Columbia College has introduced colored wristbands as a way to slow the spread of COVID-19. The strategy requires students to get one before being eligible to attend a class in person.
The process to get a wristband includes a temperature screening and completing a symptom tracker in the student health portal of CougarTrack, which is overseen by a nurse practitioner.
Terri Zeilenga, assistant dean of student affairs and director of wellness, thinks it’s working.
“It keeps people diligent about monitoring their health systems, and it also allows us to create one more level of protection for everyone on our campus,” Zeilenga said.
The wristbands change colors daily to ensure students are following this guideline every day. They are handed out between 7:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. at various locations on campus to accommodate the range of in-person class times.
For now, students need them only to attend class, not enter other campus facilities.
Dave Roberts, dean of student affairs, said staff and faculty are also participating, though it is not required of them.
“You want to be in solidarity with students and say, ‘Yep, I did the same thing you did,’” Roberts said. “It’s super easy to do.”
According to the school’s COVID-19 case data updated Tuesday, Columbia College had one active case among the 420 students who live on campus, 10 among off-campus students and none among employees.
“Our cases reflect the good work our students are doing and are taking it seriously,” Roberts said. “This policy has also helped us catch students we needed to be tested and turned out to be positive, so it has been a very positive outcome.”