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Coronavirus Response
Guided by the Jesuit principles of cura personalis (care for the whole person) and service to others, Regis University continues to closely monitor developments of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, adhere to public health requirements, and strive to make our campus and community as safe as possible. This website will provide updates and guidance to our community as Regis follows its mission and maintains operations through such protocols as social distancing, enhanced cleanings and remote work and learning precautions.
Latest Updates
Welcome Back to Campus
To permit students to enjoy the full campus experience and a Regis, Jesuit education, the university developed a comprehensive plan to start the traditional fall semester early and complete it before Thanksgiving, along with thorough contingency plans to avoid any severe disruptions. This includes offering in-person, hybrid and blended learning environments, all fully in compliance with physical distancing requirements to curtail the spread of the virus. Our robust online degree and certificate programs continue. For more specific information regarding safety measures that have been put in place, view Student Affairs' Regis Ready Plan for the fall semester.
Reporting Protocols
- If a student reports that they have tested positive, or a close contact like a roommate has tested positive, they should contact the Dean of Students immediately. They also can use the #CampusClear app or this form to report a positive test.
- If an employee reports that they have tested positive, they are to notify Human Resources immediately. They also can use the #CampusClear app or this form to report a positive test. (To date this semester, no employees have reported a positive test).
- If you test positive for COVID-19, you should immediately isolate yourself (do not physically attend class or work) and seek medical attention, and notify either the Dean of Students (Students) or Human Resources (Faculty/Staff)
- If you were in close contact with someone who tested positive (like a roommate), you should quarantine (strictly limit movement) and seek a COVID-19 test, either at Student Health Services or at a state testing center (the closest is six miles away at WaterWorld).
Testing and Health Monitoring
The university will begin surveillance testing of all students shortly. Plans will be announced later this week. Presently all faculty, staff, students, vendors and visitors are required to use the free CampusClear app, developed by our fellow Jesuit institution Creighton University, to privately report individual health status on a daily basis. Research says that daily self-screening can have a meaningful impact on reducing the spread of COVID-19.
COVID-19 Testing On Campus
The university’s Student Health Services department offers testing on the Northwest Denver campus by appointment, or will assist symptomatic or exposed students in getting a test at centers near the university. The state has recently opened a free, drive-by testing center at WaterWorld, which is two miles from the Thornton campus and six miles from the Northwest Denver campus. These centers hope to provide results within four days. The university has designated a residential hall wing for students who need to be isolated due to symptoms or close contact. Close contact is defined as:
- Within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for at least 15 minutes
- Provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19
- Direct physical contact with the person (touched, hugged, or kissed)
- Shared eating or drinking utensils
- Sick person sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you
COVID-19 Cases
The state of Colorado and the City and County of Denver have been aggressive in its response to the pandemic. Face coverings are mandatory in the state of Colorado when inside public spaces, including businesses and government facilities and while riding public transportation – and on Regis’ campuses. The state is open but with restrictions on public gathering sizes and indoor capacities in certain businesses, and social distancing is encouraged.
Campus Cases: 36 | Recovered Cases: 20
Residential: 22 | Commuter: 12 | Employee: 2 | On-Campus Isolation: 48 | On-Campus Quarantine: 218
Current Campus Case Rate: 1.44%
Colorado Test Positivity Rate: 4.1%
Semester Case Count: 64
Updated 9/21/2020
Current cases reflect the number of positive cases and are not yet recovered. Campus rate is calculated as current positive cases per 1,000 people per DPHE guidelines; based on ~2,500 people on the Northwest Denver campus during a typical weekday. Semester case count is the cumulative number of positive cases since traditional students returned to campus and the fall semester began. All data based on cases reported to the university by students and personnel. Positivity rate is calculated as the rolling 7-day sum of new positive tests divided by the rolling 7-day sum of total tests in the entire state of Colorado, as reported by The COVID Tracking Project.
FAQs
We will begin the semester early on Aug 17 and end campus-based classes on Nov. 20, prior to Thanksgiving week. Finals will be online only, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 6. Ending classes early allows us to have students on campus when the probability of disease is lower. Fall break will not occur this year. If a second surge comes around or after Thanksgiving, your student will already be safely at home.
