CMU COVID-19 cases continue to rise but university says process is working

Cases of COVID-19 are continuing to rise on Central Methodist University’s campus.

Central Methodist University reported 16 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. The university currently has 43 active student cases and two active employee cases. 

The Howard County Public Health Department reported seven new cases Tuesday.

Since the start of the pandemic, the county has seen a total of 161 cases. Of those cases, 65 are currently active and 96 cases have recovered. The county has about 10,000 residents.

Vice President for Enrollment Management at CMU, Dr. Joseph Parisi said that their process on campus is working amid rising cases.

“How we handle it is what's critical,” Parisi said. “Wearing the masks and making sure we’re distancing in the classrooms and in the cafeteria, whether we’re inside or outside.”

Parisi said the students at CMU have done a great job following the safety rules. 

The campus of over 1,000 students is using antigen testing to test all students, faculty and staff. Parisi said they wanted the ability to rapid test and say that it is a quality test. 

“We are well equipped to test as much as we need to on our campus,” Parisi said. “We’ve already gone through several rounds of testing, and we’re going to go through another round of testing.”

Students that have tested positive for COVID-19 are asked to quarantine. 

CMU student Kaylee Kapeller has been in quarantine in her dorm room for about a week.

“My initial thought was, well this is going to be interesting,” Kapeller said. 

She said her experience so far has been very positive and because of CMU’s ‘Digital U’ program she hasn’t fallen behind in her classwork while quarantining.

“It’s been really easy,” Kapeller said. “If I miss something or the connection is bad, my iPad picks it up so that I know what's going on.”

She is also able to have her meals sent to her while she is in quarantine. 

“They have a number that you text, and then a link will come back and you can put your first and last name and where your dorm is,” Kapeller said. “You can pick what you want to eat and it comes in a box and they give you a bag as well with water and sometimes cookies."

Kapeller said that her family knows that CMU has a good system in place for COVID-19, which has helped them to not worry. 

“CMU really cares about its students,” Kapeller said.