A Message about the Updated Campus Visitor Policy and COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots
A COVID-19 Update
To the Bard College Community,Since our last update, we have experienced both Fall Break and Family & Alumni/ae Weekend. For the former, many members of our community traveled off campus, and for the latter, we welcomed hundreds of alumni/ae and family members to campus. This is a very welcome change from last year, when we weren’t even able to consider organizing either of these fun annual activities that are important to the life of the College. That we were able to do so this year speaks to the care that our community members are taking when traveling off campus, as well as our visitors’ compliance with our COVID policies when they are on campus. Above all, it underscores that our status as a fully vaccinated campus is helping us return to many of our former activities, with limited and easily manageable restrictions.
Updated visitor policy
Given our continued extremely low level of COVID cases among Bardians, we are happy to announce two changes to our campus visitor policy.
1 - Fully vaccinated household family members of Bard employees will now be allowed to enter campus facilities without needing approval for each individual campus visit. Bard employees who wish to have their fully vaccinated household family members granted long-term access to campus facilities should fill out this simple form, which asks you to upload proof of vaccination for any and all household family members you wish to have access to buildings on campus. Bard’s COVID check-in coordinator will respond with an acknowledgement that your submission has been reviewed. After you receive that acknowledgement, your approved family members are free to visit campus facilities that are otherwise already open to visitors. The residence halls, gymnasium, and library remain closed to family members and other visitors in order to ensure the continued safety and comfort of our community.
2 - Visitors to academic and faculty-sponsored campus events: Academic and faculty-sponsored events may now be opened to fully vaccinated members of the community under the same protocols used by such campus venues as the Fisher Center and Hessel Museum. All visitors must demonstrate proof of vaccination in advance and wear a mask in any indoor campus setting. Event organizers will be responsible for planning and staffing for advance registration, including proof of vaccination confirmation, obtaining names and contact information, and enforcing audience mask wearing indoors.
Individuals who do not fall into either of the above two categories and are planning to enter any campus facility must still receive advance approval, via the “Request for Non-Bard Visitors to Campus” form, which is available to Bard employees. Students wishing to sponsor a visitor should contact their dean for more information.
There is no change to the requirement that approved visitors to campus facilities remain masked while indoors, with the exception that speakers who are physically distanced (for example, at a podium) may be unmasked while speaking. Anyone experiencing COVID symptoms, whether they are an employee or an approved visitor, should refrain from coming to campus.
The campus grounds remain open to visitors, without advance approval needed.
For any questions or additional guidance on holding academic and sponsored events on campus with the potential for public attendance, please drop by Response Team office hours on Tuesdays 12-1 (check your Bard email for the link and password), or email the Response Team.
COVID booster shots
Bard’s status as a fully vaccinated community has provided us an important and very effective layer of protection against illness, and is not affected by or dependent on COVID boosters. Given the efficacy of existing vaccines, the College does not currently require booster shots. We encourage members of the community who are considering getting a booster shot to consult the CDC website and/or their primary care physician.
In response to interest expressed by Bard students, faculty, and staff, the College is organizing some booster shot clinics on campus in the coming weeks. Please watch your email for registration instructions. Booster shots are also widely available in local pharmacies.
We also want to remind our community that the Bard Cares Team continues to meet and be active. If you have questions or concerns about COVID policy compliance, or would like to join the Cares Team, please feel free to reach out to [email protected].
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 of Health Services
Christian Ayne Crouch, Dean of Graduate Studies
Deirdre d'Albertis, Vice President and 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, Assistant Vice President of Operations, Director, Safety and Security
David Lindholm, Interim Athletic Director
Emily McLaughlin, Associate Dean of the College, Associate Professor of Chemistry
Jennifer Murray, Dean of International Studies
Bethany Nohlgren, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, Dean of Students
Kahan Sablo, Dean of Inclusive Excellence
Michael Sadowski, Associate Dean of the College
David Shein, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of Studies
Éric Trudel, Professor of French, Faculty Representative
Dumaine Williams, Vice President for Student Affairs, Dean of Early Colleges
For more information, call 845-758-6822.