FAQs

All visitors must follow current campus masking policies, which will depend on local and campus public health status, and may also vary depending on group size and composition.

Important Rules for Visitors

• Congregate settings: Off-campus visitors are not permitted in residence halls or the dining hall unless they are participating in an official College program, e.g. admissions or guest lecturing. Those guests are required to provide proof of vaccination before they are permitted inside residence halls and/or classrooms. This policy will stay in place for the Spring 2022 semester until further notice.
• Class visits: Only vaccinated visitors coming through official campus programs (such as admissions, or colloquium speaker programs) may visit classes.
• Hosting other lower-contact visits and gatherings that include campus members and visitors: Off-campus visitors may come to campus for interviews, meetings, conferences, tours, etc. in college facilities.
  • If you wish to hold a conference or event drawing more than 40 off-campus visitors, permission from the Task Force is required.
  • Gatherings that include visitors should be cautious about eating together indoors. Eating outdoors or in well-separated areas is preferred.
  • Catering for outside events (such as weddings and other events that are not linked to campus departments, programs, or student organizations) will not be provided by the College until further notice.
• Visiting Spectators and Performance audiences:
  • Visiting spectators and audiences are welcome at outdoor competitions and performances.
  • For indoor competitions, theater and performances, density limits will apply, and visitors may be required to sign up in advance. The Task Force should be consulted for departments making plans for competitions or performances. The Athletics, Music and Theater departments will announce plans for their programs on their websites.

Students are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless they have an approved exemption for health, ADA or religious reasons; (students with vaccination exemptions must wear masks and test weekly for COVID-19 infection.)   See our full vaccine policy here.

Employees are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated to protect themselves and others, and are required to register their vaccine status with the College on the ScotWeb portal, here.

The College seeks to provide full opportunities to all members of the College of Wooster community, but reserves the right to limit certain activities to only those who are vaccinated, where public health guidance and local conditions support doing so.

At this time, there are two limitations for unvaccinated employees, family members and retirees, based on areas of potentially increased risk for transmission. Employees may request an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Please contact Human Resources if you wish to request an exemption.

• Unvaccinated employees, family members and retirees may not work out at the Swigart or Williams fitness centers, or participate in in-person fitness classes on campus.
• Unvaccinated employees, family members and retirees may not eat in the Lowry dining hall. (Unvaccinated employees are welcome to get food at Lowry and take it out to go.)

Employees, family members and retirees who are vaccinated and wish to work out at the fitness center or eat at Lowry may stop by Human Resources after August 30^th to get a sticker for their ID.

The Pfizer vaccine boosters were approved for those whose second shot of  Pfizer vaccine was at least six (6) months ago who meet the following criteria: persons over 65, those with health vulnerabilities, and those whose work puts them in contact with many people (including teachers and others who work in high-density congregate settings). Locally, Pfizer booster shots are amply available with no waiting and no cost, including at Walmart and other locations. The data are clear on the benefits of booster shots, and we encourage those who are eligible to get one.

In light of the very rapid growth of cases of the Omicron variant, for which booster shots are particularly important, and based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the College is requiring all students who are currently eligible to get a booster shot to do so by February 1, 2022. Students who are not yet eligible are required to get a booster shot within two weeks of becoming eligible. Please get a booster shot as soon as possible.  The sooner you have the booster, the better you protect yourself and others.  

First, log in to WebAdvisor (https://scotweb.wooster.edu)

Under “Vaccination Information,” select the link “Covid Vaccination Information.”

From the information on your COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card, or other vaccination record enter:

1. Which vaccine you received (select it from the pull-down options)
2. The information for your CURRENT booster vaccine in the fields under “Current Booster” (our application shows your initial vaccine information and previous booster vaccine, if any)

Check your information carefully, then click “Submit” button.

You will then see a screen asking you to confirm the information is correct.

No. We have arranged for group testing upon arrival throughout this week for Resident Assistants, International Students, and other students who were approved by the Office of Residence Life to return early for work, study, and/or athletics obligations.

We understand the difficulty that some students are having in finding test options in their geographic region. At-home test kits are acceptable. Simply take the test, then take a photo of your College ID next to the test kit/result and submit it via the online test reporting form. (A separate email with instructions is forthcoming.) If you are not able to complete a pre-arrival test, there is an option on the test reporting form to indicate so.

