Skidmore's COVID-19 policies are evolving in step with the latest CDC guidance
Dear Skidmore Community,
With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) having recently announced a number of significant changes in COVID-19 guidance, I write to update the community about how the College will adjust our approach to the pandemic in light of this new information.
We have managed COVID-19 so well for two full years now, through our consistent adherence to a few fundamental principles: prioritizing the health and safety of our community and our campus; following the guidance of science and the medical community in our key decisions; working diligently to provide the full Skidmore educational experience to our students in every way possible; and striving to communicate in a timely and transparent way the policies and circumstances on our campus. These principles remain firmly in place, and we will not waver from them regardless of how the pandemic evolves.
We also recognize how the pandemic has brought into stark relief the serious inequities in our society. We know that each of us experiences the pandemic in different ways, with differing emotions, perspectives, and levels of concern. I believe one of the keys to our success in navigating this challenging time has been our level of care for one another. We have said from the outset that we are all in this together, committed to taking care of ourselves and each other. I know that this ethos will continue to sustain us.
In recent weeks, as national guidelines, practices at educational and many other institutions, and health metrics have evolved, we have continued to consult widely with the Institutional Policy and Planning Committee (IPPC), the President’s cabinet, the COVID-19 Logistics Working Group, local health officials, and presidents and provosts at multiple peer institutions both in New York and nationally. We have done our best to take all considerations into account as we chart a path forward, consistent with the principles that have guided us throughout our COVID-19 experience.
As we are all aware, the COVID-19 landscape has changed dramatically this winter. The Omicron variant has receded significantly since its January peak, with national case numbers now at levels not seen since last summer. The severity of symptoms associated with Omicron is, in the vast majority of positive cases, significantly diminished for those who are fully vaccinated and boosted. And vaccination continues to serve as the most impactful defense against COVID-19, especially against severe disease and hospitalization. Our campus’s exceptional vaccination rate has been one of our most important accomplishments in protecting our community against COVID-19.
Last week, the CDC announced new guidelines, based on hospitalization and severity metrics, for living and working with the virus. Those metrics show that our city and region have a community status level of “low.” The CDC specifies that this status level means that masking indoors no longer needs to be mandatory. Effective yesterday (March 2), New York lifted the statewide mask mandate for public K-12 schools. Many of our peer schools have already moved away from mandatory masking, and most do not conduct regular surveillance testing.
Consequently, Skidmore will ease its indoor masking requirement beginning Monday, March 7. Masking indoors will be optional throughout our campus. Faculty may continue to require masking in their classrooms or labs, individuals may require masking within their personal office space, and students may do so in their individual residence rooms. We will continue to be a mask-supportive and mask-friendly community. Individuals should feel completely free and comfortable to wear a mask wherever they wish.
We will continue to require PCR testing of all eligible students through March 24, at which point required testing will conclude. After March 24, Skidmore will continue to provide free rapid antigen testing for any student who shows symptoms or requests a test, as well as optional PCR testing to any member of our campus community who would like to be tested.
The COVID-19 Logistics Working Group will provide additional details and guidance regarding masking and testing later today, as well as important updates and information about visitors, gatherings, and other items.
This is a major step in our experience of and response to COVID-19. We need to continue to be patient and understanding of others and to be considerate of the many different perspectives and experiences we all have. The easing of indoor masking requirements and changes to our testing protocols will give some a sense of relief and joy, and others varying levels of concern. I know each of us, as members of our Skidmore community, will be respectful and supportive of each other as we adapt to these new changes in campus practices.
Should you wish to share any perspectives or feedback — positive, negative, or somewhere in between — about these decisions, we welcome them. We have created a special email for specifically that purpose: covidfeedback@skidmore.edu. I encourage anyone to submit their thoughts in the coming days and weeks as we make our way forward together, though I do ask that you wait to do so until you have time to carefully review the forthcoming email from the COVID-19 Logistics Working Group.
Certainly, our hope is that we can — as a campus, as a region, and ultimately as the global community that COVID-19 has shown us we are — continue to move toward a time in which we are able to safely and effectively live with the reality of COVID-19. A key component of the Skidmore learning experience is the in-person community gatherings that the evolving nature of COVID-19 and related healthy practices promise to allow, including interactive events, art exhibits, concerts, plays, lectures, competitions, visits, festivities, and more. These experiences are a major part of a robust campus and college experience. We are of course eager to return to such a state, and our hope is that these steps we are now able to take will bring us closer to it.
Thank you to everyone for your continued contributions to a safe, healthy, compassionate, and caring Skidmore.
With all best wishes,Marc Conner
President