All campus-based classes will resume in August for the fall semester, unless public health directives require the university to migrate to a virtual learning environment. Online and evening adult students, as well as graduate Counseling students, return to Regis on their normal schedule. Classes begin on August 24, as planned, for these students.
Full time campus-based Doctor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Physical Therapy students should consult with their program administrators regarding their specific fall schedules. Some modifications are being made to classrooms to ensure social distancing measures are in place. We will also ensure best practices for sanitation and housekeeping with enhanced cleaning and disinfecting schedules, across campus.
Every class will have a home shell in our online learning system (designed for classes that take place fully online) which will enable a smooth shift to a virtual learning environment should it become necessary. Our faculty are planning now for even more engaged learning opportunities should this be necessary once again.
Our 20 years of experience with distance education enabled this spring’s rapid migration to virtual learning. We had a lower withdrawal rate (less than 1%) than at this time last year, and more than 93% of the students that had to move online received passing grades. Our faculty were creative and determined to design learning activities that mirrored those in the classroom. Because we heard from students that they most missed the on-campus experience, we are striving to return that experience to them.
No, by starting earlier and skipping fall break, we are able to deliver the same amount of instruction time as a traditional semester and still end classes before Thanksgiving. This schedule also reduces risk by not having students travel during a fall break.
Classes will be offered in in-person, hybrid or blended learning environments. Faculty have the technology and training to integrate remote or virtual learning with in-person learning when social distancing requires it, or to go fully virtual if we must adapt to a more restrictive environment.
Every class will have a home shell in our online learning system (designed for classes that take place all online) which will enable a smooth shift to a virtual learning environment if stay-at-home directives are reimposed. Our faculty are planning now for even more engaged learning opportunities should this be necessary once again.
The cost of delivering a college class is virtually the same whether it is in-person, virtual or online. Two main factors of tuition cost are personnel (the faculty) and the number of students in the class. Also, tuition alone does not fully cover the cost to universities, which also rely on donations, federal and state support, investment income, and other revenue. In addition, universities seek other sources of funding for technology and physical infrastructure so that these costs are not passed along to students.
In accordance with the Center for Disease Control Guidance for Congregate Living Facilities, we will follow strict signage, hygiene, social distancing, screening, and isolation protocols in our residence halls and dining facilities. Our residential students will be asked to sign a social contract promising to abide by these protocols. To minimize the potential for spreading the virus, we will limit our residence hall rooms to two occupants and are prepared to move to singles should it become necessary. We also will enforce a “no outside guest policy” to limit potential exposure and transmission from guests not adhering to our protocols.
In addition to posting signs reminding residents and staff of the importance of handwashing and sanitizing, we will ensure best practices for sanitation and housekeeping with enhanced cleaning and disinfecting schedules. We will limit gatherings in accordance with local ordinances and are removing and rearranging furniture in common areas in the residence halls and dining hall facilities to encourage social distancing. We will monitor for compliance.
We have reserved rooms for quarantining students if necessary and will have our food service provider deliver meals to ensure safety.
The University will maintain its residency requirement for all first-year and second-year traditional undergraduate students that requires all such students to live in Residence Hall Housing for four consecutive semesters, not including summer sessions, with certain exceptions, all of which are described more fully in the Residence Life & Housing Handbook located in the Ranger Front Porch.
Face masks or face coverings must be worn by faculty, staff, students and guests when in close proximity to others (less than 6 feet) and in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., common work spaces, meeting rooms, classrooms, etc.). Visitors are also expected to also wear masks or face coverings when on campus. Appropriate use of face masks or coverings is critical in minimizing risks to others near you. You could spread COVID-19 to others even if you do not feel sick. Please see Face Covering/Mask Guidelines & FAQs for additional guidance.
Should there be a resurgence of the virus during flu season, our dining operation will move to exclusive grab-and-go service.
The University also is preparing by adopting “test, trace and separate” mitigation plans to implement as needed to ensure a safe campus. If needed, any of the following measures could be adopted based on guidance from the public health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Adjust the size of in-person classes and gatherings;
- Permit “super hybrid” classes that students may attend in person or remotely;
- Adjust the number of personnel who work on campus or remotely;
- Implement social distancing protocols, including the wearing of masks; and
- Restrict entrances and exits to buildings, with temperature checks.