Yes. We understand that testing appointments may be limited. You will simply indicate via the online test reporting form what date you were tested. It is more important to get a pre-arrival test than it is to get it within the three days before arrival.

Unfortunately, no. There simply was not enough time or supply for our vendor to successfully mail 1,800 test kits in time for testing and results to be returned.

Yes, at-home test kits are acceptable. If you complete a test with an online medical professional, they will provide you with the test results. If you complete a test that you do yourself, you can place your College ID next to the test result, take a photo, and submit that as your test result via the online test reporting form. (A separate email with instructions is forthcoming.)

You can indicate on the online test reporting form the date that you took the test and check the option for testing result not yet received.

You are required to get a booster shot within two weeks of becoming eligible. Both vaccination and booster records can be submitted here: Vaccine Policy – The College of Wooster The College of Wooster. The College will use your vaccination date plus the two-week period to determine the date by which you need to receive a booster. The College is working with its hospital and health department partners on offering additional booster clinics.

No. Please report your information to our Contact Tracing team at contact-tracing@wooster.edu so they can be in touch with you about your situation and future testing.

No. You should remain at home for the five-day quarantine period as recommended by the CDC. The remote start of classes for the first week of the semester was designed to allow those students who might test positive to remain at home but still be able to participate in classes. Students who test positive will be required to have a negative rapid antigen test before they can come to campus. Please make sure you report any positive test results via the online test reporting form so the College can assist you in the timeline for a safe arrival on campus.

Students who test positive upon arrival will move into one of the College’s isolation spaces for at least five days. (Test day is day 0.) Release from isolation will happen on day 6 if symptoms have resolved and the student tests negative. If the student tests positive, fever persists, or other symptoms have not resolved, the student will stay in isolation and test again on day 8. When released from isolation, the student will be required to be masked (indoors and outdoors) through day 10.

Testing will be available to all students (drive-up or walk-up) at the rear entrance of the Wellness Center. Further details will be provided with the email outlining submission of pre-arrival testing results.

We will be providing some additional open testing times during the week that will be announced later. In any case, don’t worry; we will find a time to ensure that you get tested.

The new masks (N95, KN95, KF94, and other options) are proven to be much more effective at viral filtration, are better fitting, and will be much more helpful to our mitigation efforts than cloth masks. Masks will be made available to faculty and staff, too, and they will be asked to wear them when in shared indoor spaces.

We will provide several masks to students upon arrival for the first week and will continue to have them available for as long as needed. Distribution will be several at a time to make them available to everyone as our inventory will be dependent upon our vendors’ abilities to fulfill our orders in a timely manner.

Masks will be distributed upon arrival at the testing area as well as available at various locations across campus such as the dining hall, the library, and the Scot Center.

Any area in which it is reasonable to expect that close contact can occur (within six feet for more than 15 minutes) is a good guideline to use. That would be classrooms, meeting spaces, the libraries, or common spaces in residential units.

Yes, you can request an exemption by emailing vaccine-exempt@wooster.edu.

If you were vaccinated through one of the College’s vaccination clinics, you can call the Wayne County Health Department and request to have a new one printed. You can also contact the vaccination provider site where you received your vaccination(s) or your state health department to find out how you can get a card.

No. You should stay in contact with your work supervisor regarding any changes to your work status.

Physical distancing:

• Fully vaccinated persons are not required to keep distance from others. However, we recognize that members of our community have different risk levels and some fully vaccinated individuals may wish to continue distancing. If physical distancing is the best choice for you, we fully support you in continuing that practice where possible.

• Those who are not fully vaccinated should keep six feet from others where it is possible to do so, for their own protection. However, please note that in many settings on campus, such distancing is not feasible or consistent with the activities taking place.  In particular, our consulting experts have made it clear that:
  • Because our student body has such a high vaccination rate, and the few unvaccinated individuals are also masking and being regularly tested, it is not necessary for unvaccinated students to social distance in classroom, team, or other settings with limited space when in the campus community.
  • Unvaccinated persons can travel on College buses or vans without distancing. Everyone riding on a college bus or van must be masked at all times.

