A Message about Continue Surveillance Testing and Vaccination Updates
- Continued surveillance testing
- Vaccination updates
- Response Team office hours
To the Bard College Community,
As we near the end of the spring semester and look forward to celebrating the milestones this brings, we would like to remind everyone that the COVID protocols you’ve all become familiar with are still in place, and that testing, in particular, still plays an essential role in campus safety.
The College will continue to conduct regular surveillance testing of students, faculty, and staff. We are also planning to conduct exit testing of students before they depart campus, as we did at the end of the fall semester, and in advance of Commencement, in keeping with New York State requirements for large events. While many in our community have been vaccinated, many still have not. It has also not yet been proven that vaccination fully prevents the spread of COVID. For these reasons, it is essential that everyone who receives an email calling for a test continue to respond immediately and follow through with completing the test. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it is still a central pillar in our campus safety protocols. In order to be eligible to participate in any of the upcoming campus events, such as Spring Fling or Commencement, academic program celebrations, and related events, you must continue participating in surveillance testing.
In addition to continuing testing and COVID protocols, all students, faculty, and staff on campus must continue to use daily health check-ins through the Human Resources form (for employees) and Involvio (for students), regardless of vaccination status. Being vaccinated does not prevent the possibility of catching or transmitting COVID-19, and does not exempt anyone from these requirements.
As noted in an earlier update, everyone over the age of 16 is now eligible for free COVID vaccinations throughout New York State, and we encourage everyone in the Bard community to get vaccinated as soon as they can. All of the vaccination sites in the local area now have openings for scheduled appointments, and many are also allowing vaccination on a walk-in basis. The sooner we are all vaccinated, the safer we will be. We have also just received clarification from the New York State Department of Health that the term “fully vaccinated,” for the purposes of adhering to current State guidelines, means someone who has completed an FDA-approved vaccine course plus two weeks.
As a community we have done an extraordinary job of maintaining a safe campus. With just a few weeks left to the semester, we should remain vigilant and end spring 2021 with a sense of accomplishment and hope looking forward.
Finally, a reminder that the Response Team holds weekly office hours. Any member of the Bard community is welcome to drop by Tuesday afternoons from 4-5PM. Check your Bard email for the link and passcode. Please also feel free to reach out to us by email.
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
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, Associate VP for Student Affairs/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.