Penn State has released new online reporting forms to help bolster its coronavirus contact tracing processes, the university announced Thursday.

The reporting methods allow information to be easily submitted regarding students who have tested positive for the virus or came in contact with someone who had. Faculty and staff can also report information students share with them about their status or their close contacts

Two reporting forms are currently available. The first, the Student COVID-19 Self-Referral form, collects self-reported information from individuals who have tested positive for the coronavirus or believe that they are a close contact of a positive case.

The second, the General Contact Tracing Referral form, allows students, faculty, and staff to anonymously report information that has been shared with them regarding other positive cases or close contacts.

Both forms can be found on Student Affairs’ COVID-19 support website.

Penn State will use the information obtained from these forms to efficiently respond to known positive cases of COVID-19 on campus and their close contacts. So far this semester, some students have reported their dissatisfaction with contact tracing efforts (or lack of them…).

It’s important to note these forms aren’t to be used for reporting conduct violations. Penn State released a different reporting method for those violations earlier this semester.

To protect the privacy of those involved in the process of contact tracing, the identity of students or employees who file reports, as well as any individuals who have tested positive or are presumed positive, will not be shared.

Penn State will provide confidential notifications to appropriate faculty, instructors, and supervisors to enable support and accommodations for those affected. Beyond these notifications, the University will only share information about a specific individual’s health status as needed and as appropriate if there is a concern for the safety of the campus community.

For more information on contact tracing, head over to Student Affairs’ website to read up on some frequently asked questions.