Valpresious Ham

In the most recent university seminar of the new academic year, University President, Dr. Tony Allen established Delaware State University as a leader in its participation in activities centered around Coronavirus efforts on campus.

On Tuesday, September 1st, Dr. Allen began his address by thanking Dr. Joan Cocker and Testing for America for their work on campus with Coronavirus testing, calling for a moment of silence for Actor Chadwick Boseman, and acknowledging the current state of race relations in the country. He then opened the floor for an informal discussion on how Delaware State University plans to lead the way. 

During the discussion, Dr. Michelle Fisher made a note to explain the process of testing on campus and gave specific detail about the University’s policy for infection control measures. “Since college students began returning to campus nationwide, there have been several schools that have closed a short time after reopening, and one of the lessons that they have reported that DSU can learn from is that some of this is thought to have been related to the fact that they did not do surveillance of the members in their community.” Dr. Fisher also stated as a part of DSU’s frequent testing model that, “test results would never be more than four days old.”

The plan also included information on the additional measure students can take to limit the spread of infection such as physical distancing, frequent hand washing, and mask-wearing.

Dr. Cocker also joined the conversation by commending the students of the university for their volunteer work and participation in testing efforts and also called for Delaware State University fraternities and sororities to drive interest in the efforts as well. She also offered another perspective on how DSU could benefit from effective mitigation efforts and said that. “if Delaware State University sets the precedence for this nation as to how this is to be done, I think the possibilities are endless as to potential investors down the line.”

The forum also featured several other speakers, including Cassandra Boltman, who is an international student-athlete and senior from Johannesburg, South Africa. Cassandra offered the student perspective by sharing her story of how the virus has impacted her student experience. She stated that although it has been a challenge to navigate, she is thankful for all of the support she has received from local friends and neighbors. She also spoke about her choice to volunteer and explained how she felt it was important for her to give back to the same community which supported her. 

At the close of the forum, Dr. Allen thanked Cassandra for her work and opened the floor for questions. Students who are interested in volunteering can contact organizers by emailing Contactrisk@desu.edu. The information contained in the forum is currently available on the university website. Students may also find a full recording of the forum video on Youtube.