Campus COVID-19 Information

This webpage will serve as the college’s main information hub, including for announcements, FAQs and resources. Questions or concerns can be sent to covidresponse@alverno.edu, which is checked daily. 

Welcome to the Fall 2020 Semester at Alverno College 

Alverno College’s Toward a Safe and Engaging Fall 2020: Return to Campus Guidelines has been drafted by the members of the COVID-19 taskforce in consultation with the Administrative Council, members of the Incident Response Team (IRT), academic deans, faculty leaders, Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, and the president. Additionally, the return to campus plan has been formally approved by the Milwaukee Department of Health.

Due to the changing conditions of COVID-19, the college has taken an adaptive approach to this plan, as it will with its implementation. The plan and its implementation will be reviewed regularly and updated based on current conditions, public health guidance at the local, state and national levels, and feedback from community members. Implementation of this plan will require cooperation among everyone. We are Alverno Strong!

Daily Health Self-Assessment and COVID-19 Dashboard

Alverno community members should complete a health self-assessment each day before coming to campus.

• The health self-assessment includes:
  • A temperature check. Anyone with a temperature above 100.4 degrees should not come to campus.
  • Symptom assessment
    • Those experiencing any of the following symptoms associated with COVID-19 should not come to campus.
      • Fever
      • Cough
      • Shortness of breath
      • Muscle aches
      • Sore throat
      • Unexplained loss of taste or smell
      • Diarrhea
      • Headache 

The college is maintaining a COVID-19 dashboard. The dashboard will show self-reported positive COVID-19 cases, broken down in two categories: Alverno students and Alverno faculty and staff. For the purposes of reporting, Alverno faculty and staff will be shown in aggregate.

The dashboard will be updated every Monday and Thursday by 2 p.m. Data presented in the dashboard will be shown from Aug. 24, 2020.

COVID-19 Reporting Protocol

If you are student and have tested positive for COVID-19, are experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to somebody who tested positive:

• Please fill out the student Covid Notification Form as soon as possible. 
• Someone from Student Affairs will follow up with you once they receive the form.
• Begin isolation/quarantine at home or in your residence hall room, and do not come to campus.
• Before resuming classes and activities, students must complete a Return to Campus form from Student Affairs and be approved by the Dean of Students Office.

If you are employee and have tested positive for COVID-19, are experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to somebody who tested positive

• Please report this information to Human Resources: (414) 382-6421
• Please also report this information to your supervisor.
• Begin isolation/quarantine at home and do not come to campus.

Safety Precautions and COVID-19-Enhanced Cleaning  

As a campus community, we have shared responsibility in keeping our spaces clean and safe. Our enhanced housekeeping procedures:

• Classrooms and meeting rooms are deep cleaned at least once per day, and supplies to facilitate self-cleaning are regularly stocked.
• Restrooms are deep cleaned and disinfected daily, and touchpoint restroom cleaning will be performed throughout the day. 
• Public spaces have dedicated housekeeping staff to do regular cleaning, and supplies to facilitate self-cleaning are regularly stocked.
• Plexiglas and other barriers for high-traffic transactional counters have been installed.
• Most elevators should be limited to two occupants per cab.

Academic Plans

Alverno’s undergraduate, graduate, adult and weekend courses will run straight through to Thanksgiving without a break. After Thanksgiving, all classes will resume remotely without any in-person course meetings. All final assessments will be conducted virtually, and there will be no return to campus for students for in-person instruction from Thanksgiving until the start of the spring 2021 semester in late January 2021.

Our goal is to be as flexible as possible to meet student needs, including providing remote access to learning, while still delivering the personalized experiences students have come to expect at Alverno. It is our commitment to provide students with the content, teaching and support they need to be successful, even if they are not able to attend in-person classes this fall.

Laptop Requests

The college has a limited number of laptops available for semester-long checkout for students. Please only request a laptop if you are in great need. Once you submit your request, you will receive an email within 48 business hours letting you know if your request has been approved.

Campus Services

• The A-Store is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additionally, you can shop online.
• View the current Computer Center operating hours.
• The Library reading room will be open for use in a safe and welcoming environment, and the library stacks will be accessible for students and faculty to retrieve materials. Additionally, the library computer lab is open for student use.
• The Fitness Center is open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (weekdays and Saturdays) for Alverno students, faculty and staff; it's closed Sundays. Reserve your spot.