As some academics continue to wear masks and COVID-19 mandates are lifted, one student fears the university wants to do more to accommodate academics who contract COVID-19.
Darcie Zudell, a freshman journalism student, experienced this in September when she contracted COVID-19. He was able to quarantine himself in his room at True House because he lives in only one. However, he found some bath-related disorders.
Zudell’s bathroom is shared by her and five other people, she said. This worried one of her roommates, as she was concerned about the degrees of contagion in the shared space.
“I was a little panicked about what to do with it, but I couldn’t do anything and make sure I was going to erase everything,” Zudell said.
Zudell said he believed his worried roommate stayed with a friend during Zudell’s isolation at its peak.
“It’s sad that she had to make those arrangements when I was sick,” Zudell said.
Zudell said he got a food delivery from the university. He said he also experienced delays in receiving medication from his pharmacy.
In recent years, OU has students with on-campus COVID-19 isolation housing, isolation-era requirements, testing, and meal options. It also had a mask requirement in position for the 2021-2022 education year component.
This year, however, there is no mask requirement and the university is providing limited isolation accommodation for academics who tested positive for COVID-19.
Jneanne Hacker, executive director of housing and apartment living, said the housing contract states students will have to pursue their own opportunities to isolate themselves off campus. In extenuating circumstances, there is very little remote housing on campus for students.
“This shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone,” said Gillian Ice, special assistant to the president for public fitness operations. “Students and parents were informed about the orientation of bobcat students, before orientation, orientation, after orientation and in the housing contract. “
The university also asks students to check at home if they are feeling well and to report positive cases through an incident report.
Zudell was concerned that students would not receive directly from the university. After completing the COVID-19 incident report, he received only automated messages, he said.
“I don’t think the university is doing a wonderful job of reporting it and following it up because as far as college is concerned, I like to voluntarily stay in my room even though I had reported having COVID,” Zudell said.
The Ice COVID-19 control team has shrunk about 50 more people to itself, a part-time worker and a few interns, he said.
“We’re in a different position than we were in the last two or two years. . . Now we’re in this strange position where we still have a pandemic, but much of the world has evolved,” Ice said.
While the university’s COVID-19 control team is so large, Ice still works with the Athens City Health Department to track reported cases.
“We’re looking to teach the network about threat degrees, but we expect other people to take charge of managing that threat and managing the experience,” Ice said.
@AnaMillar16
am157219@ohio. edu