Skip to main content
Appalachian Today
News and events at Appalachian State University
  • For the media
  • COVID updates
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Webcams
  • Podcasts
  • In the Media
  • Grants
  • Speakers
  • All Posts
  • Topics
  • Accolades
  • Alumni
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Athletics
  • Awards and Honors
  • Community Engagement
  • Diversity
  • Events
  • Faculty and Staff
  • Gifts and Grants
  • Global
  • Health and Wellness
  • Publications
  • Research
  • Safety
  • Scholarships
  • Students
  • Sustainability
☰ Menu
  • Events
  • Webcams
  • Podcasts
  • In the Media
  • Grants
  • Speakers
  • All Posts
  • Topics
  • For the media
  • COVID updates
  • Contact

Recent App State grad offers 4 tips for forming a pandemic pod for work and home life

View larger image

Recent Appalachian State University graduate Emilee Schluth ’20, a public health major from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, offers advice for creating and maintaining pandemic pods based on her experiences during the spring and fall semesters of 2020. She now works in App State’s Wellness and Prevention Services, assisting students with COVID-19 testing and prevention.

“Treat all of your interactions as a calculated risk, and share openly with people what you’ve been doing and who you’ve seen.”

Emilee Schluth ’20, App State public health major

“Emilee demonstrates a vigilance regarding risk management, which may help other students identify ways to better manage their activities and pods.”

App State’s Dr. Alex F. Howard, interim assistant vice chancellor in the Division of Student Affairs and director of Wellness and Prevention Services

By Linda Coutant
Posted Feb. 26, 2021 at 8:50 a.m.

BOONE, N.C. — Pandemic pod, social-downsizing circle, pandemic posse, COVID crew. Whatever tag you prefer, how does a college student go about choosing and adhering to this small network that looks out for each other’s well-being during the coronavirus pandemic?

“Treat all of your interactions as a calculated risk, and share openly with people what you’ve been doing and who you’ve seen.”

Emilee Schluth ’20, App State public health major

Appalachian State University’s Emilee Schluth ’20, a public health major from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, who graduated in December 2020, offers advice based on her experiences during the spring and fall semesters of 2020. While a student, she interned in the university’s Department of Wellness and Prevention Services (WPS). Since graduating, she has gotten a job there.

“Emilee demonstrates a vigilance regarding risk management, which may help other students identify ways to better manage their activities and pods.”

App State’s Dr. Alex F. Howard, interim assistant vice chancellor in the Division of Student Affairs and director of Wellness and Prevention Services

Schluth’s scenario offers a glimpse into the experiences faced by many college students balancing academics, employment and self-care, said Dr. Alex F. Howard, interim assistant vice chancellor in the Division of Student Affairs and director of WPS.

“Emilee demonstrates a vigilance regarding risk management, which may help other students identify ways to better manage their activities and pods,” Howard said.

4 tips from Emilee Schluth ’20

Schluth said the core of her pod is the close-knit group of friends she had the most interaction with before the pandemic. “These are seven people I was with on spring break, when we found out App State would be going online. We rely on each other for a lot, including car rides and laundry … we knew we had to stick together,” she said.

Because she held a job in the restaurant industry, she formed a second small pod — which included several members of her first pod, who worked at the same location.

Her circle is up to about 15 individuals, counting the roommates of her podmates. “I would have liked for my circle to stay smaller,” but her group members get tested regularly and ask each other frequently about recent interactions, she said.

Schluth offers these tips for holding a balance between pods at home and work so everyone’s health is considered:

  • Stick with select co-workers if you must work in person. “We discussed limiting interaction to our work team and have mostly stuck to that,” said Schluth, indicating she and her podmates have adjusted their behavior to add safety precautions when co-workers have not been as cautious or have communicated their outside interactions.
  • Keep open communication about who else you have been around. This could include making a group chat with your pod to give updates. “Don’t assume everyone is being accountable, and keep asking anyone you are thinking of socializing with about their interactions outside of your known common interactions,” she said.
  • Get tested when possible. “If you know you have been exposed, isolate and get repeat testing a few days or a week after a negative result, since there is a possibility that you may test negative simply because it is too early to detect it in your system — I’ve seen people be fooled by that,” she said.
  • Treat all interactions as a calculated risk. “Just because you have a pod, members of that pod may have different pods as well and may also be exposed in their workplaces or daily activities. Treat all of your interactions as a calculated risk, and share openly with people what you’ve been doing and who you’ve seen,” she said.

Schluth said there were some COVID-19 exposures through pod members’ families or their roommates who had other places of employment and “we alerted each other immediately … we all quarantined and got repeat testing.”

Schluth’s experience, according to Howard, “demonstrates the real walk of a student managing COVD-19, school, work and interpersonal relationships” and offers “a great glimpse into the real living experiences of our students.”

Learn more about COVID-19 testing at App State.

