Thursday, December 23, 2021
A Message About Return to Campus Testing and Vaccination Mandate
A COVID-19 Update
- Return to campus testing
- Update to the vaccination mandate
- Pandemic fatigue
To the Bard College Community,
In advance of the new year we would like to provide some details on return-to-campus policies for Citizen Science and the spring 2022 semester. Our primary goal remains the facilitation of a safe, in-person learning experience. As the public health situation continues to evolve, many in our community have questions about how to uphold a safe and productive in-person experience. We will continue to communicate with the Bard community throughout the holiday break as needed. We also wish to express gratitude for the community spirit and mutual support that has motivated this campus since the beginning of the pandemic. Dealing with COVID has been exhausting and stressful, but thanks to sound guidance from public health authorities and scientific experts, and the College’s demonstrated record of preventing outbreak on campus, we can remain in person and devote ourselves to our main tasks of teaching and learning.
First, a few words about the omicron variant. This variant may be more transmissible than previous ones, but the same methods we have been successfully using to keep our community safe—in particular, vaccination and masking—are still effective in preventing illness and spread. Being fully vaccinated does not eliminate the virus, but it does help to lessen the likelihood of infection and strengthen our ability to fight off the virus and avoid serious illness. It is important that all of us, including the fully vaccinated, continue to wear masks, avoid high-risk behaviors such as large crowds or eating in groups, and wash our hands frequently.
Return to campus testing
Return-to-campus testing will consist of two elements: 1) pre-arrival testing that is the responsibility of each student and 2) post-arrival testing that will be conducted by the Bard Health Service. All students must participate in both pre-arrival and post-arrival testing.
- Pre-arrival testing: Students who left campus for the holiday break, including those who live off campus and remain in the local area, will need to provide proof of a negative test before returning to campus for Citizen Science or the spring semester. Similar to previous return-to-campus periods when we have required pre-arrival testing, students should arrange to get a PCR test that must be conducted no more than 72 hours before you arrive on campus. PCR tests are available at most local pharmacies, medical testing companies such as Quest Diagnostics or Labcorp, as well as local and state healthcare facilities. The federal government has begun standing up new testing sites nationwide, with most states adding new testing as soon as next week. You can find local community testing facilities in your state here and through your state health department. We encourage all students and families to look into available testing sites and schedules now; please do not wait until 72 hours before returning to campus to try to make arrangements. If you are unable to access a PCR test in your area in the required timeframe, proof of a negative antigen test conducted no more than 24 hours before your arrival on campus is also acceptable. Please return your proof of a negative test (documentation from the testing site or a clear photo of your test result) before returning to campus to [email protected]. Any student who receives a positive result on their pre-arrival test should not return to campus until they are medically cleared to do so, and should notify the Bard Health Service. Any student unable to access either a PCR or antigen test during the break should notify [email protected] to make arrangements for testing and sheltering in place upon arrival. The small number of students remaining on campus during the break or returning early for athletics team practice will receive separate instructions soon.
- Post-arrival testing: Each student will be required to take a COVID test approximately four days after returning to campus. The College will schedule and administer this test to all students—whether they live on or off campus—via the same MIT/Broad Institute testing program that we have used throughout the pandemic, and that typically delivers results in less than 24 hours.
Bard College is a fully vaccinated campus, requiring that all students, faculty, and staff be fully vaccinated. In accordance with the recent CDC guidance that everyone 18 years and older should receive a booster, we are updating our vaccine mandate to require that all students receive a vaccine booster by January 18 or within 30 days after becoming eligible for a booster, whichever comes first. At this time, we highly encourage all faculty and staff to get the booster as soon as they’re eligible. (The College will release detailed information about booster requirements for faculty and staff after the new year). Individuals who received Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are eligible to receive a booster dose six months after their last dose. Those who received Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine are eligible to receive a booster dose two months after your original dose. Boosters are widely available at vaccination sites nationwide.
Once you have received your booster, students should upload the date and submit proof of the vaccine (a screenshot of your vaccine card) to the medical portal at bard.medicatconnect.com (if you are unable to access the portal, students may send this information to [email protected]). Employees who wish to upload their proof of booster at this time may do so at [email protected]. The College plans to offer more booster clinics on campus after the new year, but asks all members of our community not to wait until then if you are already eligible.
Pandemic fatigue
Pandemic fatigue is real. We have come a long way together safely, but the challenges of living safely with COVID protocols on a residential college campus create a lot of stress. As individuals and as a society, we have confronted an unprecedented and mentally taxing level of uncertainty. It is no wonder that many of us feel exhausted. The Response Team wishes to acknowledge the extraordinary mental and emotional work that each of us undertakes every day in support of our collective perseverance through these challenges. And we want to express our conviction that, with the advent of spring, things WILL get better. As we embark upon this new semester, there is energy to be found in our common dedication to the essential work of learning and advancing knowledge together.
Thank you for your support of this community. Bard has been highly successful in maintaining a healthy campus by following the science, adopting and adhering to well proven protocols, such as testing and vaccination, and working together as a community. We will continue to adjust our protocols moving forward and look forward to a safe and successful spring semester.
With best wishes for a restorative holiday break,
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,
or visit https://www.bard.edu.