By Chelsea Zhao with Contributions from Isabelle Schindler
Dominican Star spearheads the Snapchat Anonymous Q & A in August 10, following our first anonymous Q & A efforts initiated after university closed in mid-March.
This project first started in January 18, 2020 and finetuned to answer only student concerns in mid-March when the university started its quarantine measures.
I first answered about 165 concerns and questions through YOLO before switching to google survey.
In total, the August anonymous Q & A received 81 questions from our Snapchat audience.
The questions are edited down to the most important ones, paired with the updated, comprehensive answers. All the Q & A’s are sorted into different categories.
I hope to validate this platform as a touchstone of our newspaper’s mission as a public forum. We have also seen cases when our audience offer to answer some questions. In many ways, this feels like a genuine conversation and community.
And, even if I don’t know any of you who have sent in questions,Thank you for showing how much you care about truth, in the simple Caritas Veritas way.
COVID-19 Questions
Do you know if students that go to clinicals like nursing and physical assistant students will be regularly tested for COVID?
Nursing and PA students will be asked for a negative COVID-19 test result upon entering the hospital, but will not be regularly tested unless they are potentially exposed. According to Health Sciences dean Dhanwada, students will not be sent to COVID-19 intensive units for their clinicals. Read more about her response to this question here.
If a student gets sick and lives less than 60 miles from Dominican but cannot go home for whatever reason how will the administration handle the situation?
A quote from DU return to campus plan FAQ
“Resident students who live within 60 miles of campus are required to quarantine at home. Resident students who live farther than 60 miles from campus should contact the Residence Advisor on duty to receive instructions for being placed in one of the university’s quarantine rooms.”
What will happen if a professor gets sick with COVID? Will all of their students also need to quarantine?
How will administration regulate social distancing in communal spaces, such as lounges, the library, and the social hall?
Students will be expected to comply with social distancing in communal spaces. Signs and arrow stickers on the floor will help to direct the flow of traffic.
With the amount of colleges that have gone back to campus, and have reverted online within weeks, why hasn’t Dominican decided to go all online? Precedent shows that returning to campus has disastrous effects.
Please refer to our article on Donna Carroll and IMAT representative Barrington Price’s answer to campus reopen concerns. The main reasons are that Dominican University has a small population, have no party therefore no reasons for gatherings, and support from Rush hospital.
What happens if we encounter a student who refuses to wear a mask? Do we confront them? How do we report the student?
“Anyone on campus who feels unsafe around another member of the community should ask the person to please move 6 ft away or move themselves. We are asking the entire community to abide by the #caritascommitment.https://www.dom.edu/covid-19-alert/caritas-commitment,”Carol Seley, Director of Campus Safey & Risk, replied through email.
What would happen if a student in class intentionally does not follow social distancing or face mask policies set forth by the university?
A quote from Carol Seley, Director of Campus Safey & Risk.
“If in class, the faculty as always is in charge of classroom management. Just like if there are any conduct issues in class such as disrespectful or disruptive behavior. A student refusing to wear a mask or not practicing social distancing will be asked to leave the classroom. If it escalates to a point of concern, campus safety should be called to respond. Any such incident will be dealt with through the Dean of students conduct process,”Seley replied through email.
Is there any word how this is going to work in the winter. For example, let’s say one gets the flu the symptoms are similar to corona with the fever and all. So if I got the flu would I have to call in that I’m sick and I can’t come would I have to make arrangements in advance for the work?
You can both call in or make arrangements. According to Dr. Segreti, the infectious disease specialist at the virtual town hall, you should stop coming to campus if youhave COVID-19 (or in this case flu-like) symptoms
Is there a threshold for the percent of positive cases for campus to close?
Yes.The threshold is 5% of the population, or 75 people on campus.
Where can we get the DU brand masks?
You can get the DU brand mask at the lower level of the Rebecca Crown library.
Online Courses Questions
What guidelines are in place to ensure that students still received the same quality education and college experience this fall?
According to theReturn toCampus Plan FAQs, Dominican University aligns its response with guidelines such as those from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) and the Restore Illinois plan.
Classrooms are organized for social distancing of 6 feet, onsite nurse practitioners under physician supervision are trained to respond to student health needs, plexiglass shields are installed at strategic high traffic areas, and antimicrobial films are installed on frequent touch surfaces.
What happens if we forget to do the Campus Clear app? Will there be punishments?
There will not be punishment per se, but the COVID-19 tracking board does record users who are cleared to enter campus and those who are not.
Is there still a possibility that classes can revert back online?
Yes. If Illinois returns to a previous phase, then all classes will revert back online.
If you don’t feel safe returning back to campus, can you opt out?
Yes. You can change all your fall semester classes online.
Financial Aid, Tuition, Fees
When was the limit to apply for the COVID-19 relief that Dominican was offering? The $500 dollars for expenses.
According to Victoria Spivak, Director of Financial Aid, at the August 4th virtual town hall, the CARES application will reopen in late September and hardship funding for students will reopen in late October or early November.
