COVID-19 Protocols

The focus of the Office of Student Affairs is to protect all individuals.  After careful consideration for the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff, CSC will establish procedures and protocols to support current and future needs in line with the CDC, NJCAA, the Oklahoma Department of Public Health, the OSU A&M Board of Regents, and the Muskogee County Health Department.  We will continue efforts to mitigate the transmission of COVID 19 within athletics, programs, and the CSC campuses.

Until COVID 19 can be managed in a manner like less virulent influenza strains, increased core principles must be in place to help prevent the spread of the virus. Prior to returning to campus, Connors State College athletic and scholarship programs and all residential students the following principles must be in place to mitigate the risk of infection and spread of COVID 19.

Cafeteria/Sodexo

  • The cafeteria will open with social distancing.
  • Signs will delineate traffic patterns and queuing space to ensure social distancing.
  • Students will be served by attended stations with posted menus.
  • Sneeze guards will be added to the cafeteria to mitigate the spread of the virus.
  • As students line up to eat, they must stay six feet apart utilizing floor decals to reinforce traffic patterns and social distancing.
  • When dining in the cafeteria, no more than two students can sit at the small round tables, and no more than four can sit at the larger round tables.
  • All Sodexo staff will be wearing and using appropriate PPE. No personal refillable containers will be utilized in the dining room.
  • Tables will be cleaned and disinfected after each use and free of any items like salt/pepper shakers or napkin dispensers.
  • Vending machines will be utilized in the Student Union lobby where students with meal tickets can swipe their meal cards for additional meals.
  • Breakfast this school year will be grab and go.

If the virus becomes an issue again in the fall, then an alternate plan will be followed with students’ ability to access “To-Go” only meals through a Sodexo app and pick up their meals in the cafeteria to be eaten elsewhere.

C&W Services

C&W Services will play an enhanced role in maintaining the campus.

  • C&W has plans to clean the restrooms in McClarren twice a day.
  • They will clean the restrooms in Miller’s Crossing every Friday throughout the school year.
  • C&W will be responsible for cleaning and wiping down the classrooms between classes while maintaining the restrooms and hallways in the public buildings.
  • To reduce the likelihood of exposure and transmission, custodial practices include routine cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces and equipment with more frequency in shared work areas.
Fitness Center
  • Each team should have a scheduled time to work out in the fitness center.
  • No more than 13 athletes should be working out in the fitness center at one time and only two in the cardio room.
  • Each machine must be wiped down after it is used.
  • Hand sanitizer will be available for the students when they enter and leave the fitness center.
  • Teams may be scheduled for one and half hour time frame.
  • Individual sessions will be limited to one hour.
  • All towels will be washed daily. There will be no sharing of towels.
Mask Policy

Updated CDC Mask Guidelines 

To reduce the risk of being infected with the Delta variant and possibly spreading it to others, and in keeping with recently updated CDC guidance, CSC encourages the use of masks indoors in public, especially in situations in which social distancing is not possible and for activities with close contact with others.   

Masking is recommended by the CDC even if you are fully vaccinated. You might choose to wear a mask regardless of the level of transmission if you have a weakened immune system or if, because of your age or an underlying medical condition, you are at increased risk for severe disease, or if a member of your household has a weakened immune system, is at increased risk for severe disease, or is unvaccinated.  

At this time under Oklahoma law (EO 2021-16 and 70 O.S. 1210.189), we are not permitted to require the use of masks on campus. 

Move-In Week

Connors State College has traditionally scheduled a move-in day for all students the Saturday before the Monday that school starts. This year in order to practice the best social distancing guidelines, CSC will schedule a move-in week beginning August 9.