• Anyone traveling should follow the CDC guidance on domestic and international travel. Note that the CDC recommends testing after 3-5 days following international travel.
• Students and employees are free to travel to and from campus as they wish for personal travel.
• Individuals and official college groups (student organizations, teams, etc.) may organize travel-based activities, following the guidance below.
• Per CDC travel guidance, only vaccinated students, staff and faculty may participate in College-sponsored travel using public transportation (public buses, trains, planes, ships, taxis, etc.)
• All students, staff and faculty may travel on College buses and vans (or on buses rented by the College for College-sponsored activities). Masks are required for everyone when riding on buses or vans regardless of whether masks are required in classrooms or other spaces.
• If an individual traveling for College business develops symptoms while traveling, they should contact their medical provider and also their supervisor. The College will support the individual’s personal and public health needs, such as testing, staying extra nights in a hotel, rescheduling of flights, etc.

Privacy of information:

• Medical information will be kept private as required by law.
• If a student has to be out of class, or an employee out of work for a period of time for illness, faculty and supervisors will be informed of the absence without violating medical privacy, just as has been the case in the past.
• Under FERPA, student information may be shared with select college officials or employees if it is necessary in order to ensure safe and effective operations or if it is necessary in order to provide appropriate ADA accommodations. (That is, such information may be shared on a “need to know” basis only.)
• Professors may be informed whether there are persons with approved exemptions from the vaccination requirement in their classes, in order to ensure that they can accommodate them appropriately. (Names or other identifying information would not be provided.)
• In some cases, information about who is required to be masked in a particular place (classroom, work environment, etc.) is necessary for safety, operations or to provide appropriate ADA accommodations. In that case, a professor, coach, or staff member may be told the names of individuals required to wear a mask. Staff or faculty who believe they need this information for their students or direct reports should make a request to the Task Force, which will assess whether the need to know meets FERPA requirements.
• If an individual has an ADA accommodation, the Academic Resource Center (for students) or Human Resources (for employees) will share that information with those who need to know about it in order to provide appropriate accommodation, consistent with FERPA requirements.

Everyone on campus – students, employees and visitors – is required to follow the current mask guidance, which will be prominently posted and may vary over time depending on campus and regional COVID transmission. 

Yes! We are the Fighting Scots. Rather than representing the Fighting Scots with the Scottish Highlander, we will now use a Scottish Terrier, otherwise known as a Scottie dog.

As we examine Wooster’s history, the Scottie dog was the first mascot at Wooster and has never really gone away even with the introduction of the Scottish Highlander fighter in the late 60s, early 70s. Up through today, the Scottie is widely accepted as one of Wooster’s mascots. 

More importantly, however, no human mascot can represent all the diverse identities of our campus community and many human mascots raise serious concerns about racism, xenophobia, and are otherwise problematic. The introduction in recent years of the Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians are two examples of professional sports teams who recognized the harm caused by human mascots. There are many more examples at the collegiate level, including Kenyon College, who changed from Lords and Ladies to Owls, and Capital University, who changed from Crusaders to Comets.

A symbol of European imperial expansion, the Scottish Highlander fighter no longer represents the current and future Wooster.

Results from a survey of students showed a majority of student respondents did not relate to the Scottish Highlander mascot. The reasons they provided included: “he looks white,” “he looks like a man,” “doesn’t represent the values of the college,” “needs to be more inclusive,” “represents violence,” “represents colonialism,” and “needs to be more inclusive.”

According to student respondents, Wooster Fighting Scots must represent community, be determined, hardworking, strong, kind, smart, resilient, intelligent, passionate, perseverant, and inclusive.

The new Scottie dog logo made its debut on campus on Thursday, March 30, 2023, during a pep rally in Timken Gymnasium. This summer it will be added to wind screens on our new tennis courts on Wayne Avenue and to the gymnasiums. We will begin to form a planning committee soon who will identify opportunities to introduce the new Scottie dog logo throughout Scot Center. Please visit Mayer Bookstore online or in the lower level of Lowry Center to grab some Scottie dog merchandise.

The College will be working throughout the next year to replace old logos with the new logo. In so doing, we will make every effort to save historical pieces for the archives.

