Students to complete COVID-19 home testing prior to return on campus
Before arriving on campus, Notre Dame students will be required to provide a specimen for a COVID-19 PCR test, the coronavirus response unit said in an email Wednesday.Students will be mailed a home collection kit to their current place of residence by LabCorp, who will process the results. Specimen collection will be staggered depending on when students plan to arrive on campus, and by July 15, all students will be notified by when they must complete their test.“The kit package will include a set of instructions for how to collect a home specimen from the anterior nasal passage and how to send it back to LabCorp for processing,” Christine Caron Gebhardt, assistant vice president for student services and Tracy Skibins, senior director of emergency management, said in the email.The specimen must be returned to a FedEx Drop Box on the same day as collection. Otherwise, it cannot be processed and students will be charged a $75 replacement fee.LabCorp will provide University Health Services (UHS) with the results, and once they are confirmed, students will receive an email to view the test results. Students who test negative will be cleared to return to campus.“UHS will let Residential Life know the on-campus students who are cleared to return to campus, though test results will not be shared,” the email said. “Students moving on-campus will receive a confirmation email from Residential Life confirming their move-in appointment.”Students who test positive may not return to campus even if they are asymptomatic, and UHS will contact these students for clearance.“If you become ill with symptoms of COVID-19 or are exposed to someone with COVID-19 between the time of your test and your arrival, you must delay travel and contact your health care provider for evaluation,” the email said.Tags: coronavirus response unit, COVID-19, pre matriculation
University of GeorgiaAnyone can visit the University of Georgia Trial Gardens anytime,any day. But two dates in June have been set aside for specialopen-house tours.On June 18, growers, landscapers, designers and students can jointhe University of Georgia staff at the trial gardens to see thelatest in new annuals and perennials from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in thecommercial open house.Renowned horticulturist Allan Armitage will start tours every 40minutes during the open house. Lunch will be provided by the BallSeed Company.Not a commercial grower? Then visit the open house for the publicon June 28 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Gardeners are invited to visitthe gardens and see the kaleidoscope of color from the hundredsof annuals and perennials on display.Armitage, his staff and Athens Area Master Gardeners will provideguided tours for visitors.
Traditionally, Cooperative Extension has served the nation by bringing sustainable, science-based agricultural practices to farmers in rural areas. Today, in cities throughout the nation, Extension agents are being called on to assist community gardeners and urban farmers to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, okra and even chickens on abandoned lots and in church and school yards. In Georgia, given the warm climate, long growing season and robust network of University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agents, urban farms and community gardens are thriving. From Metro Atlanta to Dalton, Warner Robbins, Savannah, Athens, Augusta, Carrolton and Valdosta, UGA Extension agents, Master Gardener Extension volunteers and UGA students are helping to make approximately 360 farms, community and school gardens a success. UGA Extension agents and volunteers are working with teachers to help students in elementary, middle and high schools learn about the natural world, math and science by growing fresh produce in school gardens. Georgia 4-H, the state’s premiere youth leadership program, runs after-school garden programs at schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs and other community centers. University students are helping to cultivate vegetables in community and campus gardens across the state. The university’s UGArden, a small farm run by UGA students, provides fresh produce to food pantries and food insecure families. Volunteers and UGA Extension agents are working to show that small gardens spread through out urban areas can have affect on the diets of neighboring communities and community engagement. At churches, homeless shelters, drug rehab centers and senior centers, UGA Extension agents are empowering gardeners with the research-based knowledge they need to make the most of their fields. With urban agriculture increasing around the state, horticultural and soil science researchers are stepping into to fill a gap of information on best practices for urban agriculture — from developing better compact varieties of crops to testing alternative cultivation methods like vertical planting and artificial light sources. UGA Extension food safety experts are helping gardeners and farmers ensure the their produce is safe to eat when it makes it market and local dinner tables. UGA is home to the National Center for Home Food Preservation and to the leading experts on canning, freezing and putting up homegrown produce. You can find a wealth of canning and freezing information on their website at nchfp.uga.edu. There’s even a special area for kids who want to learn to preserve food from the garden. With more resources available to urban farmers and gardeners than ever before, UGA Extension is poised to help Georgians bring more produce to local dinner tables and help turn Georgia’s food deserts into food oases. To find support on starting a community garden or solving common garden problems call 1-800-Ask UGA1 or visit blog.extension.uga.edu/communitygardening.