote Instruction for the Rest of the Semester (Students Do Not Report to Campus for Spring 2020 Courses)
Instruction for the rest of the Spring 2020 semester will be provided remotely. For the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester, all in-person classes will be moved to remote instruction. During this time, you should not report to campus. This was a difficult decision to make, and we know this will be disappointing news to receive; however, the spread of COVID-19 is requiring us all to change our way of living to do our part to protect the health of our communities. Your faculty are working to make sure that remote instruction is the best experience it can be for you.

Technology Support 
We recognize that moving to remote instruction this month may present challenges. If you have a technology challenge regarding instruction online or remotely, please click Technology Access to let us know and we will be in communication with you to provide support.

Faculty Training 
Your professors have received training and tools to use to make adjustments to courses and will be in touch with you about how these changes will be implemented for each class. Questions about a specific class should be directed to your professor.

Resident Students
Residence halls will close to all but those students already granted access to stay. No additional permissions will be granted. We understand that many of you who are already off-campus have belongings that remain in your room. There will be a future communication from Housing with instructions about the process of retrieving belongings from the residence halls in a way that adheres to social distancing guidelines

Class of 2020
To our graduating seniors, I am saddened to see your final year with us disrupted. I know that many of the experiences you were looking forward to – including athletic competitions, A-Day, other events, presentations, and time with friends – have been impacted by the changes to our academic year, and I know that this situation has been stressful and challenging. I am thinking of all of you during this time. 

All Students
I want you to reach out for help and support. You are not alone. The DelVal administration, faculty, and staff will continue to serve you. Our faculty want to see you succeed and will work with you through any challenges. We are in this together. If you need help or support, please reach out to your professor and we will work to help you.

Delaware Valley University is more than a physical location; we are a small, close-knit community of caring people who support one another. Whether we are on campus together or communicating from a distance, please know that the DelVal community will be here to support you through this challenging time.

How to Ask Questions: 
I know that you will have questions as we implement these changes. To assist with these questions, we have created a list of Frequently Asked Questions on this page. If your question is not answered directly in the FAQs, please use this link to submit your question.

Future Communications
As we work to keep everyone safe, we will share updates, information, and decisions with you on Commencement, and housing and dining reimbursements. Your DelVal email address will be the main source of communication. Please check it daily.

Sincerely,

Dr. Maria Gallo, President
Delaware Valley University

IMPORTANT DelVal closure on Monday, March 16

At 3:16 p.m. today March 15, I received notice from the PA Department of Education regarding clarity on the COVID-19 response effort that “Within counties under aggressive social distancing guidelines: All schools – including private, parochial, and institutions of higher education – are required to close.” Therefore, DelVal will be closed tomorrow, March 16, as the Cabinet evaluates the new guidance and response directives which include provisions for essential personnel needed for operations and continuity of education such as remote teaching and learning.

Essential personnel physically required tomorrow March 16 are: public safety, custodial services, dining services, mail room, staff for all animal care, and the health center. Supervisors will be in touch with specific details for these personnel.

Thank you for your cooperation and forbearance as we navigate these rapidly evolving circumstances. 

Maria Gallo, President
Delaware Valley University

Message to Residential Students: IMPORTANT COVID-19 Housing Operation Updates

Dear Residential Students:

As you are aware from Dr. Gallo’s message about COVID-19, residence hall occupancy will be restricted to pre-approved students through the period of March 29.

We recognize that some of you may have academic requirements (internships or student teaching, for example) for which you need to be on campus. Requests must be received by Sunday, March 15 at 8 p.m. and approvals will be granted by Monday, March 16. Approved students will get follow up about logistics.

As a result of this extended closure, some of you may need to gather essential items from your room. Essential items include medications, IDs and keys, and/or small pets. Please be advised that classes will resume virtually on Monday, March 23, so it is important to retrieve items necessary for your coursework at this time as well.

The following open windows have been established so that you can return to campus to retrieve these essential items:

• Friday, March 13, Noon to 3 p.m.
• Saturday, March 14, Noon to 3 p.m.
• Sunday, March 15, Noon to 3 p.m.

Although we have no reason at this time to believe that there is an active case of COVID-19 on campus, students who must briefly return for items are strongly encouraged to mitigate their risk of exposure by minimizing their time in the building, avoiding social contact, and practicing proper hygiene (e.g. handwashing).

Thank you for working with us to ensure the well-being of our residential community. If you have any questions, please contact us at housing@delval.edu or 215-489-2215.

Sincerely,

Carey Haddock
Director of Residence Life and Housing

This is an evolving situation. This message was sent on March 12, 2020. Since then, the University has announced additional steps to slow the spread of COVID-19. All classes will be conducted remotely and students will learn from home for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester. Please see the message at the top of this page for the most current information on academics and housing. Additionally, all non-essential employees are working remotely. Campus is open to essential employees only at this time.

A Message from the president

Important Academic Schedule Changes

Additional University Steps and Academic Schedule

Spring Break for all students (including graduate and doctoral students) will be extended through Sunday, March 22, 2020.

However, please note if you are currently enrolled in a class that has been meeting remotely or online, you will not observe an extra week of Spring Break. These courses will be held during the week of March 16 as normally scheduled.

Undergraduate resident students, other than those previously approved to be on campus during Spring Break.

Update on Central Bucks School District

This is an evolving situation. The message below was sent on March 9, 2020. For the latest information, please see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. We will continue to update the University community as new information becomes available.

The Bucks County Department of Health provided an update on Central Bucks School District on Friday, March 6.
Read the update below:

"Central Bucks Coronavirus Assessment Proves Negative for COVID-19," March 6, 2020

This is an evolving situation. The message below was sent on March 6, 2020. For the latest information, please see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. We will continue to update the University community as new information becomes available.

Update Regarding Central Bucks School District

As you may be aware by now, the Central Bucks School District closed five of its schools today for a deep cleaning out of an abundance of caution upon report that members of the Central Bucks community may have been exposed to a confirmed case of the coronavirus that originated in another state.

It is important to reiterate that there are no known or reported cases of coronavirus at Delaware Valley University. Throughout this evolving situation, the University will remain in contact with both the Bucks County Health Department and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Additional updates to the community will be shared as we learn more information. The safety of our students and staff remains our top priority.

Spring Break Travel Update

We want you to be safe, well and enjoy well deserved time off during Spring Break. This week is also peak flu season and we have been carefully monitoring the information provided by the CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health about the emerging COVID-19. The CDC advises to prevent the spread of flu, COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses we should follow the following recommendations:

• If you become ill during the break with flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, difficulty breathing, body aches) you should stay home and not return to campus for class or work pending the information that follows
• Call ahead to a health care professional and report your symptoms. If you are diagnosed with Influenza (flu) do not return to class or the workplace until you are fever-free for 24 hours without having taken any medications to reduce your fever ( like acetaminophen or ibuprofen).
• Tell your health care professional if you have recently traveled or if you have had close contact with a person with the flu or COVID-19. Your health care professional will work with your state’s public health department and CDC to determine if you need to be tested for COVID-19.

Follow all CDC preventative actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases:

• • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.