Why couldn’t Dominican decrease some amount of tuition knowing how hard it can be for some students right now to pay tuition due to COVID-19?
Dominican University’s recent increase in tuition was from a decision of the board of trustees. One of the reasons, Mark Titzer, Vice President of Finance, said is the university’s competition with other colleges for room and board fees for students.
Similar to the Spring semester, will Dominican stop holds in our accounts for this Fall semester?
According to an email student reporter Isabelle Schindler received from Latricia Heard, director of Student Accounts, Dominican University has temporarily suspended the financial charges since the pandemic. However, Heard also said the fees will likely be reinstated. Heard encourages students to contact the Student Accounts office.
School Offices Hours of Operation
Will the library be open to sit down and study and or study rooms available?
Yes. Rebecca Crown Libraries are open with study rooms available to schedule online.The study rooms are now limited only to Dominican University students. Students must check in on the first or second floor with their DU card. The maximum hours of reservation is 2 hours.If a student leave the room for more than 15 minutes, his or her items will be removed to University security. Lastly,students are also required to wear face mask and sanitize the space. See here for more information.
Is the tech lab rooms available to study in? Will study room be available?
Yes. Tech labs are still available for students. Pexiglass shields have been installed to section off the computers and the adjacent computers are blocked for social distancing among users.
Can the technology fee be waived if all our courses are fully online and we won’t be on campus at all?
No. The technology fee will not be waived this semester. Students still receive tech and online support despite not being physically present on campus.
Do you know if there is a reason why Dominican chose to raise the tuition by $500 instead of freezing it like other institutions have?
According to this article published by Dominican Star, Mark Titzler, vice president of finance, said the $500 annual rate is set by the board of trustees. Among many reasons for the increase, one key factor is the room and board fees of other universities Dominican competes with for students.
Can you schedule a fitness center session “back to back” so you’ll have two hours to work out instead of the one?
No. According to the Fitness Center website, time slots are for 45 minutes each and individuals are only allowed to sign up for one slot per day.
Transportation
Are there college student bus passes offered from the school?
No. Dominican University doesn’t offer student bus passes.
Is the DU shuttle running for the Fall and Spring semester? How are students who don’t have cars expected to go to the main [campus]?
Yes. The shuttle is still running for Fall and Spring semester. Here is the schedule.
Where are the parking passes available for pickup? And what are the hours of the financial aid office?
The hours of the financial aid office is Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The parking passes are available for pickup at the Welcome and Information desk.
Student Services
How are student organizations expected to function in an online format?
They will have limited opportunities to do outdoor activities, such as an informational tabling, but online gathering is highly encouraged.Check out this article to see the student organization guidelines. Some clubs have found creative ways to be involved, such as zoom meetings and Tik Tok challenges.
Will there be a space to go if you have an online class while in campus?
Yes. You can schedule a room in the library or go to the underground or reading room for online class. The tech center is also open for use. Most of the common student spaces, like the commuter lounge, is still open, albeit with social distance and mask wearing protocols.
is there a DU confessions group?
Yes. You can seek pastoral care and university ministry service through Caritas Now.
Is the lab tech room/s available to study in? Will study room be available?
Yes. Tech rooms and study rooms are both available.
Will the Bookstore have a sale/clearance event for the pandemic?
They have a sale right now at 20%.
Will there be special restrictions to library usage? As in will we have to reserve times to be there or check in with the front desk?
Yes. There will need to be reservation at the library and every returned book need to be quarantined. See this article. You can also book a study space here.
How is athletics maintaining safety? Masks, social distancing, cleaning equipment?
Dominican Star student reporter Isabelle Schindler reached out to Sara Furlette-Koski, Head Athletic Trainer, and received the response that students will need to monitor symptoms through the campus clear app. Additionally, anyone entering the athletic facility needs to check their temperature. A degree of over 100.4 will prohibit entrance to the facility.
Student athletes and staff have also received COVID-19 education.
Everyone is asked to wear a face mask during practices, except when taking a drink of water.
Physical distancing and hand washing are also reinforced.
Employment
Will student workers get the option of LinkedIn Learning again once we go fully online?
Angelique Reda, Senior Human Resources Generalist, responded through an email.
“For this semester, we are not offering the LinkedIn Learning option in lieu of on-campus hours. This measure was taken to help students who had suddenly lost access to their jobs due to needing to move off-campus or the office moving to remote-only work. Now that offices and departments have had a summer to adjust to the new working model, we are able to provide different types of student employment that encompass both remote and on-site opportunities.
Human Resources and Career Development have teamed up to provide more support to student employees and supervisors. We do not anticipate needing to provide the option for starting up the LinkedIn training following the Thanksgiving break. Offices and departments will work with their student employees to provide options for remote or adapted work.”
Dining
What’s going on with Dining Services? I know that places like Cyber will have grab and go meals but will the dining hall have the Buffett style option where you swipe and get whatever you want?
Do you strictly need DU dollars to get food, or can you use cash too?
You can use cash. But Dining Hall encourages using student ID card, credit card, or debit card.
How is the Dinning Hall going to work? And Cyber Cafe?
