January 7, 2021 - Baseline COVID-19 Testing Information

Click here for the Week Two (Jan. 19-24) Baseline COVID-19 Testing Schedule.

Our Spring 2021 COVID-19 testing protocol will include testing each community member who will be on campus this semester or interacting with other members of the Whitman community. Initial tests will happen twice at the start of the semester and ongoing surveillance testing will include randomized groups of people to be tested each week as the semester progresses. The college has partnered with Meenta.io to facilitate the testing and reporting of results. 

In order to facilitate these tests, each community member will need to activate an account on the Meenta testing platform, which will gather some general demographic and contact information. The Meenta portal is HIPAA compliant. 

You will receive an email from Meenta with a personalized link to set up your account. For the first test, you will need to complete your account setup and fill out three release forms.  Throughout the semester, each time you are assigned a COVID test you will log into the existing account and fill out the three release forms.

Test processing and the release of test results require all forms to be completed for each test. Completing these forms in the Meenta portal prior to arrival ensures your results can be processed in a timely manner. 

When you log into your Meenta account, you will notice references to scheduling. We are NOT using the scheduling components referenced in your Meenta account screens.  All first-round testing will be done in Cordiner Hall based on the pre-published schedules linked below. 

In order to streamline our testing process, we will be prescribing windows of time defining when you should show up for the first round of baseline testing.

Employees: there are multiple options for you to choose a testing time on Tuesday, Jan. 12 or Wednesday, Jan. 13, with time slots organized by last name. In order to help us make sure we have adequate space and avoid congestion, it is very important that you show up during one of the time slots available to you based on your last name. View the Employee Baseline COVID-19 Schedule.

Off-Campus Students: there are multiple options for you to choose a testing time, with time slots organized by last name. There are two days of testing slots available exclusively for off-campus students on Thursday, Jan. 14 and Friday, Jan. 15; Saturday, Jan. 16 and Sunday, Jan. 17 have fewer slots for off-campus students as testing for on-campus students will also happen those two days, so we strongly encourage off-campus students to be tested on Jan. 14 or 15 if at all possible. Additionally, it is very important that you show up during one of the time slots available to you based on your last name to avoid overcrowding and long waits at Cordiner. View the Off-Campus Students Baseline COVID-19 Schedule.

On-Campus Students: you should arrive at Cordiner Hall up to one hour prior to your scheduled residence hall move-in time to take your COVID-19 test. You will also receive your ID card and a sticker showing you have completed the COVID-19 test. You will not be allowed to move into your residence hall until you have completed a COVID-19 test as part of Whitman’s testing protocol. Schedule your move-in time asap if you have not done so already.

You will receive a second notification when your second test has been assigned and new testing schedules will be published at that time.

If you have any questions about the testing process, please email covidtesting@whitman.edu.