An Update on Holding In-Person Events on Campus
A COVID-19 Message
To the Bard Community,In our effort to maintain campus safety and continue prioritizing the classroom experience, organized gatherings and non-academic in-person activities have not been allowed except in a few special cases. In recent days we have seen an increase in requests to hold or attend in-person non-academic events, so have instituted an approval process to begin considering these requests in a systematic way. The desire to participate in more events in person is understandable and we believe that with this new approval process we can cautiously resume some small in-person events, such as club meetings. In making this step, however, it is essential that students, faculty, and staff know that all events must be still approved, in advance, by the Response Team, and must adhere to the College’s health and safety protocols.
If you are interested in organizing an event or activity, indoors or outdoors, you must submit a specific plan for the event and receive prior approval. Faculty and staff should fill out and submit the form found here, and students should contact SPARC to register your event or email [email protected]. Your application will be reviewed and you will be contacted either with an approval or to discuss adjustments or alternatives. Please note that social gatherings of more than 20 people are still prohibited, and all groups, no matter how small, must adhere to all COVID protocols, including mask wearing and physical distancing.
When filling out the application form, you will be asked to confirm adherence to the following requirements:
- Participants limited to 20 people at any time or ⅓ capacity of the room/space in question, whichever is smaller
- Masks must be worn at all times
- Attendees must be physically distant at all times
- No singing, cheering, yelling, horn playing, or similar higher risk activity allowed
- Any food must be individually wrapped and purchased or made by Bard Dining. Any open-source food must be provided and served by Bard Dining.
- No sharing of beverages, cutlery, or utensils
- Room capacities must be adhered to at all times for indoor events
- Student-initiated events must be attended by a staff member, faculty member, or student event staff
In your application you will be asked to create a specific plan that applies these requirements to your proposed event in its particular location.
As the recent news from Washington, DC makes tragically clear, failure to adhere to well-established health and safety protocols can have dire consequences for each of us and everyone in our community.
Please also remember that, while cases in the immediate area around Bard remain relatively low, there have been a number of outbreaks elsewhere in New York State and cases are rising in a number of nearby states. The pandemic is far from over, and any lapses in adherence to safety protocols, however small they might seem, pose the risk of an outbreak on campus. Nonessential travel must be avoided, visitors to campus and off-campus residences restricted, and safety protocols observed both on campus and off. It is not possible to monitor the prohibition on nonessential personal travel, so we must rely on the voluntary compliance and support of the Bard community in upholding these important protocols. Please contact the Bard Cares Team at [email protected] about violations of policy. Any student living on campus or taking in-person courses on campus who needs to undertake emergency travel should be in touch with the Dean of Students office to work out a travel plan.
Each week we randomly select approximately 400 individuals on campus to participate in surveillance testing. Faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in surveillance testing; please sign up here. Completing the test is fast and easy and, most importantly, essential to maintaining the safety of everyone in the Bard community. We developed this randomized testing protocol based on recommendations from New York State public health officials and in close consultation with the medical experts at Nuvance. Because the testing is randomized, some people may be selected several weeks in a row while others may be selected more intermittently. Randomized testing—not deliberate selection of specific people or groups—is the scientific recommendation for developing the most accurate and comprehensive metric of health on campus. Once you are selected to test, you must complete the test the week you are selected.
Finally, we want to encourage all members of the Bard community to get a flu shot this year. Influenza and coronavirus have similar symptoms, and both can cause serious illness. In partnership with CVS Pharmacy in Red Hook, Bard Health Service is hosting flu clinics on campus. If you missed the October 1 clinic, you can walk into Stevenson Athletic Center any time from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on October 8 or 29 or November 19. No appointment is needed and the clinic is open to any students and Bard employees who are 18 years old or older. Please bring your insurance card (there is a $40 cost without insurance). If you have any questions about the flu clinics, please contact [email protected].
Sincerely,
Bard College COVID-19 Response Team
[email protected]
Coleen Alexander Murphy, Vice President for Administration
Kimberly Alexander, Director, Human Resources
Jonathan Becker, Executive Vice President and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Barbara Jean Briskey, Director, Health Services
Erin Cannan, Vice President Student Affairs/Dean for Civic Engagement
Deirdre d'Albertis, Dean of the College
Malia Du Mont, Chief of Staff, President's Office/Vice President for Strategy and Policy
Brooke Jude, Associate Professor of Biology
John Gomez, Director, Safety and Security
Emily McLaughlin, Associate Dean of the College
Jennifer Murray, Dean of International Studies
Bethany Nohlgren, Dean of Students
Kahan Sablo, Dean for Inclusive Excellence
David Shein, Associate VP for Academic Affairs/Dean of Studies
Éric Trudel, Chair, Faculty Senate
For more information, call 845-758-6822.