News and Updates

This week, there are two different options to get a COVID-19 vaccine, one through Pittsburgh Mercy and one through the University.

Three weeks of classes remain in the spring 2021 semester before finals week and commencement. Data on Duquesne’s COVID-19 dashboard show that our collective efforts are working. The community must continue to exercise care and caution.

With the Easter holiday past, the end of the academic year is just 30 days away. The University’s COVID-19 safety measures remain in place to ensure that our campus community can finish the semester safely and in-person on campus.

As part of our continued commitment to providing a safe and healthy campus community, COVID-19 vaccines have become available to Duquesne, and we will begin a multi-phased approach to vaccinating faculty, staff and students who meet certain Pennsylvania Department of Health Phase 1A criteria.

Duquesne University plans to return to a full on-campus learning environment and regular student life operations for the fall 2021 semester. The University will use its summer semester to phase its workforce fully back into offices, to coordinate spaces to optimize safety even after it returns to full capacity and to update facilities as necessary to ensure ongoing best practices in health and safety.

On March 5, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ended the travel restrictions that had been in effect since November 2020. It is no longer necessary for travelers from another state to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test when visiting the state.

We are pleased to announce that the University has been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Health to begin administering COVID-19 vaccines upon receipt of vaccine supply.

As part of its continued commitment to ensuring a safe and healthy community, the University will begin its Duquesne Testing program the week of March 1, utilizing the Abbot BinaxNOWTM COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test via a nasal swab format. Participation in Duquesne Testing is strongly encouraged, but not required, for employees who are on campus in any capacity.

Below are some additional details about the spring semester. Please read them carefully. The information contains details about some important changes to spaces and dining situations that you’ll want to know about. Additionally, there are a few updates regarding our health care protocols that you’ll want to review.

You will soon receive an Everlywell COVID-19 test kit. These kits are being provided to all students who plan to return to campus in any way. Read the instructions below very carefully, to make sure you take the test at the proper time.

This update has critical information that you need to know as you plan for January, so that you have a clear picture of plans for the upcoming spring semester.

Just as it did in the fall, Duquesne offers the Flexible Residency plan for the Spring 2021 semester to students who are registered for a University-owned residence on campus the option to adjust when they will arrive or depart, in consideration of their particular health needs or concerns, as well as travel considerations.

With finals behind us and Commencement and a holiday break ahead, we wish all of our students a peaceful and restorative time with loved ones. The spring semester starts on January 21, 2021, and students returning to campus will move in over several days before classes begin.

The update below was sent to all students today. Please encourage your students to take advantage of this free COVID testing program for the health and safety of themselves, their families and friends.

As President Gormley communicated last week, the University is recommending that all students take a COVID-19 test prior to your return home for Thanksgiving and the conclusion of the fall 2020 semester. The test helps prepare you for a safe return to your homes, families and friends. The University is covering the cost of the tests.

Now that the calendar has flipped to November, and the end of the semester is nearly upon us, I want to make sure that you are aware of the University’s plans for winding down so you can leave campus in an orderly and safe way for the holidays.

Duquesne continues to keep as its top priority the health and safety of our community, in order to maintain an engaging educational environment in which students can continue to make academic progress.

As a result of a testing kit supply glitch, the COVID-19 testing program for the afternoon of Thursday, October 8, could not proceed. As a result, the afternoon and Friday, October 9, sessions are cancelled to allow for ample time to ensure adequacy of supplies.

You have all done a remarkable job following preventive guidance and wearing masks, maintaining social distance and following hygiene practices. Duquesne is grateful for your diligence. It is the University’s top priority to ensure academic continuity for our students and the health and safety of our campus community.

The University has identified a focused increase of 13 positive COVID-19 cases in resident students. Protocols in place helped ensure swift identification.

Last week, the University conducted COVID-19 tests for 724 randomly selected students and employees who are regularly physically present on campus this fall.

In the interest of safety of our campus and the necessity of taking preventive steps to ensure everyone’s well-being, this message is to remind individuals of relevant policies and guidelines.

It is the University’s top priority to ensure academic continuity for our students and the health and safety of our campus community. Our community has shown real commitment in these first weeks to following preventive guidance and wearing masks, maintaining social distance and following hygiene practices. It is effective and appreciated.

