Science News - USA (2021-02-27)

C. CHANG

http://www.sciencenews.org | February 27, 2021 27

C. CHANG

Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction

As a school located far from large testing laborato-

ries, Colorado Mesa University did not have access

to 24-hour results for PCR tests. So the school

relied on other screening methods and deliberate

community building to bring its undergraduates —

many of whom are first-generation, low-income

students — back to campus.

The school used a “kitchen-sink approach” to

COVID -19 surveillance, says Eric Parrie, CEO of

COVIDCheck Colorado. Students had to test neg-

ative before returning to campus, and once they

arrived, they participated in random testing with

LAMP rapid tests, PCR tests for anyone known

to have been exposed to the virus and wastewater

sampling of residence halls.

John Marshall, vice president for Student

Services, and Amy Bronson, program director of

the university’s Physician Assistant Program, held

weekly COVID -19 virtual town halls starting in the

spring. Student leaders encouraged safety among

their peers through social media campaigns such

as the school’s “CMU is back” music video.

With a nod to the Maverick, the university mas-

cot, students were grouped into small pods called

“mavilies.” Set up based on housing and activities,

pods could be four students in an apartment or

20 students on a sports team. Mavilies were

allowed to eat together, congregate closer than six

feet in public spaces and remove masks in their

communal living areas. The approach allowed

sports teams to continue practicing, according to

the student paper, the Criterion.

The university faced a November outbreak,

which Marshall and Bronson attribute to com-

munity spread in Grand Junction, where many

university students work. Campus testing and

contact tracing ramped up during this time.

Students were sent home for Thanksgiving, and

the school finished its semester with two weeks

of remote classes and exams — adhering to the

school’s original plan for the fall.

Students: 10,000 living

on or near campus

Testing: Weekly random

sampling LAMP tests;

PCR tests confirm positive

LAMP results

Safety measures: Students

must complete five-module

COVID-19 course before

arriving; masks required

indoors; wastewater

testing of dorms;

mandatory symptom

monitoring, COVID-19 test

tracking and international

travel reporting; social

distancing and enforced

podding; dashboard shows

occupancy of high-traffic

campus areas; temperature

checks at building

entrances

Spring semester plans:

Improved monitoring app

with contact tracing

Colorado Mesa University — COVID-19 cases

New cases (reported weekly)

Date

Date

August 1, 2020

August 1, 2020

September 1

September 1

October 1

October 1

November 1

November 1

December 1

December 1

300

3,000

200

2,000

0

0

100

1,000

Colorado Mesa University — testing

New tests (reported weekly)

A surge in cases in

Grand Junction

spreads to the university

Thanksgiving

break; all

classes go

remote

Small graduation

ceremony requires

a negative COVID-19

test to attend

Data were provided by

university staff. Cases and tests

are reported on a weekly basis.

Testing spikes to identify

students infected during

November outbreak

The university sends

test kits home as

students must test

negative before arrival

Classes start

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