Testing

Testing supplies sitting wrapped up on a shelf
 

Testing

With the rise in cases across the region, nation, and world, RIT encourages all students, faculty, and staff — regardless of immunization status — to get a PCR or Antigen COVID-19 test before returning to campus from the winter break.

Monroe County testing locations

Student Testing

Students who are not fully vaccinated at the time of their arrival for the Fall Semester will be required to participate in weekly testing starting the week they arrive on campus. This includes students who have medical, religious, or philosophical exemptions.

Weekly testing options:

  • Participation in weekly Tiger Testing available on campus
  • Submission of a COVID-19 test result from an off-campus testing site

Students will receive an email from Tiger Testing every week, prompting them to schedule an appointment or request a form for off-campus COVID-19 testing.

Learn more about Tiger Testing

Employee Testing Requirements

RIT is implementing a mandatory vaccination policy for all of its employees, regardless of whether they work on-site or remotely. Weekly testing of employees who are not yet fully vaccinated (2 weeks after final dose) will continue through the week of December 6, 2021. 

Learn more about employee testing requirements

Ongoing Student COVID-19 Test Requirements

In order to ensure the safety of our campus, RIT is conducting weekly testing of students. Testing determines campus prevalence and identifies individual cases. Students are likely to be selected for testing multiple times this semester.

If you have completed your spring circulation requirements and are approved to be on campus, you are expected to make an appointment when invited for a COVID-19 test. You will schedule your test for a day and time that is convenient for you. Invitations are sent on Sunday and testing appointments are available Monday-Saturday. If you have signed the attestation, indicating you do not plan to circulate on campus for the spring semester, you will not be expected to participate in Tiger Testing.

Students will receive an email from tigertesting@rit.edu that will “invite” students to make an appointment through CampusGroups; however, keep in mind that testing is mandatory.

During your appointment, you will conduct a painless, self-administered nasal swab test in front of a trained specialist. We are administering two types of tests on campus: a rapid antigen test or a PCR test. The email invitation will indicate which type of test that will be administered for the upcoming week of testing. RIT covers the cost of the test.

Alternate Testing and Exemptions

Students may choose to schedule a test off-campus if that is best for their schedule. Students testing at an off campus site will be required to complete the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Form to notify RIT of their intended testing plans. They will then be required to submit their COVID-19 test result. Instructions will be sent to the student via email upon completion of the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Request Form.

Students in isolation or quarantine and students who tested positive in the past 90 days will be exempt from testing.

Learn more about alternate testing and exemptions

Testing Process and Compliance

A campus-wide testing effort to identify individual cases and determine the prevalence of COVID-19 is underway. Students who are invited to participate in a Tiger Testing window are required to sign up for a testing time and show up for the test. Any students who fail to report for testing are considered non-compliant for this requirement. RIT has built a scaled response plan, which includes system access interruption (including MyCourses and Zoom) and referrals to the Student Conduct Office, which may lead to suspension or removal from housing, for those not in compliance.

Students Experiencing Symptoms

This testing is not intended for those who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Students experiencing symptoms should contact the Student Health Center at 585-475-2255 or log into the RIT Wellness Portal to access the patient chat.


Tiger Testing Frequently Asked Questions

Tiger Testing is mandatory for all students, including those who live on and off campus, who are approved to circulate on campus for the spring semester. This does not include students who have signed the attestation through the Spring Circulation Plan process, indicating they will not be on campus for any reason during the spring semester.

Students may choose to get tested at an off-campus location, but are required to submit their test results. To begin this process, students must complete the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Request Form. They will then be required to submit their COVID-19 test results via the RIT Wellness Portal. Instructions will be sent to the student via email upon completion of the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Request Form.

Students may choose to get tested at an off-campus location, but are required to complete the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Request Form. They will then be required to submit their COVID-19 test results via the RIT Wellness Portal. Instructions will be sent to the student upon completion of the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Request Form.

Students who are unable to participate in Tiger Testing must complete the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Request Form. Requests will be reviewed by the Tiger Testing Team.  Approved alternate testing options and exemption rationales can be found on the Tiger Testing website.

We advise that you limit travel throughout the spring semester, in order to protect the health and safety of our community. If you do need to travel at any point and are unable to schedule your weekly COVID-19 test on campus, you will need to complete the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Request Form and will be required to submit your COVID-19 test results via the RIT Wellness Portal. Instructions will be sent to the student upon completion of the COVID-19 Alternate Testing and Exemption Request Form.

