Q-Week extended until at least 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23

tl;dr: Q-Week will not end on Monday 2/22 at 7 a.m., as planned; it is being extended until at least 5 p.m. on Tuesday 2/23; all undergraduates living in residence halls or pilot FSILGs must test tomorrow; serious concerns about lack of compliance with testing requirements and restrictions on pods, gatherings.

Dear undergraduate students,

Despite the fact that the vast majority of undergraduates have followed all of our Q-Week policies, we write to inform you that, unfortunately, as a precautionary measure, we must extend Q-Week until at least p.m. Tuesday, February 23. Further, all undergraduates who are residents or who are in the FSILG pilot must test tomorrow at either Johnson Rink (W34) between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., or the MIT Medical trailers (E23) between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Make sure to bring your MIT ID and Covid Pass app on your smartphone.

We are taking this step not because of an increase in positive test results but rather because a substantial number of residential undergraduate students are out of compliance with our testing requirements. We recognize that there may have been some confusion about expectations, but some students have only tested once, upon check-in; some have tested twice, but without five days elapsing between their arrival and their second test; and some have not tested at all (even excluding those who have had a positive Covid-19 test in the last 90 days, and are therefore not required to test).

Lack of compliance with testing requirements creates significant risk for our community. Therefore, Q-Week will be extended at least until every residential undergraduate student, whether in a residence hall or a pilot FSILG, is tested again tomorrow, Monday, February 22, and those testing results are received. This applies to every residential undergraduate student, even those who were fully compliant with our testing procedures and protocols.

If you are not a residential undergraduate or a member of the FSILG pilot, but you are approved to access campus starting next Monday, March 1, it is equally imperative that you establish either a Monday-Thursday or Tuesday-Friday testing cadence this week. Otherwise, you will not be allowed to access campus next week.

Separate from the testing issues, it also concerns us that before Q-Week has finished, we have already received reports of Covid-19 policy violations: In one case, a pod group gathered in person, and in another, a group of undergraduate students were socializing, without face coverings, in an off-campus apartment. The individuals involved in these situations have been referred to the Committee on Discipline for an expedited review of these allegations.

The Institute’s public health measures are critically important and we thank all of you who have been adhering to them. Together, we can make the spring 2021 semester a success — but only if each of us does our part. Please be sure to get your Covid-19 tests tomorrow if you are an undergraduate resident or member of a pilot FSILG.

Sincerely,

Cecilia Stuopis, MD
Medical Director, MIT Medical

Suzy Nelson
Vice President and Dean for Student Life