A COVID-19 Community Update
- Updated mask policy
- Updated travel guidelines
- Vaccination challenge to relax campus COVID policies
- Campus grounds now open
- Response Team office hours
To Bard College faculty and staff:
The risk of outdoor COVID transmission has been shown to be low, so masks are no longer required outdoors on campus grounds. Masks are still required inside all campus facilities, unless you are by yourself in your office or other private space.
Updated travel guidelines
The College has updated its travel guidelines to reflect improving public health conditions and rising vaccination rates. While we ask that all members of our community exercise caution when undertaking higher risk activities such as travel, official College travel is no longer restricted. Please take relevant CDC and U.S. State Department travel advisories into account. The College’s updated guidelines will be posted on the College’s COVID page today.
Vaccination challenge to relax campus COVID policies
With vaccination rates rising statewide, the College is aiming to reach a vaccination threshold that will enable us to relax many of the COVID protocols still in place. We know that a very high percentage of our community is already vaccinated, so we are now able to plan for a “return to normalcy” this summer. If we can reach or exceed 85% of our population (including students in residence this summer and all on-campus employees) fully vaccinated, then we can undertake the following changes:
- End daily health screenings via email for employees and Involvio for students
- Allow vaccinated individuals to be unmasked in all campus facilities
- Expand size limits for events and decrease Response Team event approval requirements
- Lessen the frequency of COVID testing of employees and students
- Resume some in-person meetings indoors
In order to reach the 85% threshold that will enable us to relax some restrictions, we encourage all vaccinated members of the Bard community to do the following as soon as possible:
- If you are an employee, please use the health screening tool that is delivered by email every morning to indicate your vaccination status if you have not already done so. (If you have previously provided this information, no further action is needed.) If you are unable to enter this information via the online tool or are unsure if you have previously provided it, please contact the Human Resources office directly to indicate your vaccination status at [email protected].
- If you are a student currently living or working on campus, you can provide your vaccination status to the Bard Health Service at [email protected] if it is not already reflected in your online health record.
The Response Team will soon provide further information for first-year and returning students who have left campus for the summer about confirming their vaccination status before the beginning of the fall semester, if it is not already reflected in their online health record. The College will accept proof of any vaccines administered in another country as long as they are approved by the World Health Organization, and will work with any students unable to get vaccinated over the summer to facilitate access to a vaccine upon arrival in New York.
The College has joined the COVID-19 College Vaccine Challenge, launched last week by the Biden administration. The Challenge asks its adherents to advance three primary goals: Engage all students, faculty, and staff to ensure they understand they are eligible for and have the resources to access vaccination; identify vaccine champions across campus and implement a plan to get as many members of the campus community vaccinated as possible; and bring vaccines on-site and make it easy for students, faculty, and staff to get vaccinated at sites near campus. This is an ongoing effort that will continue to engage students, faculty, and staff, and we will share further details in the weeks and months to come.
We appreciate everyone’s participation in this important first step in our return to normalcy, and we look forward to reaching new milestones as the summer progresses and we approach L&T and the fall 2021 semester.
Campus grounds now open
As of June 1, the main Bard College campus grounds in Annandale are now open to the community. Please be aware that, due to Bard Summerscape rehearsals and performances at Montgomery Place, public access to the Montgomery Place campus will be restricted throughout the summer; please consult the Montgomery Place website for details. External groups that wish to hold outdoor gatherings on campus grounds should contact [email protected] to discuss relevant restrictions and required approvals. Please note that indoor access is still restricted only to approved visitors, and one-way traffic flow inside buildings and related signage are being discontinued/removed.
All COVID policies including group size limits and physical distancing restrictions indoors and outdoors will remain in place until our vaccination threshold goal is reached.
Response Team office hours
If you have questions about these or any other College COVID policies or protocols, please feel free to visit Response Team office hours, which take place every Tuesday afternoon 4-5PM. Check your Bard email for the URL and password.
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.