Faculty and Staff FAQs

What are the vaccination and booster requirements for faculty and staff?

In accordance with CDC guidance that everyone 18 years and older should receive a booster, we now require that all faculty and staff receive a vaccine booster. Individuals who received Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are eligible to receive a booster dose six months after their last dose. Those who received Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine are eligible to receive a booster dose two months after your original dose. Boosters are widely available at vaccination sites nationwide. Please send your updated vaccination record to [email protected]. 

If you have any questions or need assistance uploading the documentation, please email [email protected].

Please note: The additional booster that was authorized by the CDC in September 2022 is strongly recommended but not required at this point in time.

Is Bard a fully vaccinated campus?

Yes. Thanks to our vaccination mandate, Bard College is considered a “fully vaccinated campus” by CDC standards.

All students, faculty, and staff are required to provide proof of vaccination, bringing us to a vaccination level of over 99%. The fewer than 1% of students and employees who remain unvaccinated have received prior approval for medical or religious reasons. We encourage community members and visitors who are not vaccinated to mask indoors.

Once fully vaccinated and up to date, do I still need to wear a mask?

Bard College is a “mask-friendly” campus. With this policy, we have lifted the indoor mask mandate, but encourage anyone who wishes to wear a mask to do so. The College is requesting that students, faculty, and staff keep a mask with them in order to be ready for various situations you may encounter throughout the day.

In accordance with New York State requirements, everyone must continue to be masked when visiting the Bard Health Service. 

Are fully vaccinated and up to date individuals still at risk for getting a COVID infection?

It is important to remember that vaccination is not a guarantee against infection. The purpose and power of vaccines comes from their ability to teach and strengthen our immune systems to more effectively identify and fight viruses, in this case the virus that causes COVID, thereby avoiding serious illness despite potential exposure. Vaccination, particularly as a fully vaccinated campus, is the best way to minimize exposure and prevent serious illness and community spread.

What should I do if I test positive for COVID-19 or learn that I've been exposed?

1. Notify: If you test positive for COVID-19, notify your close contacts and notify Human Resources at [email protected] or by calling 845-758-7249 if a positive test will cause you to miss work.

If someone who tests positive notifies you that you are their close contact, please mask, monitor your symptoms for the next 10 days and test yourself five full days after exposure. In keeping with CDC guidance, as long as you are fully vaccinated and remain asymptomatic you may continue with normal activities (with a high-quality mask for 10 days).

2. Isolate: Isolate at home. In accordance with CDC guidance, anyone who tests positive can be released from isolation after five full days if they are not experiencing symptoms.

Will testing be available on campus this semester?

The College does not provide on-demand COVID-19 testing for employees. Please consult your primary care physician, urgent care, or other testing entity to receive a COVID test.

Some testing options include:
https://www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/covid-19-testing
https://www.pixel.labcorp.com/covid-19 

Is the College conducting contact tracing?

Bard College is no longer conducting contact tracing. Individuals who test positive should review their daily activities for 48 hours prior to the test or onset of symptoms and reach out to anyone with whom they were in close contact. A "close contact" is someone who was less than six feet away from an infected person (laboratory-confirmed or a clinical diagnosis) for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period. It does not matter if you were wearing masks or not, and it does not matter if you were indoors or outdoors.

I have cold or allergy-like symptoms. Should I get a COVID-19 test?

If you experience cold or allergy-like symptoms that are not typical for you for the season, please consult your physician to be evaluated and possibly tested for COVID.

How do I reach out to the Response Team? 

You are welcome to reach out to the Response Team at [email protected].

Is the Bard campus open to the public?

Yes, the Bard College campus in Annandale is now open to the community. Bard College performances, exhibitions, and academic events are also open.

Prospective visitors who are unvaccinated may visit campus facilities, providing they test negative for COVID within 24 hours before coming to campus. Anyone experiencing COVID symptoms should refrain from coming to campus.

The Stevenson Athletic Center gym facilities remain closed to visitors; at this time visitor access is limited to observing sporting events. Please see below for details.

May I host visitors on campus?

Yes, you may host visitors on campus. Please consult with your visitors prior to arrival to ensure that they exhibit no symptoms of COVID-19 and to ascertain whether they are fully vaccinated and up to date.

Anyone—student, faculty, or staff—who wishes to host a visitor inside College facilities is asked to ensure that your visitor is fully vaccinated and boosted. Requesting proof of vaccination status is allowed under federal HIPAA law. If your intended visitor is vaccinated and recently tested positive for COVID, they may only come to campus if all of the following are true:

• It has been at least five days since they tested positive
• They are no longer experiencing symptoms
• If it has been more than five days but less than 10 days since their positive test, they must be masked throughout their time inside campus facilities or in any kind of group setting.

Prospective visitors who are unvaccinated may visit campus facilities, providing they test negative for COVID within 24 hours before coming to campus. We strongly recommend that unvaccinated visitors remain masked at all times. 

The prohibition on visitors eating in Kline or DTR has been lifted. 

Is the Stevenson Athletic Center open?

The Stevenson Athletic Center is currently open to students, faculty, and staff, and family members of faculty and staff (age 16+) who have been approved by the College. Athletics and Recreation staff, in consultation with the Response Team, will continue to evaluate the potential return of community use to the Stevenson Athletic Center. Updated requirements will be posted to bardathletics.com.

Community memberships will also be available soon to people interested in purchasing access to the pool and/or squash courts. Anyone accessing the gym must be fully vaccinated and boosted. Information regarding these memberships will be posted to bardathletics.com.

The gym is open to vaccinated and boosted spectators at sporting events. Any visitor wishing to attend an event at the gym must be prepared to show proof of vaccination and a booster before entering the facility. Until further notice, gym facilities remain off limits to visitors who wish to exercise; at this time visitor access is limited to observing sporting events. Please stay tuned for further updates about expanded gym access for visitors.

Is Montgomery Place open to the public?

The Montgomery Place grounds are open daily from dawn to dusk. Mansion tours are currently suspended. Visit the Montgomery Place website for more information.