To the University Community,

Yesterday, the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education issued guidance (please see the attached memo) to the campuses of the Montana University System to begin offering voluntary asymptomatic COVID-19 testing to students living in on-campus residence halls, followed by all students as supplies allow.

Montana Western has moved quickly and will make this asymptomatic testing available first to our residence hall students beginning on the first day of residence hall move-in, Friday, January 8, and run this testing through Friday, Jan. 22.

Residence hall students will be assisted during their pre-scheduled move in appointments to schedule an appointment for their free, voluntary asymptomatic test, which will be administered in the Student Senate Conference Room next to the Bulldog Life Office in the SUB basement.

Students living off-campus should call 406-683-7388 to schedule their tests.

UMW and other campuses of the Montana University System are able to offer this asymptomatic testing thanks to the coordination of the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and other state-level public health leaders.

DPHHS has approved the university system to use the tests and is providing testing supplies from its stockpile, which was, in turn, provided by the federal government. The tests serve as a valuable addition to our other mitigation efforts — including a mask requirement, practicing social distancing, symptomatic testing, communication efforts, and quarantine and isolation housing.

Because the number of testing supplies is still limited, we unfortunately do not have the capacity to offer these tests to faculty and staff at this time.

I wish to thank you all for your tireless efforts in your work in continuing to help us to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our community and hope you all have a healthy spring semester.

Wishing you well,

Chancellor Beth Weatherby