  • All teams will be scheduled for a specific day of the week and the student check in will be by a scheduled appointment only.
  • A limited number of students will be scheduled in the mornings and afternoons.
  • Appointments must be scheduled through Residential Coordinator Jonathan Rowe who will correspond with the student and their respective coaches.
  • The move in day protocols will include the following:
    1. All move-ins must be scheduled.
    2. Upon arriving on campus, the student must first report to the Miller’s Crossing Clubhouse.
    3. Students will be limited to two persons who may come on campus to assist them in moving. Individuals who have a fever will not be allowed to continue the move-in process.
    4. After being screened the student will go to the south door of Gatlin Hall to complete the admission process. Masks may be worn the full time that they are in Gatlin Hall.
    5. At the end of the admission process, the student will be assigned a room and be issued a key in their respective housing location. They can then move into their rooms. Each student must remove all their trash from the dumpsters.
  • Due to the COVID-19 virus and the likelihood of a second wave of the virus in the fall, all housing facilities on the CSC campus will be restricted to current housing students only.
  • No guests are approved to be in McClarren Hall or Miller’s Crossing at any time. This includes the clubhouse at Miller’s Crossing and the lobby/lounge of McClarren Hall. Should any student violate this protocol they will be subject to a fine and/or suspension from college housing.
  • While in college housing all students may wear masks when they are outside of their respective bedrooms. This practice is to mitigate the exposure of the student to the virus.
  • Hand sanitizing stations will be placed throughout the college campuses and students are encouraged to use these stations as well as to wash their hands multiple times a day to stop the spread of the virus.
Protocol for Residential Students With a Fever or COVID-19
  • Residential students who believe they may have a fever should contact residential coordinator, Jonathan Rowe, at 918-463-6296. If you are unable to contact Mr. Rowe, then contact Audri Mannon at 918-463-6376
  • Nonresidential students on both the Warner and Muskogee campuses who believe they may have a fever or have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus should call Mike Jackson, Dean of Students, at 918-463-6351 or Jake Lawson, Assistant Dean of Students, at 918-463-6387 in Warner.
  • All program students will be instructed to immediately report any symptoms of COVID-19 to their coach, the athletic trainer, residential coordinator, or the Deans of Students.
    1. Any student exhibiting such symptoms must wear a mask.
    2. Residential coordinators, the trainer, coach, or the Dean or Assistant Dean of Students will arrange to have the student’s temperature taken. If the student has a fever equal to 100.4 plus other COVID-19 related symptoms, the student will be screened and referred to Muskogee County Health Department (MCHD), 918-683-0321 for a COVID-19 screening. The student must begin wearing their mask if they have not been. If the MCHD determines that the student needs to be tested, they will arrange the test. It may take 5-7 business days to get the results. If the student lives in a quad, the MCHD will ask that they are quarantined in a school quarantine room until the results are known. The other students in the quad will be asked by the MCHD to quarantine also.
    3. The student will not attend any practice or class. Temporary arrangements for classes will be made through the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs Office.
    4. If the MCHD determines that the fever is not COVID-19 related, the student will not be subject to further protocols.
    5. Should a residential student or students test positive for COVID-19, arrangements will be made to move the student to an isolation room on campus.
    6. The student will be placed in isolation for 10 days.
    7. Contact tracing will be implemented by the MCHD.
    8. Students who are determined to be primary contacts will be contacted and the practices for quarantine will be implemented.
    9. The practice area, classroom, equipment, locker room, weights, as well as any restroom or cafeteria that the student may have accessed should be immediately cleaned, sanitized, and disinfected in a manner consistent with CDC guidelines.
    10. The CSC quarantine and isolation rooms are furnished with bed linens and cleaning supplies.
    11. Each student will be provided a Care Package with personal use items.
    12. Each student will be provided an hour to collect personal items they need from their present room to take to the quarantine or isolation room.
    13. Meals will be ordered through the Sodexo app and the meals will be taken to the student.
    14. Needs that the student has will be relayed to the residential coordinator who will assist the student as they can.
  • Consultation with the Muskogee County Health Department and the Warner Health and Wellness Center will assist in guiding CSC and students throughout this process.
  • Students in the positive student’s primary contact group will be quarantined and tested. Contact tracing will be completed by the MCHD.
  • Until the results of the tests are received, students will be quarantined in their respective rooms. All students in the primary contact group must be tested twice. Students in the primary contact group may not participate in any games, events, or practices. Depending on the circumstances this may result in the canceling of games, events, or activities until all students in the primary group test negative twice.
  • Arrangements for meals and classwork for quarantined students will be the same as the COVID-19 positive student.
  • Arrangements for meals and classwork for quarantined students will be the same as the COVID-19 positive student.
Residential Facilities
  • Beginning in the Fall of 2020 new protocols were put in place related to living in the CSC dormitories. These protocols will be shared with students in the residential meetings as well as being posted in the dorms and on our website. These protocols include:
    1. All students are strongly encouraged to wear masks when they are not in their assigned bedrooms and are in the common areas of their quad, clubhouse, or lounge.
    2. All restrooms will be cleaned in McClarren Hall twice a day.
    3. All restrooms in Miller’s Crossing will be cleaned by C&W Services on Fridays beginning at 9:00 AM. Students will be responsible for cleaning their restrooms in their quads at other times.
    4. Connors State College dorms will be restricted throughout the 2021-2022 school year. No visitors of any kind will be permitted in the dorms, lounges, or rooms. Dorms are for residents only. There will be no overnight guests approved throughout this school year.
    5. Students are responsible for ensuring that their trash cans are emptied regularly.
    6. All students in cohorts will be housed together where possible.
Signs

CSC will post signs in highly visible locations (e.g., building entrances, restrooms, dining areas) that promote everyday protective measures and describe how to stop the spread of germs (properly washing hands and properly wearing a cloth facemask.)

Training Room
  • The training room will be used by appointment only.
  • All treatment sessions must be scheduled through the trainer.
  • The training room will be wiped down after each student’s treatment session with the training staff. Temperature checks will be taken before each student is provided treatment.
Travel
  • The college’s travel policies will be updated and communicated regarding travel as needed.
  • Due to the confined nature of a vehicle, it is important to protect all who are riding in the vehicle. Limits have not been set as to how many may travel at a time; however, they may be set in the future. The protection of our students and staff is our top priority.
  • When traveling, all teams may wear masks while in the bus, van, or car. Assigned seating on all the buses will assist in contact tracing should someone develop symptoms of COVID-19 or be found to have COVID-19. This could lead to fewer students needing to be quarantined.
  • Out-of-state travel poses special issues as it relates to the virus. Some states have spiking numbers related to infections. Consideration must be given to the risk for staff and students before approving out-of-state travel.