Students seeking accommodation for reasons of health and safety (for themselves or a loved one) are encouraged to reach out to our Office of Student Disability Services for resources and support. They can be reached at disability@regis.edu.
Students who want to only take online classes this fall should contact their academic dean.
For veteran students receiving benefits, the VA is maintaining the same guidelines as in spring 2020. VA students expecting the residential housing allowance (BAH) must attend at least one classroom session per term in order to receive the classroom BAH continuously throughout the semester.
If the university has to move to 100% online classes at any time during the semester due to public health concerns with the pandemic, veterans receiving GI Bill benefits will be paid their BAH through the end of the semester.
For international students on an F1 Visa, Regis University joined the successful legal fight that forced the Trump Administration to reverse its directive that said F1 Visa students cannot take all of their classes online and remain in the U.S.
Continuing international students who are currently in the U.S. may continue to take online courses and remain in the U.S. in F1 status. Continuing students who are currently outside of the U.S. may attend online courses and keep their F1 status so they can return to the U.S. at a later date. New students who have a 100% online class schedule for the fall semester are not permitted to enter the U.S. Instead, their Form I-20 will be deferred to spring 2021 so they can arrive in the U.S. next semester to attend classes on-campus.
A hybrid format may consist of a limited number of students in a class on campus while other students are logged in virtually at the same time, to attend class. It may also consist of partial online instruction and partial on campus instruction, with social distancing modifications. It may also refer to a “flipped classroom,” in which students are expected to view lecture videos and read materials outside of class, enabling us to use valuable classroom time for active learning and application. It varies by academic program and the needs and requirements of that particular course and program.
We are adopting a hybrid learning model this fall for three reasons: 1) to ensure that enrollments in courses do not exceed guidelines for social distancing relative to capacity in a physical classroom space; 2) to create conditions for individual students who need to self-isolate or who are ill so that they can remain connected virtually with course learning until they are able to return to a hybrid learning; and 3) to be better prepared as a community if all Regis courses need to transition during the semester to an exclusively virtual format because of another Stay-at-Home order from state or federal authorities.
Most faculty who teach undergraduates are currently preparing to preserve substantial features of their in-person teaching because we believe that this kind of teaching and learning is one of the things which most makes Regis distinctive and a value to our undergraduate students. There are some classes being offered remotely (something new for traditional undergraduates this year) so that we are able to ensure that total enrollments in courses do not exceed guidelines for social distancing relative to our available physical space. Our hope is that no incoming first-year student has too many of these courses on their schedule, and many will not have any such courses.
Yes. On March 27, 2020, the President of the United States signed H.R. 748 the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES Act), which established emergency relief funds to organizations and individuals affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Information for Our Community
Most campus buildings are now open weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Masks are required when in close proximity to others and in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., common work spaces, meeting rooms, classrooms, etc.). Visitors are also expected to also wear masks or face coverings when on campus. You may encounter plexiglass barriers at reception areas; these are installed to protect people when physical distancing is not possible.
Construction work is ongoing at DeSmet Hall, the Berce Athletic Center and the Lady of Loretto grotto. Please stay outside construction fences and be aware of increased construction-related traffic. No public events are scheduled and no gatherings larger than 10 people are permitted on campus until further notice.
St. John Francis Regis Chapel is now performing Sunday Mass outdoors. For information on religious services, please visit the University Ministry page.
Clean Campus and Classrooms
Custodial staff is conducting enhanced cleaning operations for all buildings and offices are being supplied with additional cleaning supplies. All restrooms in unlocked facilities are cleaned twice daily. Sanitizer stations, plexiglass shields, social distancing reminders and other related signage are being installed throughout campus. Chairs and desks were removed to ensure proper socially distanced occupancy in classrooms and there are 22 designated outdoor classroom spaces. More than half of Regis College classes are presently being conducted outside.
Our 90-acre campus is an arboretum with more than 1,300 trees and many open spaces for fresh air (and classes) and additional social spacing. The mountains are within view and worth the trip for a respite and mountain-crisp air.
Latest updates for students and Regis personnel
Employees, faculty and staff should regularly check regisupdates.com for information regarding university operations.