Group Travel during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Understanding that off-campus group activities are an important aspect of the student experience, the College is developing new guidelines that will allow for limited organized group day trips in the spring semester. These guidelines will enable student groups seeking to participate in college-sponsored off-campus activities to apply to travel for activities such as field research, academic enrichment, volunteer and civic engagement efforts, athletic Liberty League competition, and outdoors groups.
Health and safety protocols will be central to the planning and approval of any organized student day trips. Consideration for approval will include risk assessment, staffing (all group travel will require faculty/staff chaperones), transportation, and testing capacity. Groups approved for off-campus travel will be required to abide by Bard’s masking, distancing, and testing protocols as defined through the application process. No overnight travel will be permitted at this time. In the coming days we will circulate details on the application process.
Off-campus travel by individuals is still restricted. COVID rates remain high, with very contagious variants continuing to circulate around the country. It is important for us as a community to uphold all the efforts we individually and collectively put into completing the “return to campus” protocols, which enabled us to carefully bring our community back together and prevent COVID from spreading on our campus. Students who are taking in-person classes and need to travel for personal reasons, whether you live on or off campus, should submit a request to travel HERE prior to departure, to receive guidance and ensure we can accommodate your safe return to campus.
Updated March 22, 2021