By Richard Williams, Contributing Write
Professors at St. Bonaventure University, faculty and staff will be subject to weekly random COVID-19 tests starting the week of Sept. 21 and lasting until the end of the fall semester.
According to Bonaventure’s office of human resources, 5% of the employee population at Bonaventure will be selected each week for testing.
“When I first heard about the testing, my thought was, ‘Oh no! I am going to have to get that uncomfortable procedure I was hoping to avoid,’” said Jennifer Rhody, adjunct instructor of music. “After further thought, I realize that it is a fair price to pay to keep everyone on campus and healthy.”
Rhody further backed the idea of random testing, saying, “Random tests are necessary to get through this. There will be peace of mind in knowing one’s true status, especially since it’s possible to be a carrier without symptoms.”
Many of the professors at Bonaventure are on board with the idea of random testing for employees after it was announced that students would be potentially selected to be tested for the disease.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Dr. Adam Colton, writing specialist and English professor at Bonaventure, “If we are going to require students to get tested, for the same reasons everyone on campus should get tested.”
According to a notice board update from Sept. 16 by the office of human resources, employees are being tested “in concert with surveillance testing of students that began this week,” meaning the university is keeping up to date with the health status of both its staff and students.
In the same notice board update, the university informed readers how tests were to be taken, saying, “Resources and general information on testing and free testing sites will be provided to employees selected.”
The university also made sure that the selections for testing would not interfere with professors’ schedules, saying in the Sept. 16 notice board, “In addition, employees will be given up to four hours of paid leave time to schedule their test and to be tested.”
This incentive helps professors like Rhody and Colton to not lose out work time.
“Of course, it’s inconvenient,” said Colton, “But personally I think it’s for the greater good.”
The university’s department of human resources also clarified that there are some employees who are excused from selection.
“Employees continuing to work fully remotely will not be part of the testing,” the department said. “Employees who have had a COVID test within 14 days of being selected by the university for a random test are allowed to submit those results.”
williarj20@bonaventure.edu
