A Message about Spring Surveillance Testing on Campus
A COVID-19 Update
Topics in this update- Spring 2021 Surveillance testing
- Testing compliance
To the Bard College Community,
The spring semester is now underway and next week we restart our surveillance COVID testing of students. While our testing process remains largely the same, we have increased our capacity to enable the testing of more students and with greater frequency. We will test approximately half the student body each week, with the goal of testing the entire student population twice per month. We also expanded employee surveillance testing this semester, with all employees enrolled in mandatory random surveillance testing.
We believe this robust testing regime will provide us with the information we need to maintain campus safety in the coming months, considering the higher rates of infection in the surrounding community and more contagious variants that now characterize the public health situation. Students will receive emails from [email protected] and faculty and staff will be notified by [email protected] of their next test; people selected for testing will have multiple day/time options for completing their test. It is extremely important that every member of the Bard community comply with and respond to these notifications. This ongoing testing is an essential element of Bard’s COVID safety plan, and participation is not optional. Please monitor your email carefully for these notifications and other communications about supporting health and safety on campus. We aim to make this testing process as smooth as possible and appreciate your cooperation. A 1-minute video demonstrating the testing process is posted on the college's COVID page; scroll down to "Getting a COVID-19 Test at Bard" and click to view.
It is gratifying to be back for in-person classes, a situation that would not be possible without the care and vigilance that members of our community have consistently demonstrated. We look forward to another safe and successful semester.
Sincerely,
Bard College COVID-19 Response Team
[email protected]
Coleen Murphy Alexander, 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 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
David Lindholm, Interim Athletic Director
Emily McLaughlin, Associate Dean of the College
Jennifer Murray, Dean of International Studies
Bethany Nohlgren, Dean of Students
Kahan Sablo, Dean for Inclusive Excellence
Michael Sadowski, Interim Dean of Graduate Studies
David Shein, Associate VP for Academic Affairs/Dean of Studies
Éric Trudel, Chair, Faculty Senate
Dumaine Williams, Vice President for Student Affairs/Early Colleges
For more information, call 845-758-6822.