*Published on August 13, 2020*

Dear Northeastern University community,

In the coming days, faculty, students and staff will start to return to residence halls, classrooms, and offices across our global network. The university has planned for a successful fall reopening with the safety and wellbeing of our community as our top priority. It is critical that every student, faculty and staff member does their part by looking out for their own health and the health of others around them. This email shares key information on how we will ask you to do so.

For All Northeastern Campuses 

Every member of the Northeastern community is required to submit the university’s Expectations for Return to Campus Attestation form as a prerequisite to returning to campus. The attestation will go live to accept submissions this weekend and the link will be shared with you then. The expectations outlined in this form include:

When you receive the link to the attestation form this weekend, please read it carefully for additional details on each one of these items and acknowledge by submitting the form.

We ask that all Northeastern community members—including those who may have submitted an earlier version of the attestation and those working or learning remotely—submit the attestation before their return to campus or before the start of the fall term, whichever date is earliest.

If a faculty or staff member needs to petition for an accommodation in meeting these expectations, please contact HRM_ADA@northeastern.edu. If you are a student, please contact the Disability Resource Center at  DRC@northeastern.edu.

For the Northeastern Campus in Boston 

Northeastern will provide free viral COVID-19 testing on its Boston campus, with the capacity to conduct up to 5,000 COVID-19 tests each day when students start to move to campus on August 29. Our Northeastern Life Sciences Testing Center is certified to analyze the tests and expects to deliver test results within 36 hours. Anyone who comes to the Boston campus will be required to undergo testing.

This morning, the university announced the protocols for testing on our Boston campus, including the guidance for testing on arrival, how to schedule a test, and the testing frequency for each member of our Boston community.

Arrival on Campus 

Each member of our campus community will need to be tested on their return to campus.

Testing Frequency 

The testing center does not take walk-in appointments, so each member of our campus community will use the COVID-19 Test Scheduler to schedule their tests. The COVID-19 Test Scheduler will go live at covid19-testing.northeastern.edu this weekend, before the first testing appointments are available on August 17. Further communication regarding the launch and use of the Test Scheduler website will be sent this weekend.

Testing Process 

Routine testing will take place at the Cabot Physical Education Center on the Boston campus.

Testing Results 

The university announcement and our FAQs share additional details on each one of these protocols. Please check your email over the weekend for an announcement on the launch and use of the attestation, the COVID-19 Test Scheduler and the Daily Wellness Check.

If you have additional questions, please contact NUCovid19Qs@northeastern.edu. As always, we encourage you to read the Faculty-Staff COVID-19 FAQs and the Northeastern Reopening website for updates and answers to your questions.

Sincerely,

 

David Madigan

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

 

Ken Henderson
Chancellor and Senior Vice President for Learning