For Students
What's on this page
This page will house information for students as we return to campus. Please check back frequently for updated content.
Ready! Student checklist
The module is required for all students, faculty, staff, and wage employees.
A test conducted through the Schiffert Health Center testing clinic is required for on-campus students at move-in. Additionally, students may sign up for testing clinics held throughout the semester at Lane Stadium or attend walk-in testing clinics when available. Students may also be selected for random prevalence testing throughout the semester. Review the testing section of the Ready site for the latest information on COVID testing.
Learn more about move-in, testing, health and safety, and frequently asked questions. And don’t forget to register your pod for spring semester to engage in pod-friendly programs and services!
Parking on the Blacksburg campus will require a valid permit or the payment of a daily fee, Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. - 10 p.m., unless otherwise denoted by signage. A new evening-only permit is also available. Here is the Blacksburg Transit schedule.
Hours and accessibility have been altered as a safety precaution this year. If you’re an off-campus student, you can add yourself to the dining plan waitlist in StarRez – there are still plans available for spring!
Whether it’s managing your health, wellness, or finances, there are plenty of options – both in-person and virtual – to assist in achieving your goals.
Changes are possible as faculty work to finalize plans and delivery modes for their spring courses. Review information to understand all the different course modalities for spring semester.
Attend Winter Welcome Week events and check out Student Engagement and Campus Life for student center schedules and upcoming events – Spaces and events may continue to look a little different this spring, but there’s still lots to experience. Make sure to check out GobblerConnect for upcoming programs, and keep an eye on the student email for the latest Hokies Can Do options and pod programming.
There are lots of options for exercise and competition while staying safe and healthy this spring.
Keep an eye out for updates to this checklist and other information provided throughout the semester to be aware of the most current guidelines, as well as testing and even vaccination information.
Student prevalence testing process
As outlined in the president's September 18 message, students will participate in mandatory prevalence testing.
- This testing program is for non-symptomatic individuals. If you have a fever or symptoms, please contact Schiffert Health Center to schedule a medical appointment. If you are in quarantine or isolation, you should not leave to visit the testing center.
- If you have had a positive COVID-19 test within the past 90 days, you should not be tested.
- It is important that you arrive during your scheduled time to help manage wait times and facilitate physical distancing.
- Please bring your Hokie Passport to the testing site and have it ready to show at check-in. You will not need a health insurance card and there is no cost to you for these tests.
- Only students who need to complete testing will be permitted in the testing facility.
- You will receive results via your university email account within two to three business days. A representative from Schiffert will call you if you have a positive test result to advise on next steps. Please note that if results are received later into the night, you may not be contacted until the next morning.
FAQS
Why now? How is it beneficial? How will the info be used?
While our efforts to flatten the curve are working, we have to continue being vigilant to knock down the disease. The prevalence testing is an additional tool that will give us a better snapshot of overall community health and the health of each individual. And the results will allow individuals to take informed actions, and allow the university to make better decisions, so that we can care for each other and know when it’s safer to return to a more normal campus experience.
How do you select students to be tested?
After running a query to find students who are living on-campus, attending in-person classes, or participating in hybrid class, a program randomly selects approximately 5% of that group. If a student has been notified that they have been selected, their name will be removed from the next week's selection process and re-entered in future selections.
How many students will be tested each week?
We are beginning with 5% - or approximately 1340 – students to be tested each week.
When will I receive my test results?
Once tested, students should receive their results in 48 – 72 hours of their test. If their test results are negative, they will receive a secure email. If their test result is positive, Schiffert will call with more specific instructions.
What if my friend or roommate tested the same day as me and they have their results, but I do not?
This is not a cause for concern. The lab processes results in 24 – 36 hours, and it can take up to 72 hours for you to be notified of these results. Other reasons for delay could include indeterminate results, timing of test, or technical issues.
What if my test results take longer than 72 hours?
Occasionally when analyzing tests, there is an invalid or insufficient sample. In these cases, you may be asked to retest.