As a follow-up to the update of Aug 21, regarding “COVID-19 Off Campus Gatherings and Consequences.” The following provides clarification on several items.

Based on the current COVID-19 public health crisis, this serves to inform you of an update to the COVID-19 Student Expectations rules, relating to gatherings both on and off-campus. As a result of serious concerns communicated to local colleges and universities by Allegheny County government officials and the Allegheny County Health Department regarding off-campus programs and social gatherings involving students, which pose a hazard to safety, the following policy update is effective immediately, through January 1, 2021. This policy will be reevaluated for the Spring semester.

This message provides more information on the Flexible Residency plan the University is offering for the Fall 2020 semester. As noted in previous University communications, the Flexible Residency plan offers students who are registered for a University-owned residence on campus the option to adjust when they will arrive or depart, in consideration of their particular health needs or concerns. In simplest terms, a student can delay arrival or decide to leave early and have the charges for room and board—as well as the room grant—adjusted proportionately.

Duquesne is requiring four specific steps for all returning students who will live on campus or take classes in person on campus, even if living somewhere else.

The publication has two large sections. The first, People, describes our health and safety measures and policies. It also discusses academic instruction and student success, campus activities, and plans for wellbeing, a section distinct to Duquesne that we have not seen in many other university plans. The second section, Places, outlines how the University will manage its facilities. It includes facts about cleaning practices, access to buildings and campus, classroom and residence hall configurations, dining, parking, and related details.

Dear members of the Duquesne University community,I’m writing to share with you some specific details regarding our updated plans for the fall 2020 semester at Duquesne. Now that we’ve received input from students and their families, faculty, staff, and other members of the University community, we are able to provide you with a clearer report on key decisions even before the full Master Plan for fall 2020 is presented to the University’s Board of Directors for approval on Monday, June 29.

I know you’re anxious to learn about our plans for the upcoming fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters at Duquesne University, in light of the current health crisis facing our nation. Let me begin by saying that we intend to return to campus in the fall, to the greatest extent prudent and permissible, when the new academic year arrives. Our plan is to begin as scheduled on Monday, August 24, 2020.

To protect the health of its community of students, faculty, and staff from the dangers of the COVID19 pandemic, on March 19, 2020 Duquesne University ceased all classroom instruction as well as all on-campus operations not related to the feeding and housing of students remaining in campus residences. All other continuing operations moved to remote work arrangements, where possible.

At around 5 p.m. today, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ordered the closure of all non-life-sustaining businesses by 8 p.m. today, March 19, 2020. The governor's order does not categorize colleges and universities as life-sustaining businesses, with the exception of staffing the needs of our student residents who remain in our residence halls who have no other housing option.

The Following Summary Provides Vital Information Information That You Should Review

Yesterday, Duquesne announced that classes will transition to online instruction on Wednesday, March 18, through Tuesday, March 31, while the University stays open. Students can remain in residence halls and will retain access to amenities including Gumberg Library, the Power Center and dining facilities.

Duquesne University's Emergency Management Team and senior administration has monitored progress of the COVID-19 global situation and the steps taken not only in higher education but in other industries.

Current planning efforts and policy updates are below. The most crucial thing we all can do, however, is to engage in safe hygiene practices and heed experts for accurate information.

We hope that spring break provided our community a chance to recharge, even with the ongoing challenges created by the COVID-19 situation. The efforts of many people have helped prepare for your return and the prevention of negative impacts to the community. We thank them for their work and we thank everyone for their patience as we are nearly ready to resume the semester.

On March 1, Duquesne made it official policy that any Duquesne student or employee returning to the U.S. from a destination with a CDC travel health notice of level 3 or higher must self-isolate for 14 days prior to returning to the Pittsburgh campus.

Duquesne University is updating our present policy regarding student, faculty and staff travel to and from places with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) travel health notice of level 3 or higher.

On the afternoon of Friday, February 28, Duquesne University officials decided, while monitoring CDC travel health notices, that if and when a destination reached CDC level 3, the University would cancel pending trips and arrange for the return of any students, faculty, and staff from that destination.