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

App State coronavirus information
App State coronavirus information

Find Appalachian State University’s latest updates, resources, prevention tips, travel information and more regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Learn more
5 tips from App State’s Dr. Alex F. Howard on how to form a pandemic pod
5 tips from App State’s Dr. Alex F. Howard on how to form a pandemic pod
Nov. 13, 2020

App State’s Dr. Alex F. Howard offers tips on how to select a small group of people to allow for social connectedness while reducing risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Read the story
App State students use peer-to-peer efforts to help slow the spread of COVID-19
App State students use peer-to-peer efforts to help slow the spread of COVID-19
Oct. 26, 2020

App State students emphasize healthy behaviors to their peers through a number of student-led initiatives to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

Read the story

About the Division of Student Affairs

The Division of Student Affairs at Appalachian State University is committed to the development of lifelong learners and leaders by engaging and challenging students within a culture of care and inclusion. The division consists of 16 units that offer activities and services to help students develop more fully by becoming global learners, fostering healthy relationships, appreciating diversity and different perspectives, understanding community responsibility, enhancing self-awareness, developing autonomy and living ethically. These units include the Career Development Center, Campus Activities, Office of Community-Engaged Leadership, Wellness and Prevention Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Health Service, Parent and Family Services, University Housing, Student Conduct, University Recreation, Intercultural Student Affairs, Student Legal Clinic and Off-Campus Student Services, Electronic Student Services, Child Development Center, and Staff Development and Strategic Initiatives. Learn more at https://studentaffairs.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

“Treat all of your interactions as a calculated risk, and share openly with people what you’ve been doing and who you’ve seen.”

Emilee Schluth ’20, App State public health major

“Emilee demonstrates a vigilance regarding risk management, which may help other students identify ways to better manage their activities and pods.”

App State’s Dr. Alex F. Howard, interim assistant vice chancellor in the Division of Student Affairs and director of Wellness and Prevention Services

App State coronavirus information
App State coronavirus information

Find Appalachian State University’s latest updates, resources, prevention tips, travel information and more regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Learn more
5 tips from App State’s Dr. Alex F. Howard on how to form a pandemic pod
5 tips from App State’s Dr. Alex F. Howard on how to form a pandemic pod
Nov. 13, 2020

App State’s Dr. Alex F. Howard offers tips on how to select a small group of people to allow for social connectedness while reducing risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Read the story
App State students use peer-to-peer efforts to help slow the spread of COVID-19
App State students use peer-to-peer efforts to help slow the spread of COVID-19
Oct. 26, 2020

App State students emphasize healthy behaviors to their peers through a number of student-led initiatives to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

Read the story

Share

Topics

  • Alumni
  • Health and Wellness
  • Safety
  • Students

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Additional feature stories may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Photo galleries and videos published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian

Share

Topics

  • Alumni
  • Health and Wellness
  • Safety
  • Students

Other Recent Posts

  • Campus emergency siren test to be conducted <span style="white-space: nowrap;">April 5</span>
    Campus emergency siren test to be conducted April 5
  • Troy Johnson named vice chancellor of enrollment management at App State
    Troy Johnson named vice chancellor of enrollment management at App State
  • From waste to wear: App State alumna develops sustainable pigments for fashion, printing industries
    From waste to wear: App State alumna develops sustainable pigments for fashion, printing industries
  • <span style="color: #bc8801;">Appalachian Outdoorosity:</span> Dressing for the Cold (Part 2)
    Appalachian Outdoorosity: Dressing for the Cold (Part 2)
  • Appalachian Journal marks 50 years of spotlighting Appalachia
    Appalachian Journal marks 50 years of spotlighting Appalachia
  • Honoring women’s leadership and history at App State
    Honoring women’s leadership and history at App State
  • Lumbee tribal flag now hangs in App State’s student union, honoring the Lumbee people and their history
    Lumbee tribal flag now hangs in App State’s student union, honoring the Lumbee people and their history
  • Fact check: Mushrooms share more DNA with humans than plants [faculty featured]
    Fact check: Mushrooms share more DNA with humans than plants [faculty featured]
    USA Today
  • Since 1958, App State's Southern Appalachian plant collection has aided research, teaching and conservation
    Since 1958, App State's Southern Appalachian plant collection has aided research, teaching and conservation
  • <span style="color: #bc8801;">SoundAffect:</span> Daniel E. Dawes, JD on how to overcome deep-rooted challenges in the American health care system
    SoundAffect: Daniel E. Dawes, JD on how to overcome deep-rooted challenges in the American health care system
  • App State Office of Diversity brings monthly read-alouds to lab schools
    App State Office of Diversity brings monthly read-alouds to lab schools
  • 6 award-winning authors to visit App State for spring 2023 Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series
    6 award-winning authors to visit App State for spring 2023 Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Additional feature stories may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Photo galleries and videos published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
  • Events
  • Videos
  • Galleries
  • In the Media
  • Grants
  • Speakers
  • All Posts
  • Topics
  • For the media
  • COVID updates
  • Contact

App State

Copyright 2023 Appalachian State University. All rights reserved.

University Communications
ASU Box 32153
Boone, NC 28608
828-262-6156
ucomm@appstate.edu

Abouts

Disclaimer | EO Policy | Accessibility | Website manager: montaldipa (beltmr) .. | Website Feedback

Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram LinkedIn Snapchat