BOONE, N.C. — An Appalachian State University student is calling on university leaders to take further steps to protect students, faculty and staff, and the Boone community from COVID-19.
Chloe Dorin, a Master's student in biology, wrote a letter to the App State Chancellor and Board of Trustees Saturday expressing her concerns regarding the recent spike in COVID-19 cases at the university.
As of Oct. 7, App State reported 214 active cases among students and 11 among employees. The percent of positive tests on-campus remained below 4% through the week ending Sept. 20.
However, the percent of positive tests rose from 3.5% to 9% by the week ending Sept. 27. The latest data shows an 8.4% positive test rate for the week ending Oct. 4.
In addition, the university is reporting 14 active COVID-19 clusters — all among athletic organizations, Greek organizations, or residence halls.
Dorin said her drive to protect others led her to write the letter to university leaders, calling on them to do the following:
- end all athletic programs for the 2020-21 academic year
- close all dormitories immediately for the remainder of the semester
- temporarily disband Greek life organizations for the 2020-21 academic year
- move all classes fully online for the 2020-21 academic year
“It seems really clear to me that there are some basic steps that can be taken right now that can significantly reduce the spread of COVID in our region, and I think that is so important,” Dorin said. “And it needs to happen, and it needs to happen now before we lose more of our community members.”
On Sept. 29, Chancellor Sheri Everts announced the death of App State student Chad Dorrill, who the university said was diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier in September and suffered from later complications.
“I have a lot of grief over losing him and over what his family is enduring and also over the damage that I see my community sustaining as a whole,” Dorin said.
In the latest COVID-19 update from the Chancellor, Everts noted that App State added an additional weekly pop-up testing event, added contact tracing resources, and postponed the Oct. 7 football game and suspended practice.
Additionally, Everts said the university is engaging in discussions with local public health, local law enforcement, and local businesses about off-campus parties and gatherings. It is also utilizing the student conduct process to take disciplinary action against those who violate safety protocols.
The Chancellor said on-campus density is low, and should the university need to, it is ready to pivot to all-remote learning.
Freshman student Liam Mitchell said he is enjoying the on-campus experience and hopes classes don’t move all online.
“We’re still here on campus rather than other schools,” Mitchell said. "So it’s nice to still be in the dorms and not be at home.”
However, students like Dorin believe more needs to be done to keep people safe and hopes university leadership listens to her concerns.
“I think about myself, absolutely,” she said. "But more, I think about my community and I think about protecting them at this time.”