According to aFAQfrom the Dining Services website,Dining Services has eliminated self-serve options(i.e.salad bar, buffets,and condiment stations), increased to-go meal options,utilized wrapped cutlery, purchased sustainable packaging, encouraged cashless pay, and expanded contactless delivery.
Sanitation enhancement include posting signages to maintain social distancing, wearing gloves and masks, adding barriers at check-out and pick-up areas, increasing sanitation of equipments, services, and areas of financial transaction.
The Dining Services also designed work flow to maintain social distancing in workspaces and monitor temperature and symptoms for health measures. CDC guidelines are applied to leftovers and a redesigned menu for individually packaged containers.
Is Cyber still going to serve coffee (like the lattes and the frappes, etc) this semester? I know there won’t be the sandwich line because they’re only gonna serve pre-made food but does that apply to the coffee bar too?
Yes. They will still serve coffee and frappe along with the individually wrapped meals.
Graduates
Any new information regarding graduation ceremony for class of 2020?
According to Kelly Simmons, the university registrar, the Commencement Committee will develop a new ceremony strategy later on in fall semester. Director of External Engagement and Dean of Students will provide updates on commencement once they are available.Diplomas were conferred on May 10th and 30th and mailed through USPS in late May or June, according to Simmons.USPS’s nationwide reduced operating capacity caused some delay in the diploma arrivals. Students who have cleared their financial accounts and still have not received the diploma may reach out to the Office of Registrar to arrange pickup.
Housing Questions
If Dominican had to shut down because a lot of people contract the virus, or Chicago/Illinois goes back to Phase 3 will residents be refunded their housing costs?
According to the Return to Campus Plan FAQs, if Illinois reverts back to a prior phase,room and board, parking fees, and lab and class fee for some courses will be re-edited.
It was mentioned that residents shouldn’t bring many things with them. What things should we limit ourselves to this semester?
Meagan Mitchell, Director of Student life, said students should bring the essentials for this semester. She send a list of items for students who need to isolate or quarantine.
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- 2 or more complete changes of comfy clothes: sweats, PJs, flip flops/slippers and 4-5 pairs of underwear
- Fleece throw/blanket
- Towel/wash cloth
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- Toiletries: soap, feminine hygiene products, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo/conditioner
- Medicine: Thermometer, cough drops, extra strength Tylenol, Vicks Vap O Rub, Mucinex DM or Robitussin Cough & Chest Congestion, prescription medications, Vitamins
- Tissues
- Masks/Disposable gloves
- Hand sanitizer
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- Disinfectant wipes and cleaners
- Some sort of distraction-even a coloring book and crayons or a deck of cards
- Food/Snacks: Instant soup, granola bars, Water/Gatorade
- Electronics: laptop, phone charger
What is Meagan Mitchell going to do to support the students? Free laundry doesn’t exactly scream “support”
Meagan Mitchell mentions in an email that resident assistance will support student needs and frequent sanitation will be applied. Other than that, there is but the most essential support for students.
How exactly are meals working at dining? I’ve heard multiple things and I just wanna know if I should switch my meal plan or if we all get the same meal plan or what the heck is going on with meal swipes and cyber.
According to the Dining Services website,The meal plans for residents cost $2,400 for the 16 week contract and $1,800 for the 12 week contract.The plans remain the same, yet for this semester, students will not be able to swipe their meals for another student. For a guest, a student needs to use his or her meal plan dollars.
How many students have chosen to stay at home(do all online) or take a semester off this fall?
We are not sure of the exact numbers, but according to the COVID-19 Tracking Board, there are 58.4%classes online, 17.0%classes hybrid, and 24.5% classes scheduled in-person.
Will the kitchen in the Coughlin Commons be open for students to use? If so will that space be cleaned regularly?
Yes, according to Megan Mitchell from an email reply, the Coughlin Commons and the kitchen are available for use and frequently cleaned. Students are also encouraged to sanitize the space after use.
Where are quarantine/isolation rooms located for student’s who become sick with COVID?
Meagan Mitchell, director of student life, did not mention the specific location of the isolation rooms. But there are 28 rooms in total for students who become sick with COVID-19.
Will there be a petition at the start of the year to support lowering tuition due to COVID-19?
There was a petitionstarted by a studenton July 12 to lowertuition.The student organizer Lili Adams met with student dean Norah Collins, who promised to bring up the issue in board meetings. The tuition has not been lowered since. You can read details of the petition in an article we published on August 7.
When will residents be getting the 12 week or 16 week housing contract? Also what’s the housing price reduction?
Residents should have received the 12 week or 16 week housing contract by August.
The housing price reduction, according to the room selection, can be found at the Tuition and Expenses for Dominican University on myDU.
If I cancel my housing will my meal plan automatically cancel too?
Yes. Housing and meal plans will be cancelled together.
Will residents not be allowed to dorm after Thanksgiving? If so, is Housing going to lose their jobs?
No. Residents can stay in dorms past Thanksgiving if they have signed the 16-week housing contract. Housing will continue to support these residents after Thanksgiving, according to an email from Meagan Mitchell.
