A Message from President Botstein about Visitor Access to Campus
A COVID-19 Update
To the Bard Community,Through diligent adherence to COVID-19 protocols, Bard has been able to maintain campus safety and in-person teaching. However, the number of cases is rising nationally and regionally. Our medical consultants have advised the College to redouble its efforts and tighten the protocols regarding campus access.
At the beginning of the semester we announced we would be operating as a restricted campus with limitations on visitors to the campus. Today we are announcing that Bard will be operating as a closed campus. Access to the campus by members of the surrounding communities and casual visitors is prohibited.* A person who does not live, work, or study at Bard will be not be allowed access to campus without prior approval from the College. New signage will be posted at campus access points to alert the internal and external community of this change in policy. Local government leaders have been notified that this is a precautionary measure in light of regional upticks in COVID-19 cases.
This new measure should not be viewed with alarm or considered punitive. It is not a response to something now taking place within the Bard community. It is a precautionary measure, based on recommendations from our consultants at Nuvance. It is intended solely to preserve the health and safety of the Bard community. Combined with our travel restrictions and other safety protocols, this new measure will help us to maintain our strong and hard-won health and safety record on campus that the community has worked so hard to achieve.
Therefore:
- Beginning today, the Bard College campus, including all of the grounds, facilities, and Montgomery Place, will be closed to the public.
- In-person admission tours and athletics recruitment visits - which have been limited to one family per day and remained entirely outdoors - will have to be virtual until further notice.
- We strongly encourage all members of the campus community to utilize online ordering and avoid unnecessary shopping trips and in-person dining off campus.
- Unauthorized visits to campus by friends or family are not permitted. Although this is not a change from our previous policy, Bard's Response Team has asked the College to reaffirm that we are unable to welcome friends or family to campus. Unauthorized visitors will be escorted from campus immediately.
I want to thank all students, faculty and staff for their remarkable cooperation in these difficult times. Questions should be addressed to the COVID-19 Response Team.
*Although the College has applied strict measures to contain COVID, it will take equally extraordinary measures to make sure that access to voting on election day is easy, fair, and safe. Based on the College's record in preventing any cases on campus so far, voting on the campus should be considered the safest and most convenient alternative for in-person voting.
Leon Botstein
For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].