All in for Skidmore: Employee Commitment

To all faculty and staff members:

We are writing today to first thank you for your commitment to Skidmore College and for adapting to the new normal of testing, health certifications, mask wearing and social distancing while on campus. It is not easy, but every step you take to follow these health and safety rules helps protect our community and ensure a safe environment for working and learning. Thank you!

Your commitment to the College’s health and safety protocol is one that requires constant diligence. While most are complying with these protocols, there have been some reports of noncompliance. We want to take this opportunity to remind all employees that social mitigation actions like wearing a mask and respecting social distancing succeed only when all of us commit to them at all times. They fail when any one of us disregards them and endangers others.

As a reminder, each day that you come on campus, the following mitigation behaviors are required to preserve the learning and working environment we share and value:

Always wear a mask covering your nose and mouth while on campus. This includes when traveling across campus and when sitting outdoors and in other public spaces. You can remove your mask when you are in your personal office or when you are eating but must maintain social distancing even under those circumstances. Individuals who cannot medically tolerate a mask will be accommodated by the College.
Respect other people’s space and safety by maintaining appropriate social distance (at least 6 feet).
Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds; if soap and warm water are not available, you mut use an alcohol-based hand gel with at least 60% alcohol.
Follow the cleaning protocols and responsibilities set forth by the Facilities department.
Sneeze and cough into your elbow or cover your mouth and nose with a tissue and properly dispose of all tissue.
Complete the Daily Health Certification every day you come to work on campus.
Be thoughtful about how your travel can impact others and restrict your travel to essential and emergency travel as much as possible during the duration of in-person learning during Fall Term 2020. If you travel to a location impacted by the New York State Travel Advisory, you must meet all applicable quarantine requirements prior to coming back to work on campus.

In order to protect the health and safety of all our community members, the College must promptly and strictly enforce these requirements. What this means is violations of the health and safety protocol summarized above (and set forth in detail in the College's Reopening Safety Action Plan) will necessitate corrective action, up to and including suspension or termination from the College. We encourage you to take this shared responsibility seriously, to abide by the requirements, and to encourage others to do so as well. Compliance concerns can be reported to HR at hr@skidmore.edu or 518-580-5801.

We acknowledge that our community as a whole cannot reunite on campus until COVID-19 poses significantly less risk to all members. We are in this together - let's work toward that day with resolve and hope.

Sincerely,

Sarah Delaney Vero, Esq.
Interim Human Resources Director
Assistant Director of Employment & Workforce Diversity