Our commitment to the health and well-being of our campus community
The College of Wooster is committed to providing excellent campus and educational experiences in a healthy and safe environment. This commitment encompasses informing our health practices and protocols related to COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses by following the recommendations described in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) updated Respiratory Virus Guidance. The CDC’s updated Guidance provides core prevention strategies to help prevent getting sick, as well as actionable recommendations for common viral respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, flu, and RSV. See the FAQs below for answers to some common student questions.
All COVID-19 related questions can be directed to communityhealth@wooster.edu.
Respiratory Illness FAQs
Stay in your room/at home and away from other people as much as possible for at least 24 hours after your overall symptoms improve and your fever is gone without use of fever reducing medicine.
Resume normal activities with added prevention strategies for five (5) days. Prevention strategies include good hand hygiene, wearing a mask, and keeping a distance from others.
You should stay home until at least 24 hours after you are BOTH fever free and your symptoms are improving.
If you go back to normal activities after feeling better but then get a fever, you should stay home until fever–free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine.
The best ways to protect yourself are to stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines and flu vaccines and avoid contact with those who have a respiratory illness.
Overall, treating your symptoms with over-the-counter medications without testing is the standard and acceptable practice. Testing is ONLY recommended if you are at high risk of severe illness (for example, you have a weakened immune system) and have symptoms.
If you are not experiencing symptoms but wish to test yourself, tests can be purchased at local pharmacies or at covid.gov. Tests may also be available through your insurance company. The College does not provide self-serve COVID-19 tests.
Communication with your professors, work supervisors and coaches is very important. You are responsible for letting your professors, work supervisors and coaches know you are ill. The Wellness Center does not notify or provide excuses for absences.
Chances are high that you have already exposed your roommate by the time you are experiencing symptoms. You can stay in the same room and should follow best practices as recommended by CDC: increase hand and general hygiene, increase cleaning of surfaces, wear a mask if in close contact, and take steps for cleaner air (opening windows, using an air purifier).
It is not recommended to eat with other people if you are feeling ill. Instead, wear a mask to pick up grab and go food items and eat your meal away from other people to minimize risk of exposure.
The College of Wooster references CDC vaccination recommendations. While we do not require vaccination, we encourage all students, faculty, and staff, to stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccination as recommended by the CDC, and we ask that incoming students report their vaccination status using the confidential Student Wellness Portal.
Visit the CDC website to learn more about staying up to date and the recommended vaccines. Visit www.vaccines.gov to find a location to schedule your vaccine.
The College offers a mask–optional policy for all faculty, staff, students, and visitors, and provides masks at the Longbrake Student Wellness Center Doors A and D. Faculty and staff can determine masking policies in their own classroom and office spaces.
Guests are required to follow Wooster’s current community health guidelines.
Registered admissions visitors and their guests are permitted to be in campus housing and all public spaces as long as they have not tested positive for COVID-19 and are not exhibiting symptoms. When guests have been expressly permitted by the College, individual hosts must recognize their responsibility for their guests.
Guests who are not associated with a College sanctioned program are not allowed in campus housing but are permitted in public spaces across campus.