Numerous informal discussions have been held over the years about the mascot. We even held a First-Year Seminar class in Fall 2019 on the Fighting Scots as a historical concept and asked students to think critically about what it meant to have the Highlander with shield and sword as our mascot.

In 2021, we introduced new institutional and athletic logos that removed the Highlander from the W and replaced it with a custom W that was designed to pull from the deconstructed pattern of the MacLeod plaid. A special working group of staff in athletics and marketing was meeting to consider options for moving beyond the Highlander that was introduced to campus in the spring of 1973. The group’s work centered on addressing concerns raised by students and others about the lack of inclusivity of the Highlander, while creating a mascot that stayed true to the Wooster brand and the College’s history.

Research was conducted to learn more about the history of mascots and nicknames at the College, and students were surveyed about their thoughts regarding the mascot and the qualities and characteristics that come to mind when they think of Wooster Fighting Scots.

Historically, we’ve had few mascots but many nicknames. As we paged through old athletic programs and the archives, a few things were abundantly clear: Our unwavering affinity for the black & gold, loud MacLeod plaid, and Scottish Terriers.

We came across a lot of Scottish terriers during our review—real-life dogs posing for yearbook photos and wearing MacLeod sweaters, larger than life dogs on Homecoming floats and on the lawns of residence halls, dog illustrations that were on the front pages of athletic programs in the early 80s (a decade after the introduction of the warrior mascot), and dog mascot costumes that are worn during home contests up through today. It wasn’t until 2013-14, that we see broader adoption of the Highlander in College branding and throughout the Scot Center.

Results from our survey showed a majority of student respondents did not relate to the Highlander mascot. The reasons they provided include: “he looks white,” “he looks like a man,” “doesn’t represent the values of the college,” “needs to be more inclusive,” “represents violence,” “represents colonialism,” and “needs to be more inclusive.”

According to student respondents, Wooster Fighting Scots must represent community, be determined, hardworking, strong, kind, smart, resilient, intelligent, passionate, perseverant, and inclusive.

Slagle Design, a firm based in Columbus, Ohio, specializing in creating and updating mascots, led the design efforts with input from a working group of staff and coaches from athletics, marketing, students, and alumni.

The name for Wooster’s new Fighting Scots mascot is Archie.

Members of the campus community submitted nearly 800 suggestions for names for Wooster’s updated Fighting Scots mascot.

Staff collected those suggestions and developed a poll that allowed constituents to rank their favorite names among the top three suggestions: Archie, McWoo, and Mac. After four days of voting and nearly 1,500 responses from community members, Archie will be the name of the new Fighting Scots mascot.

Yes! Street Characters in Alberta, Canada, is designing and manufacturing the mascot costumes, which are scheduled to arrive on campus in June. We will be recruiting a roster of students to serve as mascot performers who will work to entertain crowds at home games, admissions and alumni events, and engagements across the local community. The costumes will include MacLeod plaid kerchiefs and matching kilts, along with a black belt and sporran, which is a traditional part of the Pipe Band’s uniform.

• If you test positive for COVID with a test that is not overseen by the College, please report it to Contact-tracing@wooster.edu so that we can ensure campus contact tracing is completed as needed.
• Individuals who test positive for COVID will need to isolate per the CDC guidance (currently 10 days after a positive test or onset of symptoms.)
  • Employees who test positive should contact their physician and isolate at home.
  • Students who test positive will be provided with off-campus isolation housing at college expense. They may also choose to travel home to isolate there.
• When an individual tests positive, contact tracing will be undertaken to determine whether other members of the campus community were close contacts and potentially exposed to COVID. The CDC definition of close contacts will be used to make determinations.
  • If a close contact is fully vaccinated, they are not required to quarantine. They do need to wear a mask, and to test between days 3-5 after exposure.
  • If a close contact is not fully vaccinated, they are required to quarantine per the direction of the Wayne County Health Department and the CDC. The length of quarantine will be determined by current CDC guidance.
    • Employees who need to quarantine will do so at home.
    • Students who need to quarantine will be provided with off-campus quarantine housing at college expense. Students may also choose to travel home to quarantine there.
  • Students who are in isolation or quarantine will be supported as regards their health and academic needs through the Dean of Students’ Office and the Dean for Curriculum and Academic Engagement. (This support will be similar to what is provided for students with other illnesses that temporarily prevent a student from going to class.)
  • Staff who are in isolation or quarantine may work remotely if appropriate to their roles and if they feel well enough to do so. Sick time can be used for absences from work for both isolation and quarantine. Employees with concerns about a shortage of sick time should contact Human Resources.

