On-Boarding Update for Fall Move-In

Posted: July 8, 2021

Hello future Gannon residents,

We are eager to welcome you back to campus in the fall and we understand many of you are eager to begin making plans for Move-In and Welcome Week. To aid in your planning, we would like to share a broad update regarding move-in for students who plan to live in Gannon-owned housing in the fall. A more detailed update with specific instructions will be shared prior to housing assignments that will be issued later this month. 

Please continue reading for updates on information including:

Key Dates for Move-In

Aug. 18 | 8 – 11:30 a.m.
First-year residents who are unvaccinated or not *fully vaccinated are asked to move in on Wednesday, Aug. 18, to allow the necessary time for COVID-19 testing and receiving results. Students will complete a **limited quarantine in their residence until test results are received, which is typically within 24 hours. As an alternative option, these residents may also follow instructions under the section “Providing COVID-19 PCR Test Results Prior to Move-In.”

Aug. 19 | 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
First-year residents who are *fully vaccinated or are within the 90-day-window of being COVID-19 positive may schedule to move-in on Thursday, Aug. 19. Follow guidelines below associated with how to submit verification of vaccination status or positive COVID-19 test result.

Aug. 21 | 8 – 11:30 a.m.
Upper-level residents who are unvaccinated or not *fully vaccinated are asked to move in on Saturday, Aug. 21 to allow the necessary time for COVID-19 testing and receiving results. Residents will complete a **limited quarantine in their residence until test results are received, typically 24-hours later. As an alternative option, these residents may also follow instructions under the section “Providing COVID-19 PCR Test Results Prior to Move-In.”

Aug. 22 | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Upper-level residents who are *fully vaccinated or are within the 90-day-window of being COVID-19 positive may schedule to move-in on Sunday, Aug. 22. Follow guidelines below associated with how to submit verification of vaccination status or positive COVID-19 test result.

If you are unable to arrive on your designated date above, please contact reslife@gannon.edu and a member of the Office of Residence Life will be happy to work with you.

*Fully vaccinated is two weeks after the final dose of your vaccine regardless of the particular type of vaccine received.
**Limited quarantine means you are limited to only attending educational and university obligations and picking up to-go meals until you receive negative test results. Residents will be provided food immediately after their test to limit their exposure outside their room. Masks will be required in your room if you are not alone and out of your room while attending university obligations until test results are received.

Selecting Your Test and/or Move-In Time

Residents will be provided more information from the Office of Residence Life later this month regarding the process to schedule your move-in time, as well as a testing time if it is needed. For residents who will be tested as part of move-in, you will have two options: 1) Test on campus; or 2) Test prior to arrival (instructions below). 

If choosing to test on campus on Aug. 18 or 21, you will select your testing time first and your move-in time will be based on the test time you selected. More details on this process and the links to schedule your preferred times on your designated date will be provided in the coming weeks.

Providing COVID-19 PCR Test Results Prior to Move-In 

We are happy to accommodate residents who prefer to complete their test at home prior to move-in. Students who are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated and wish to complete their test at home prior to arrival on campus, or who are unable to arrive on the designated move-in day listed above, will have the option to complete a COVID-19 PCR test *within three days prior to arrival to campus in place of the Gannon administered test. PCR test results must be submitted to Gannon prior to arrival on campus. Information on how to do this will be shared soon. 

*Within three days prior to arrival to campus provides flexibility in the day/time you are tested and plan to arrive on campus. For example, if you plan to arrive at 1 p.m. on Thursday, you could submit a negative test that was taken any time on the prior Monday or after. 

Move-In and Unvaccinated Testing for Student-Athletes 

Student-athletes who are on teams scheduled for early move-in (football, soccer, cross country, golf, volleyball, men’s water polo, and competitive cheer and dance) should follow the instructions provided by their head coach and will arrive on the date scheduled by their coach. All other student-athletes should refer to the dates and instructions above. Please note that all student-athletes must test on campus, regardless of whether a COVID-19 PCR test is provided within three days prior to campus arrival. Any questions regarding move-in should be directed to your coach or to Kelly Bommer at bommer001@gannon.edu.

Fully Vaccinated? Report Your Vaccination Status

Fully vaccinated is two weeks after your final dose of your vaccine regardless of the particular type of vaccine received. To be recognized as fully vaccinated and follow the campus guidelines outlined for individuals who fall into that category, please go to https://update.gannon.edu/vaccinecard to report your vaccination status. 

You do not need to complete this step if you are unvaccinated. The system will automatically generate an “unvaccinated” status for those who do not complete this process. Those individuals will be required to follow campus guidelines for unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated individuals as part of our COVID-19 mitigation protocol, which will include on-boarding testing prior to move-in. For applicable groups, it will also include routine surveillance testing at least every two weeks and quarantine if exposed as a close contact to a positive COVID-19 case. More information on this can be viewed below and in our previous communication here.

Are you within 90 days of receiving a positive COVID-19 diagnosis?

For those who are still within their 90-day window of receiving a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, this must be reported to the Health Center in order to follow guidelines for fully vaccinated or 90-day prior positive individuals.
To report being in the 90-day window from a COVID+ diagnosis, please email your test results to hlthcoun@gannon.edu.

Planning to get vaccinated prior to move in, but not there yet?

Email reslife@gannon.edu and hlthcoun@gannon.edu to let us know you are taking steps toward becoming fully vaccinated prior to move in on August 19 or 22.

Where to Receive a Vaccine

Looking to receive the vaccine, but unsure where to go? View the PA Department of Health Vaccine Provider map below or access your state’s map to find a location with available vaccine appointments near you.

Vaccinations may become available on campus throughout the semester and are available in abundance at pharmacies and clinics immediately surrounding the campus. Our Health Center staff is always available to assist you with accessing vaccine or answering questions about vaccination. Should you want their assistance please reach out to hlthcoun@gannon.edu.

When to Receive the Vaccine to be Considered Fully Vaccinated for Move-In

If you want to be considered “fully vaccinated” prior to move-in, watch your calendar and start planning ahead. You are considered “fully vaccinated” two weeks after your final dose of your vaccine regardless of the particular type of vaccine received. For example, if you are planning to move in on Aug. 19, the last day to receive your final vaccine dose would be Aug. 4 to be considered “fully vaccinated” for move-in. 

If you have questions about the timing of your vaccine and move-in, please contact hlthcoun@gannon.edu with any questions and a member of our nursing team would be happy to help answer any vaccine-related questions you may have.

There are two options to follow to be considered fully vaccinated for move in:
Option 1: Submit your “fully vaccinated” status at https://update.gannon.edu/vaccinecard 24-48 hours prior to arrival on campus in order for the system to register your entry.
Option 2: Forget to submit your status ahead of time? No problem. You can present verification of your vaccination upon arrival AND also submit your status to the link above. 
  

We are eager to be back on campus together for another exciting academic year and look forward to seeing you soon. 

For questions about moving in to your residence hall, please contact reslife@gannon.edu.

For additional questions or comments, you may submit them on update.gannon.edu at https://www.gannon.edu/Questions-or-Comments/.