Texas A&M System Leaders Encourage Students to Consider Taking a COVID Test Before Thanksgiving

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University will hold its weekly mass COVID-19 testing early ahead of Thanksgiving, following the lead of The Texas A&M University System and Chancellor John Sharp in encouraging students to voluntarily get tested before the holidays.

In an announcement today, Chancellor John Sharp said he wants to make sure the families and communities of the System’s more than 150,000 students feel safe and can avoid any unnecessary exposure to the coronavirus that has seen a spike in cases across the country.

“WT has offered weekly mass testing since July, and we will move the weekly testing date for students, faculty and staff to the Monday before Thanksgiving,” said Dr. Angela Spaulding, vice president of research and compliance and dean of the graduate school. “We appreciate the Chancellor’s leadership in making weekly testing possible at WT.”

Students, faculty and staff will get an email Nov. 18 allowing them to reserve a timeslot for a Nov. 23 test. The mouth-swab tests will be administered between 9 and 11 a.m. Nov. 23 in the parking lot of the First United Bank Center.

Students may also schedule their own test through WT’s Student Medical Services or from other off-campus sites. Faculty and staff also can access tests through their primary care physician so it can be paid for by insurance.

Additional test kits have been requested. Test results are expected within 30 hours. If a student tests positive and wishes to remain on campus, they can stay in a residence hall set aside for quarantined students, and food services will provide them meals over the break.

Some System schools will add more testing kiosks, but WT already has mass testing protocols in place. WT, with resources provided by the System, began offering free COVID-19 testing July 24. Since then, 3,788 tests have been administered. The testing is possible thanks to an agreement Chancellor Sharp negotiated with Curative Inc., a national testing company based in California.

“The safety of our students and the WT community have been our top priority,” said WT President Dr. Walter Wendler. “We encourage our students, faculty and staff to continue following safety protocols on and off campus to help mitigate the spread of the virus.”

Providing the tests is an example of how WT lives up to its “people first” principal, as outlined in the University’s long-term plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. With enrollment of more than 10,000, WT offers 60 undergraduate degree programs, 38 master’s degrees and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 15 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WTAMU—