Where do I go to get tested?
Prevalence testing will take place at Lane Stadium, Gate 1. If you are symptomatic, you should make a medical appointment to be tested at Schiffert Health Center.
How long will it take to be tested?
Your testing appointment at Lane Stadium should take approximately 30 minutes.
How are you able to make testing mandatory now but you weren’t able to at the beginning of the school year?
The science and the public health guidance continues to evolve. We have determined at this time that this is the right practice and it is legal and appropriate given the pandemic and public health emergency we are currently managing.
Additional information about testing
Schiffert Health Center is aware that many students are trying to figure whether they need a COVID-19 test, how to get a COVID-19 test, or what they should do whether or not they are scheduled to get a test. The following guidance will help students know what they should do next.
Remote Opportunities for Students
We understand that some members of our community are not comfortable engaging in in-person instruction this spring due to underlying medical conditions or a concern over transmission to friends or family members. To the extent possible, faculty, academic department heads and advisors will continue to work with students to maximize learning opportunities in a virtual format.
Undergraduate students who are concerned about academic issues (missing class, missing assignments, courses) can reach out to their academic advisor, Academic Advising Office, Dean of Students Office, or the undergraduate associate dean for their college:
- College of Architecture and Urban Studies: Kathryn Albright, kclarke@vt.edu
- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Susan Sumner, sumners@vt.edu
- Pamplin College of Business: Lara Khansa, larak@vt.edu
- College of Engineering: Keith Thompson, tkeith72@vt.edu
- College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences: Dan Thorp, wachau@vt.edu
- College of Natural Resources and Environment: Keith Goyne, goynek@vt.edu
- College of Science: Robin Panneton, panneton@vt.edu
Graduate students can contact their advisor, their graduate program director, and/or the Graduate School.
The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning offers tips for students working in an online environment. The Student Success Center (SSC) will also be available to support your academic progress by offering its services, including tutoring, through an online format. A complete list of academic excellence programs can be found on their website. To request tutoring, please email tutoring@vt.edu. All other requests should be sent to studentsuccess@vt.edu.
We know that our international students have many more complex situations and questions, and we’ve provided more in-depth information for both undergraduate and graduate international students on the Cranwell International Center website.
Regarding internet access away from campus, see the Home Internet Tips page. To optimize what you can do with a lower-speed internet connection, check out steps 1-4. If you have no internet access at home, steps 2 and 5 offer tips on contacting internet providers and finding community WiFi resources, respectively. Many internet service providers are offering low cost or free options for students who need to complete courses online, so be sure you let them know you are a Virginia Tech student.
Study Spaces, Gathering Areas, Wi-Fi
If your in-person class ends at 9 a.m. and your next online class starts right away, what do you do?
Maps:
This map will direct you to outdoor study and gathering spaces across campus.
This map will direct you to indoor study spaces across campus.
Both of these maps are available in the Hokie Ready app by clicking on the Maps icon.
Outdoors: These six sites - Dietrick Plaza, Peddrew-Yates Plaza, Owens Plaza, Lavery Hall Plaza (near Turner Place), Burchard Plaza, and Derring Hall overhang - are all great places to study and gather outdoors. All of these locations have outdoor furniture, lighting, and coverage from the elements. Burchard Plaza, Dietrick Plaza, and the Derring Hall overhang have new power sources to charge your devices.
Wi-Fi: Alongside the existing outdoor Wi-Fi areas, the university is upgrading outdoor Wi-Fi at several locations, including Burchard Hall plaza, Hahn Garden area, Owens Hall courtyard, and the Lavery Hall patio near Turner Place. The map referenced above shows the approximate range at each of the existing and new locations.
Indoors: The rooms listed below are reserved for students who need to study or attend an online course - especially for those who might not be able to get back to their apartment in the time between an in-person and online course. While the rooms will have capacity limits, there are nearly 600 seats available across the 53 rooms, which are dedicated to this academic use. The rooms are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and hours are subject to change.