RIT has been able to secure both PCR and Antigen tests for our community’s use. The two tests have different advantages and disadvantages. By using these high quality tests in combination, we can leverage the benefits of both tests. Students will not have an opportunity to select the type of test they wish to receive, however they will be notified of the type of test that they will receive in the Tiger Testing email invitation.

Find more information about Tiger Testing and schedule an appointment on the CampusGroups Tiger Testing website.

If You Test Positive

RIT encourages all students, faculty, and staff to get a COVID-19 test before returning to campus from the winter break. If your test is positive, please follow the public health guidelines in the county/region where you tested and consult with your health care provider if needed. Do not return to campus until cleared by your local department of health.

Students should notify the Student Health Center of their positive test result by completing the Positive COVID-19 Test Reporting form located in the My Forms section of the RIT Wellness Portal. Faculty and staff should upload their positive test results to RIT Employee Self-Service, call the Employee COVID Symptom/Exposure Hotline at 585-475-6040, and notify their supervisor.

Wastewater Testing

Due to the fact that the virus is shed in feces within three days of infection and symptoms can take much longer to present, wastewater testing is an important early detection tool. While a sample of wastewater cannot determine an exact number of people with COVID-19, it indicates whether incidence of the disease is increasing, decreasing, or unchanged. If a spike is detected in one of the sampling areas, targeted testing will be conducted to identify and isolate infected individuals.

Isolation and Quarantine if Ill or Exposed

Isolation will be mandated for anyone who tests positive and anyone deemed to have been in close contact with a confirmed case. If directed to quarantine or isolate, students will not be allowed to leave their quarantine or isolation space for 14 days from last exposure unless released earlier by the local public health department or designee. During this period, students will undergo active monitoring by the Student Health Center and self-monitor for potential symptom development.

Students in quarantine and isolation are being supported with meal delivery, and trash pick-up and laundry services are available upon request. RIT has designated its property at 175 Jefferson Road, the former Radisson hotel, for students in quarantine or isolation.

Contact Tracing

Location Check-In: Location Check-In posters are being installed across campus for contact tracing. The posters are printed with QR codes embedded with a URL and location-specific information. Scanning the QR code with a smartphone (by opening the device’s camera app and pointing the camera at the code) opens the check-in website and automatically populates the “area” (room, bus, etc.) and “location” fields. The large-scale QR codes are meant to be scanned from a distance to encourage physical distancing. Area and location information printed on the bottom of the poster can be entered manually on the website using a browser on the smartphone or computer. The secured data is restricted for contact tracing by authorized personnel.

Sample poster and ordering instructions

Wireless Access Data: As a matter of course, RIT does not generally capture or retain wireless access point data except to the extent required to provide such access to the RIT network. This data shows roughly where a person may be on campus as a result of their device(s) connecting to wireless access points on the RIT network. The wireless access data retained by RIT is securely stored in the University’s secure and FERPA-compliant on-campus data center. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in support of contact tracing requirements, this data may be used by the Monroe County Department of Health contact tracers for contact tracing efforts to help identify members of the RIT community who may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 symptoms as a result of being in proximity to that person during potential exposure periods.

Learn more about data privacy

COVID-19 Dashboard

RIT COVID-19 Dashboard

Using data from multiple sources to illustrate and track various metrics, the RIT COVID-19 Dashboard will inform RIT’s decision-making related to campus operations and the RIT COVID-19 Alert Levels. The dashboard includes information on the number of positive cases, number of students in quarantine and isolation, and quarantine/isolation bed availability on campus.

Learn more about the dashboard

Quarantine, Isolation, and Contact Tracing

Information on quarantine and isolation due to illness or exposure, as well as the New York State Travel Advisory, is available on the Quarantine and Isolation page. Information on RIT's contact tracing efforts is available on the Contact Tracing page.

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Frequently Asked Questions

We are encouraging students, faculty, and staff — regardless of immunization status — to get a PCR or Antigen COVID-19 test before returning to campus. But it is not a requirement.

As we did last semester, we will continue to test weekly those students who are unvaccinated. In addition, we will test those students who are symptomatic. Our current wastewater surveillance provides strong indicators as to the prevalence of COVID-19 on campus. We will continue to monitor wastewater and make additional testing adjustments as necessary.

If you completed an at home test, take a picture of the positive test result and submit it via the Positive COVID-19 Test Reporting form located in the My Forms section of the RIT Wellness Portal.