COVID-19 Resources for Employees
Visit the Office of Human Resources main COVID-19 page for guidance about working on campus, as well as information about payroll, benefits, and office procedures during the pandemic.
Vaccination
What are the vaccination and booster requirements for faculty and staff?
The College has been closely following the emergence of the Omicron variant and recently announced a booster requirement for students prior to the start of spring semester. In order to achieve the greatest protection against this new variant, and in consultation with public health officials and our higher education peers, we will also require all faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated with a booster by February 3 or within 30 days of eligibility. If you are eligible, please get your booster as soon as possible and provide updated vaccination cards here.
We appreciate those members of our faculty and staff who have already received boosters or have appointments to do so in the coming weeks. Although we intend to offer additional clinics on campus during the semester, we recommend individuals proactively secure appointments whenever possible. Boosters are currently available at most major drugstores and supermarkets and a search by location of NYS-operated sites can be found here.
If you have any questions or need assistance uploading the documentation, please email [email protected].
Is Bard a fully vaccinated campus?
Yes. Thanks to our vaccination mandate, Bard College is considered a “fully vaccinated campus” by CDC standards. This is a special status that enables the College, and our peer institutions that have achieved fully vaccinated status, to return to full capacity in-person learning, in accordance with CDC’s Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People and New York State requirements. Vaccines have been shown to be very effective at preventing illness.
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. Any unvaccinated student or employee, for as long as they are not fully vaccinated and up to date, must continue to follow the same protocols that kept our community safe last year when we were all unvaccinated, including masking and physical distancing at all times indoors or in group settings on campus.
In order to maintain our campus as fully vaccinated, the College requires all visitors to show proof of vaccination before being approved for access to College facilities.
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.
The CDC has recently classified Dutchess County as an area of high transmission for COVID-19. In areas of high transmission, the CDC recommends vaccination, testing if you experience symptoms, and masking indoors. As a result of this designation, members of our community should consider wearing a mask when indoors and in a public setting and in other common or shared spaces where individuals may interact.
In accordance with New York State requirements, everyone must continue to be masked when visiting the Bard Health Service and Nursery School/Children’s Center, and when utilizing any Bard transportation. Students, faculty, and staff who have vaccine exemptions will continue to wear a mask in all indoor and group settings.
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.
If I have received a College-approved exemption from vaccination, what are the protocols I must follow?
Any student or employee with a College-approved exemption from vaccination, or who is not yet fully vaccinated and up to date, must be masked at all times and remain physically distanced.
Testing
What should I do if I test positive for COVID-19 or think I've been exposed?
Faculty and staff experiencing symptoms should stay home, contact their physician, and/or make an appointment to get tested. Employees experiencing symptoms, or those who have tested positive, should not come to work and should contact Human Resources at [email protected] or at either 845-752-4931 or 845-750-5812.
Since every situation is different, faculty are encouraged to consult as needed with their program director, divisional chair, and the Dean of the College to develop a plan of support and to provide for continuity of instruction. Human Resources is also prepared to assist with all such queries.
Read the CDC Guidelines for Quarantine and Isolation
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
What is the College's contact tracing policy?
Faculty and Staff who are identified as close contacts will be notified by Human Resources, who will provide guidance and testing options. Faculty or staff who test positive off campus should continue to notify the Human Resources office.
Bard’s COVID-19 Case Management Team, which includes trained contact tracers, continues to conduct contact tracing of all on-campus positive cases to identify campus close contacts. The Case Management Team works with any student testing positive to determine their on-campus close contacts. If our contact tracers identify you as a close contact of an on-campus positive case, you will be contacted by the Case Management Team.
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.
Campus Life + Facilities
What is Bard doing to help keep employees safe?
Bard College has an Airborne Infectious Disease Exposure Prevention Plan, which was created in response to the New York HERO Act. The purpose of this plan is to protect employees against exposure and disease during an airborne infectious disease outbreak. Plan posted September 21, 2021
What is the College policy for hosting visitors and organizing events on campus?
Given our continued extremely low level of COVID cases among Bardians, we have recently updated our campus visitor policy. All visitors to campus facilities must still demonstrate proof of vaccination, including booster, in advance, and residence halls, the library, and the gym remain off limits to visitors. Approval for visitors can be obtained from the Response Team by using this form.
Fully vaccinated and up to date household family members of Bard employees may enter campus facilities without needing approval for each individual campus visit. Bard employees who wish to have their fully vaccinated and up to date household family members granted long-term access to campus facilities should fill out this simple form to upload proof of vaccination. Approved family members are free to visit campus facilities that are otherwise already open to visitors. The residence halls, gymnasium, and library remain closed to family members and other visitors in order to ensure the continued safety and comfort of our community.
Academic and faculty-sponsored events may now be opened to fully vaccinated and up to date members of the community under the same protocols used by such campus venues as the Fisher Center and Hessel Museum. All visitors must demonstrate proof of vaccination in advance. Event organizers will be responsible for planning and staffing for advance registration, including proof of vaccination confirmation and obtaining names and contact information.
Individuals who do not fall into either of the above two categories and are planning to enter any campus facility must receive advance approval via the “Request for Non-Bard Visitors to Campus” form, which is available to Bard employees. Students wishing to sponsor a visitor should contact their dean for more information.
Anyone experiencing COVID symptoms, whether they are an employee or an approved visitor, should refrain from coming to campus.
Can I plan in-person activities with other members of the campus community?
Campus community members may plan small, COVID-safe in-person activities. All proposed events must adhere to COVID safety protocols as outlined in the COVID-19 Student Handbook Addendum, as well as any additional protocols needed for each specific event. Students should contact SPARC through the Office of Student Activities by emailing [email protected]. Employees wishing to hold events may apply by filling out the form here.
How do I reach out to the Response Team?
The Response Team will hold virtual office hours where members of the Bard community can drop in with any questions. Please consult your Bard email for more information on hours and availability. You are also welcome to send questions to us at [email protected].
Is the Bard campus open to the public?
Yes, the main Bard College campus grounds in Annandale are now open to the community. External groups that wish to hold outdoor gatherings on campus grounds should contact [email protected] to discuss relevant restrictions and required approvals. Visitors who are vaccinated and boosted are welcome in campus facilities (except residence halls and the gym, which remain off limits to visitors) with advance approval from the Response Team, which can be obtained through this simple form.
Is the Stevenson Athletic Center open?
The Stevenson Athletic Center is currently open to students and staff, with hours posted on bardathletics.com. Users should present their Bard ID at the front desk when entering the building. The pool is available for lap swim on a reservation basis. Please visit the website for more information.
Effective March 1, 2022, the Stevenson Athletic Center will be open to fully vaccinated and up to date spouses/partners and dependents over the age of 16 of benefit-eligible employees of the Annandale campus only. In order to obtain access, employees must submit their family member’s proof of vaccination status using this link. Once the information is submitted, it will be reviewed and verified, and the employee will be notified when their family member card(s) are available for pick-up. Please note that information regarding pool use for children of employees under the age of 16 will be forthcoming in mid-March.
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. Details will be posted to bardathletics.com when dates and requirements are finalized.
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.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Equal Opportunity Employer
Bard College is an equal opportunity employer and we welcome applications from those who contribute to our diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, mental, or physical disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, familial status, veteran status, or genetic information.Bard is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for all individuals in employment practices, services, programs, and activities.
Employment Quick Links
Contact Us
Mailing Address: PO Box 5000, (Street Address: 30 Campus Road)
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000
Phone: 845-758-7428 or Fax: 845-758-7826
Email: [email protected]
We are open Monday through Friday, 9am - 5pm