Indoor Study Spaces Hours
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Davidson Hall: 301
- Goodwin Hall: 145, 155
- Litton-Reaves Hall: 1770, 1800
- McBryde Hall: 134, 204, 207, 212, 216, 219, 226, 230, 233, 240, 302, 307, 308, 316, 318, 321, 322, 328, 329, 332
- Pamplin Hall: 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, 1008, 1010, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2028, 2030, 3001, 3004, 3010, 3028
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
- Cheatham Hall: 317A
- Davidson Hall: 125, 201, 325
- Derring Hall: 1014, 1076, 1084, 3081, 3083, 3092
- Durham Hall: 261
- Engel Hall: 219
- Goodwin Hall: 241, 244
- Lavery Hall: 335
- Major Williams Hall: 334, 434, 532 (Rooms available until 9 p.m.)
- Randolph Hall: 110, 116, 120, 121
- Saunders Hall: 409 (Room available until 9 p.m.)
- Smyth Hall: 146 (Room available until 9 p.m.)
- Wallace Hall: 244, 340, 407
- Whittemore Hall: 257, 277, 349
- Williams Hall: 134, 209, 220, 320
Squires Student Center: Monday-Friday: 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Johnston Student Center: Monday-Thursday: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Friday: 7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday: Closed.
Graduate Life Center: Monday-Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Sunday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. although accessible 24/7 to all graduate students through swipe access.
Residence Life
In order to provide an on-campus living experience that promotes public health safety, Housing and Residence Life (HRL) will limit the number of students living on campus to no more than two people per room and require all on-campus students to sign a Health and Wellbeing Commitment.
Isolation and Quarantine
Learn more about the isolation and quarantine protocol here.
Students who test positive for COVID-19 after the initial move-in testing will be asked to return to their permanent residence unless there is an extenuating circumstance for them to relocate to an isolation space in one of the residence halls for the duration of their isolation time. If in isolation, they will submit their daily food selections to Dining Services through an online form along with delivery instructions and be able to use their dining plans to pay for the meals. Students will also be provided with nonperishable snack items in their isolation kit. Students will be contacted by Schiffert Health Center daily and may contact the Dean of Students Office for assistance with any academic concerns.
Students who may be at-risk for COVID-19 may be asked to self-quarantine. Depending on the level of risk for COVID-19, Schiffert will provide instruction on how to implement quarantine behaviors.
Common Space and Programming
Furniture in residence hall common spaces will be configured to ensure appropriate physical distancing, and students will be expected to follow maximum occupancy guidelines.
Housing and Residence Life, along with other Student Affairs departments, will offer virtual and adjusted in-person programs for students living on campus.
Graduate School
Graduate students often have dual roles – as students and as graduate assistants, graduate teaching assistants, and graduate research assistants – and they contribute to the teaching and learning, research and discovery, and service and engagement missions of the university across its colleges and campuses. The university recognizes and supports your belief that progress toward your degree is important and the Graduate School will work with you toward that end.
During the spring 2021 semester, your rights and choices will be respected regarding courses and assistantships. Students can find links to key webpages students use most often on our Current Students page. Visit the Graduate School’s Ready Information page and the Guidelines for Graduate Education during COVID-19 for the latest information. Also visit the guidelines articulated in the Expectations for Graduate Study document available on the Graduate School website.
Graduate students who are concerned about academic issues (missing class, missing assignments, courses) can contact their advisor, their graduate program director, and/or the Graduate School.
Remote Assistantships
Graduate students who hold assistantship appointments (GTAs, GRAs, and GAs) should discuss with their supervisor available options for carrying out their duties, including working remotely. Supervisors are asked to be understanding and as accommodating as reasonable. Graduate program directors are available to assist in specific situations, following the guidance from the Graduate School. The Graduate School Ombudsperson’s Office also is available for consultation as desired. Graduate assistants with an underlying medical condition and/or a disability that places them at a higher risk should contact ADA and Accessibility Services.