• Students who feel ill should stay in their room and call the Wellness center (330-263-2319), who will assess their symptoms and offer support, testing and/or treatment as appropriate.
• Employees who feel ill should stay home and contact their health care provider and supervisor or human resources.
• If an individual traveling for College business develops symptoms while traveling, they should contact their medical provider and also their supervisor. The College will support the individual’s personal and public health needs, such as testing, staying extra nights in a hotel, rescheduling of flights, etc.

If you have any symptoms of COVID that cannot be explained by another current illness or condition, please stay home.

Symptoms of COVID are:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

In accordance with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention guideline, even if you are fully vaccinated you should get tested and stay home and away from others if you have symptoms of COVID. If your test is positive, you must isolate (see below for further detail). If your test is negative, please stay home until you recover from your symptoms or have confirmation that the symptoms are caused by a non-transmissible condition.

For more information on how to obtain a COVID test in the Wooster area, please see our resource page.

If you have research project or program that you would like assistance funding, please reach out to our office to set up a meeting using the Request for Opportunity Research. We can perform a funding search for you and help you find resources to put together a successful proposal. Periodically, we will also reach out to the campus community with opportunities that align with our research mission. We are happy to meet with you if you feel that one of these opportunities matches your research goals.

If you have already found a grant or other RFP (request for proposal) opportunity, please complete our Intent to Submit form and our office will follow-up with next steps.

Our office will help to put together a project timeline and work through all portions of the proposal and submission process. This will include assisting in collecting data, organizing application components, and developing a budget using our Budget Template. Please also review our Policy for Institutional Subawards at this stage, as most grants will not be eligible for subawards.

We hope to provide numerous opportunities for assistance in creating your proposal. This may include external webinars, on-campus seminars, one-on-one meetings, as well as copyediting. Once an Intent to Submit form is completed, our office will set up weekly meetings with you to answer questions and plan section deadlines working toward the submission deadline.

To ensure that all relevant parties on campus are aware of your proposal, you must submit a Proposal Transmittal Form. This form must be signed by several campus partners prior to submission, so it is encouraged to start this process no less than two weeks before the grant deadline.

With final approval and review, we will help to compile and submit applications. We will work with those who are granted an award to steward through the process. For those who are not successful, we will work through reviewer comments to help with resubmission or look at other funding sources.

Along with our Senior Grants Accountant, our office will assist with award paperwork and management. This includes being a point of contact for questions, extension requests, and updates.

Whether a grant is a few months or multi-year, we will help with all reporting requirements and submissions. We assist with deadline reminders and budget breakdowns to help summarize outcomes.

Hosting Gatherings and Events Including Only Members of Campus Community: Because the student body is fully vaccinated, we do not have occupancy or gathering size limits for gatherings of the student community for the semester.  Out of an abundance of caution as the community reconvenes, indoor gatherings planned for over 100 people that take place before September 8^th should be reviewed for approval by the Task Force.  For large (100+) gatherings including staff or faculty, remote or outdoor meetings should be considered instead.

Gatherings limited to campus community members provide a lower level of risk because everyone is either vaccinated or being tested regularly. Food may be made available (during a lunch-time meeting for example) at such gatherings, although individuals are encouraged to reduce the amount of time eating unmasked during periods of time where masking is required across campus.

• All students will test for COVID either just before or just after arrival on campus for the start of the semester. For more information about move in, see here.
• Unvaccinated students are required to test weekly throughout the semester.
• Vaccinated students may be required to participate in screening testing, depending on the campus and local situation, which will be regularly assessed.
• All testing is paid for by the College.

• All unvaccinated employees are required to test weekly throughout the semester, starting in the week of August 30^th.
• Vaccinated employees may be required to participate in screening testing, depending on the campus situation.
• Screening testing is paid for by the College.
• For more information on how to obtain a COVID test in the Wooster area, visit our COVID Testing Resources page.