Sonoma State students and faculty were alerted by email late afternoon Sept. 3, that there was a possibility of a positive COVID-19 case on campus. The email emphasized that “This person is not confirmed to have COVID-19 at this time.”
According to Robert Eyler, dean of international and extended education, “The person has yet received a positive result, however, due to the circumstances and the nature of their illness, the University took proactive steps with the assumption of a COVID infection.”
“The University is treating this suspected case using the same protocols that are prescribed for a confirmed positive case due to the totality of the circumstances in this instance. Notifications have been made to people who we have been able to identify as having close contact with this person,” said Eyler. According to the email sent out to students and faculty, “In compliance with HIPAA privacy rules,” SSU will not be releasing any identifying information about said person.
Salazar Hall was closed for the remainder of the week “To perform rigorous sanitation and cleaning protocols.” Eyler also stated that the person “Did not have any contacts on campus that impacted any classes.” A few classes normally held in Salazar on Friday Sept. 4 were held remotely because of the building’s closure.
In the future, if there are more positive cases on campus, “Any buildings that the person was in within the week leading up to their illness or positive test result will be closed for sanitation” stated Eyler.
Sonoma State University concluded their email with promises to stay in contact with the affected individual to make sure they receive the care they need. SSU will continue to “remain consistent with the local public health department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protocols . . . anyone identified as having had close contact with this individual will be notified if they need to quarantine or self-isolate.”
Sonoma State senior and English major, Natalie Gutierrez, offered her opinion of SSU’s actions and response to COVID-19. “I don’t feel like the recent Covid case was shared enough,” she stated. “All I got was an email and I know that if I were at the dorms on campus I might’ve gone out and not checked my email. I feel like students on campus shouldn’t have to check their email to see if it’s safe to go outside.” She explains that there were no text messages or announcements posted elsewhere. She even went on to say that she was talking to some of her classmates the day after the email was sent out and they still had no idea what had happened.
In the past, SSU has had no problem bombarding student emails with notifications of an out-of-order elevator in Stevenson Hall, but neglects to inform its students in the same persistent manner when it comes to COVID-19. In 2017, Ethan Helms, an executive editor and staff writer for the Star, wrote an article headlined “Stevenson elevator causes frustration after numerous email alerts.” There is even a Twitter account made in 2012 called “SSU Stevenson Elevator” where students make fun of the consistent emails. The same level of urgency present regarding an out-of-order elevator is missing when it comes to informing students about the possibility of a COVID-19 case on campus.
