Students should use The COVID Checklist to make sure you do your part to help NAU have a safe and healthy semester.
– April 29: Spring semester ends, allowing for an early start to summer.
– April 30: Spring 2021 virtual commencement.
– August 23: Fall 2021 semester begins in person.
Northern Arizona University’s top priority is the health and safety of our community. Lumberjacks take care of each other. Using guidance from the CDC and best practices from local and state health officials, we have implemented a number of measures so that we can all do our part to help keep each other safe. This is a community effort—we hope that with everyone doing their part, we can help slow the potential spread of COVID-19.
NAU has a comprehensive plan that includes education, prevention strategies, monitoring local and regional health trends, testing, tracing, isolating and quarantining. Mitigation testing on campus throughout the semester is a critical part of this strategy and began on Jan. 6. If you have received the COVID-19 vaccine, you are still required to participate in mitigation testing, if selected.
Testing is required prior to move-in for campus housing and is strongly encouraged for those residing off-campus. Students who receive a negative COVID-19 test result should submit their results in the OnBase Student Portal. For more information please visit University Housing’s move-in details page.
Campus Health Services will facilitate COVID-19 testing, prioritizing resources to provide testing for all symptomatic individuals and those who come into contact with someone who has tested positive. The NAU community is encouraged to use this service. Testing is also available at Coconino Community College. More information can be found on the Coconino County COVID-19 Information page.
If you’ve tested positive, you will be contacted by a tracer or contact investigator from Coconino County or NAU who will work with you to gather a list of people with whom you had recent contact. This process is critical in helping reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community.
NAUFlex lets you be in the classroom, even when you’re not in the classroom. With NAUFlex we have adapted our in-person classes so all students can be part of the classroom experience. Classes are being live-streamed and students in and out of the classroom can ask questions and interact in real time. NAUFlex allows students to be fully engaged with faculty and peers, maintaining the high-quality, personal educational experience for which NAU is known.
All NAUFlex requires is a computer and internet connection. There’s no new tech to learn—NAUFlex uses technology that you already know, including Collaborate Ultra and Zoom. Whether you are in the classroom or joining online, you receive the same support from your faculty and the same dynamic experience interacting with fellow students.
Campus Signage
NAU is being proactive with signage to help promote a safe campus, from hand-washing and physical distancing to elevator and stair protocols. View and download the signs you see around campus.
Facility Services
NAU Facility Services is working to provide a safe and clean environment in support of the university’s mission of providing a high-quality education to our students, and have implemented new cleaning standards for public spaces, residence halls, and dining areas. Detailed information can be found on the Cleaning Frequency Guide.
Campus Dining
Following CDC guidelines and using national best practices, campus dining has removed a significant number of tables and chairs in all of the eateries on campus to allow students to eat while practicing appropriate physical distancing. Several on-campus dining options also offer pick-up and food delivery via Starship robots. More information can be found on the Campus Dining website.
Events, Meetings, and Gatherings
Policies and standards will be maintained by the University Events office and are available on the Guidelines for Event, Meeting, and Gathering Planners document.
All staff who are involved in planning, hosting, or facilitating events, meetings and gatherings need to be familiar with current standards so they can be implemented accordingly.
To begin planning an event, meeting, or gathering please fill out the Campus Event Form. Your event request will be routed for the necessary approvals. If you have questions regarding your event, please contact CampusEvents@nau.edu.
Postal Services
NAU’s Postal Services has implemented enhanced cleaning protocols as well as new services to aid in physical distancing.
Buses
Buses are being cleaned and sanitized throughout the day using Lemon Quat, an EPA certified disinfectant. Floors are mopped with disinfectant and all hard surfaces, including handrails, hand straps, and other frequently touched surfaces, will be regularly wiped down. An electrostatic sprayer is used at the end of each day to disinfect the bus.
Bookstore
The NAU Bookstore is open online and in-person. Physical distancing in the store and in lines along with other measures to reduce risk are in place, including CDC approved protocols for cleaning products and high-touch areas. Hand sanitizer is available for use and face coverings are required while in the store. We are encouraging early ordering online to promote physical distancing and reduced wait-times in the stores to ensure you have what you need to start your semester.
Visit the NAU Bookstore for the most updated information, including hours of operation, and shipping details, including international shipping, curbside pickup options, and more.
Keeping yourself healthy is even more important now, and Campus Health Services (CHS) is committed to helping you do that by continuing to offer in-person health and telehealth services to students, faculty, and staff. Our goal remains the health and safety of our NAU community.
Medical Services
Depending on the need, appointments with providers are available in person or via HIPAA-protected telehealth meetings. Appointments can be self-scheduled online through our patient portal, by phone, or in person with a patient services staff member. Same-day appointments and immediate care services are available. In addition to caring for illness or injury, we offer routine immunizations, well woman and man care, allergy desensitization injections, physical therapy, trans-care, nutrition counseling, psychiatric care, laboratory services, and physicals.
Our clinic is maintained in accordance with the most recent CDC guidelines for infection prevention and care models that minimize the risk of illness transmission during your visit. Please be wearing a mask when you arrive.
Path to Care
To ensure quick access to mental health care, CHS offers path to care appointments. These brief meetings are an opportunity for an individual to explore their concerns with a behavioral health provider and then, with consideration of the comprehensive resources offered both on- and off-campus, determine the most appropriate path to care. As with other CHS appointments, individuals can attend appointments via a combination of in-person and telehealth formats.
Counseling Services
Counseling Services is offering their full range of services, including individual counseling, group counseling, and 24/7 crisis intervention. Services will be provided via a combination of in-person and telehealth formats, depending on student and staff needs and following CDC guidelines. Additionally, Counseling Services will continue to support the campus community with a broad range of outreach efforts, including how to support a student in distress and resources related to managing anxiety, loneliness, and isolation.
Health Promotion
Health Promotion will continue to offer virtual workshops and online programs to help you stay healthy and well.
NAU has implemented COVID-19 cleaning protocols and safety measures for residence halls, including spreading students out among rooms, and introduced procedures to help manage the use of public spaces. Students are required to wear masks in all public spaces inside the residence hall, to check out a key to use the kitchen, limit the number of students in a space, and can use an app to monitor wait time for laundry rooms. Additionally, we have installed breath guards and scanners to reduce the interaction of employees and residents.
We also have guidelines and expectations for our residents when they are in their rooms or suites, including severely limiting guest access. We have educated students on these policies and will continue to do so throughout the semester.
NAU also has set aside a number of rooms with private bathrooms for students who need to isolate after testing positive or quarantine because of exposure to someone with COVID-19. For more information about those plans, visit the Testing and Contact Tracing page.
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