Screening, Testing & Contact Tracing

  • Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine doctor's coat

Screening, Testing & Contact Tracing

Screening, Testing and Contact Tracing: Keeping Rowan Healthy and Safe

The following requirements will continue to be in effect for all students who will participate in in-person activities on Rowan’s campuses this spring:

  • Any student who will be on campus in any capacity—either as a residential student, in a class that meets in person, an athletics practice or any other in-person activity—is expected to provide proof of vaccination before the in-person activity begins—submit proof here. Students with a valid medical and/or religious exemption must submit a declination form to The Wellness Center prior to any in-person activities.
  • Self-isolation: Students who test positive or develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19 will be required to self-isolate pursuant to guidance provided by The Wellness Center. Space will be reserved for students to self-isolate while they recover and until cleared to leave by a designated health care professional. Students will be permitted to self-isolate in Triad Apartments, their permanent residence (off campus), or another off-campus location of their choosing. During periods of self-isolation, students will be provided with access to academic materials. If isolation occurs at Triad Apartments, students will be provided food and other necessary services.

  • Sick Notification: Students must report suspected COVID-19 infection to the Wellness Center by completing this form and reporting symptoms through the Self-Reported Symptom Assessment Survey. Loss of taste or smell are common symptoms of COVID-19, but there are other symptoms which mimic other illnesses, especially as seasonal diseases like the flu emerge. It is critical for symptomatic individuals to avoid all face-to-face interactions and public gatherings regardless of physical distancing practices.

  • Health Checks: Prior to coming to campus, individuals must self-screen for any of the following new or worsening signs or symptoms of possible COVID-19: cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, diarrhea, feeling feverish or a measured temperature (greater than or equal to 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit), or known close contact with a person who is lab-confirmed to have COVID-19.

  • Testing: Rowan has multiple streams of testing, including a rapid point of care testing solution, pool testing, and standard nasal swab testing.  Rowan has implemented a testing protocol for asymptomatic testing, as well as testing of close contacts. Rowan will meet or exceed requirements for testing of NCAA athletes or other regulated groups on campus. 
    • Symptomatic testing: Students will be tested for active infection by the Wellness Center using a PCR level test.

    • Asymptomatic surveillance testing: Through May 5, weekly testing of unvaccinated employees and students will remain mandatory and will be available through the Wellness Center and will continue on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the Owl’s Nest in Chamberlain Student Center. Testing also is available for anyone who requests it. Following each collection day, a report will be sent to the Dean of Students and Human Resources. Failure to report for testing will result in progressive disciplinary action. 

    • Additionally, to ensure the continued safety of our community, Rowan will offer testing each day during the week after spring break, March 21-25, in the Owl’s Nest.

  • Enforcement: Rowan has developed an Acknowledgment of Responsibility for its students that they are required to complete after receiving educational materials relating to COVID-19.  Compliance expectations have been included in the Student Code of Conduct.

Mask wearing

  • The University has extended its mask mandate for all members of the University community in all indoor public settings. Small groups of vaccinated individuals may continue to meet unmasked if social distancing is achievable and the group agrees to the arrangement. After the first two weeks of classes, University leadership will review infection rates for the Rowan community and determine if the broader mask mandate should remain or be modified.

  • Unvaccinated students must wear a mask at all times when indoors. Unvaccinated individuals will be asked to participate in regular testing. The Office of the Dean of Students will manage student compliance. 

Please note, students in medical school placements and internships must adhere to their employer’s guidelines and protocols to maintain those positions. 

People may choose to wear a mask indoors or outdoors, even if vaccinated. Members of our community and our guests must be permitted to do so without being harassed or bullied.

University employees may ask if a student is vaccinated, and vice versa, but they may not ask why one is not. Asking why a person is not vaccinated may be a violation of disability discrimination laws.

Overview of the Daily Screening Process

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to aid in our "Return to Rowan" efforts, Rowan University instituted a Daily Screening application to collect baseline information on the wellness of the community.

In order to enable all members of the Rowan University community to provide this information, we leveraged the “CAS” system, a single sign-on system, for users to provide information through a stand-alone web application. CAS offers the ability to interrupt the log-in process and present an Acknowledgment Prompt, informing the user that they will need to follow up with a process in order to continue.  

Overview of the User Experience

The Daily Screening web application presents two basic questions to a user:

  • Do you have a fever of 100.4ºF or greater?
  • Do you have any of the following symptoms: shortness of breath, cough, chills, muscle pain, loss of taste or smell or headache?

The user then provides the feedback, where it is stored anonymously & securely within our database. If the user responds positively to either question, a notification will appear for the user advising them of the next steps: contacting the Wellness Center, RowanSOM, or other reporting as determined. 

To encourage daily submission of wellness information, the CAS single sign-on platform (login.rowan.edu) is used to remind users to submit a daily update. CAS is used as the point of authentication for many of our web-based services.

For an individual accessing a CAS-authenticated service, they will attempt to log into the service. CAS will check to see if a daily wellness update has been completed. If the user has not yet completed the daily screening form, they will be temporarily stopped and asked to visit the Daily Screening application. After completing the Daily Screening form, they will be redirected back to CAS and will be able to continue to log in to the requested service. The Daily Screening acknowledgement prompt will only appear if the individual has not entered the form that day. Individuals will not be required to fill out the form multiple times within the same day if logging into different services. 

The Daily Screening application will store information in two forms: a Daily Screening receipt that will be associated with the individual and will allow them to continue with the log-in process, and a record of the responses disassociated from the individual. In aggregate, the responses are used for a health trends dashboard for use by the Wellness Center and RowanSOM.


Health and Wellness FAQs

I don’t feel well. What should I do?

During cold and flu season, do not make assumptions. The virus has similar symptoms. If you feel unwell, contact your primary care provider and then notify the Wellness Center at 856-256-4333 for guidance.

Students: If you have to miss assignments due to illness, please report your absence to your professor, and to the Dean of Students at go.rowan.edu/absence.

Employees: If you need to miss work due to your or an immediate family member's possible exposure to or diagnosis with COVID-19, please contact Human Resources at HR@rowan.edu within three days of your initial absence and provide the proper documentation. You will not need to use accumulated leave time. If you need to miss work due to a non-COVID-19 illness, you will need to use accumulated leave time.

This is all making me feel anxious. How can I cope?

Stress and anxiety are normal reactions when there is an infectious disease outbreak. It’s important to monitor your own physical and mental health. Know the signs of stress, how to relieve stress and when to seek help. If you need assistance, call the Wellness Center at 856-256-4333.

If I have questions and would like to speak with someone, who should I call?

  • Faculty: Contact the Office of the Provost at 856-256-4108.
  • Students: Glassboro campus students should contact the Dean of Students at 856-256-4283. CMSRU, SOM and GSBS students should contact the offices of their respective deans.
  • Wellness Center: 856-256-4333

Where can I get more information on coronavirus?

I have more questions. Where should I go?

Visit our Return to Rowan Questions and Answers page for more information about academics, financial aid and finances, student life and housing, health and wellness, and visiting campus.