AP-2020-05: SGA Support of the NOVID App

West Virginia University
The Student Assembly - Student Government Association
Assembly Proclamation: AP-2020-05

AN ASSEMBLY PROCLAMATION FOR WVU SGA TO ENCOURAGE THE USE OF THE NOVID APP

Whereas, according to Article V, Section III of the SGA Bylaws, the purpose of the Governing Documents Committee is to “Critically evaluate the relevance and purpose of this organization’s governing documents”; and,

Whereas, According to the West Virginia University Mission Statement, “faculty, staff and students at West Virginia University commit to creating a diverse and inclusive culture that advances education, healthcare and prosperity for all’; and,

Whereas, As of September 7th, there have been 215 positive cases of COVID-19 reported on the Morgantown campus since the start of classes; and,

Whereas, As of September 7th, there is a total of 915 students in quarantine and 439 students in isolation; and,

Whereas, According to the CDC, it only takes 15 minutes of close exposure to be infected with COVID-19 ^¹; and,

Whereas, Asymptomatic transmission is when an individual has developed the virus but is showing no symptoms for COVID-19 ^²; and,

Whereas, According to the WVU School of Public Health, “Contact tracing is the identification and follow-up of persons who may have come into contact with a person who has an illness” ^³; and,

Whereas, With undergraduate classes switching online until September 25th, it is likely that a majority of students will still be present in the Morgantown community; and,

Whereas, NOVID is a next-generation mobile application with Pre-Exposure Notifications which allow users to proactively make decisions based on their risk of infection⁴; and,

Whereas, NOVID uses ultrasound technology, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technologies to trace other users that you are in close contact with; and,

Whereas, This technology avoids falsely recorded interactions with a 99.6% accuracy rate; and,

Whereas, NOVID informs users when they have been exposed to someone that has contracted COVID-19 as long as that individual uses the app and reports it; and,

Whereas, Users will also receive exposure notifications when an exposure is verified by a trustworthy health authority; and,

Whereas, The application will only be effective in stopping the virus so long as there is a widespread adoption of NOVID by students and faculty.

Therefore, be it proclaimed by the Student Assembly of West Virginia University:

Section 1: The West Virginia University Student Government Association encourages the voluntary use of NOVID, a symptom-monitoring mobile app that allows users to proactively make decisions based on their risk of COVID-19 infection,

Section 2: Upon passage and approval, this legislation shall be forwarded to:

Mandates:

• G. Corey Farris, Dean of Students
• Sabrina Cave, Executive Director, Student Enrichment
• Dr. Thanh Le, Director, Student Engagement and Leadership (Advisor)
• Rob Alsop, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives
• Clay Marsh, M.D., Dean, School of Medicine, and Executive Dean and Vice President for Health Sciences
• Sharon Martin, Vice President for University Relations and Enrollment Management
• Jeffery Coben, M.D., Associate Vice President for Health Affairs; Dean of the School of Public Health
• Jason Gross, Associate Professor – Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• David Mebane, Associate Professor – Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Daily Athenaeum
• Chase Riggs, Student Body President
• Tracey Picou, SGA Secretary

• ¹https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/public-health-recommendations.html
• ^²https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/principles-contact-tracing.html
• ^³https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2020/05/13/credit-and-non-credit-options-now-available-for-online-course-oncovid-19-contact-tracing