KENT, Ohio — Kent State University has announced a partnership with the state of Ohio to bring the Ohio Pandemic Testing Team to campus amid an increase in positive COVID-19 cases among students living on and off campus.
The team consists of medics from the Ohio National Guard, who will be conducting free testing for "a selected, higher-risk student population" on Kent's campus from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2. Testing will be done at the Center for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement, located at 350 S. Lincoln Street.
"I understand the sensitivity about the Ohio National Guard's presence on campus and the uncomfortable reminder it may be to some in our community," Manfred van Dulmen, Ph.D., Chair, Reopening steering Committee and Interim Associate Provost for Academic Affairs announced in an email to Kent faculty and staff.
"This offer by the state to provide large-scale testing to curb the spread of COVID-19 is far different from the events that led to the National Guard being on campus on May 4, 1970. Faculty and staff representatives were consulted and agreed that bringing this testing event to Kent State would be beneficial and consistent with our risk mitigation strategy," the email continued.
The Ohio Pandemic Testing Team has visited numerous other college campuses in Ohio for similar events this year. The event provides an efficient way for the University to quickly test a large number of students as they work to stop the spread of the virus within their student body.