Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
Our goal in the coming weeks is to ensure we can operate safely and in compliance
with CDC requirements while maintaining the residential, in-person learning environment
we all value.
We are confident that our excellent vaccination rates and our booster requirement
will help prevent serious illness among members of our community. However, we also know that
there will be breakthrough cases and it is likely we will encounter positive case
numbers among students, staff, and faculty at a rate we have not yet experienced as
a college.
To protect the wellness of our community, effectively respond to a new scale of cases,
and minimize operational challenges as much as possible, our COVID-19 protocols, as
well as our response to positive cases, contact tracing, quarantine, and isolation,
will all need to be adapted accordingly this semester.
Consequently, we write to share an initial round of important information as well
as reminders about actions that should be taken now to prepare for a successful spring
semester.
Testing
Based on CDC recommendations, individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 should
not test for 90 days following the initial positive test. If you have recently tested
positive, you must notify Health Services (for students) by emailing health@skidmore.eduor Brianna Herman (for employees) by emailing bherman@skidmore.edu and we will exempt you from pre-arrival and surveillance testing requirements. Please
note: While students who have recently tested positive do not need to participate
in surveillance testing, they should test when symptomatic.
Prior to returning to campus
- All returning students, including students who live off campus, are required to take a PCR or rapid antigen test within 72 hours prior to arriving on
campus.
- If you test positive, you may not return to campus until your designated isolation period is completed.
- Students should make plans now to secure rapid antigen tests or to schedule PCR tests to ensure this requirement
is met. Please do not wait.
- Students must submit proof of pre-arrival test results to prearrivaltesting@skidmore.edu, by sending a photo or other official confirmation, prior to arrival. Photos of rapid
tests must have your name and the date of the test clearly written on the test. Failure to do so will be considered a violation of Skidmore’s Student Code of Conduct.
Upon arriving on campus
- All students must be tested on campus within 24 hours of arrival and must test again five
days later.
- Testing will be available on Friday, Jan. 21, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and then daily
beginning Jan. 23 on the second floor of Murray-Aikins Dining Hall. The full testing schedule can be viewed here.
- Employees must complete an on-campus test the week of Jan. 23-29 or a PCR or a rapid
test away from campus. Updated testing hours are available on the Health Services website. Testing will again be located on the second floor of Murray-Aikins Dining Hall. Negative
test results from off-campus testing do not need to be reported. Employees who test
positive through off-campus testing should inform Brianna Herman in HR and their supervisor.
Booster shots
- As shared at the end of last semester, all eligible Skidmore students, staff, and
faculty are required to get a booster by the start of the spring semester or within 30 days of
becoming eligible (unless you received a medical or religious exemption to Skidmore’s COVID-19 vaccination
requirement).
- Please review the CDC’s current guidelines for booster shots, which were recently updated. Individuals who received the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19
vaccine can now receive a booster shot five months after completing their Pfizer or
Moderna primary series.
- Per the CDC, individuals who are eligible for a booster but are not yet boosted, and who come
into close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19, must now quarantine
for five days following the exposure and test on day five with an antigen test. Therefore,
being boosted in a timely way is critical to our ability to resume normal activities
and operations on campus.
Submitting proof of boosters
- Students should submit proof of booster vaccination directly through the Skidmore Health Portal. This portal is confidential and secure, and your password may be different than your
regular Skidmore password. If you received a booster at the on-campus clinic last
year, you must still submit proof of booster application.
- Students who are eligible for a booster and who return to campus without submitting
proof of receiving one will be in violation of Skidmore’s Student Code of Conduct.
- Instructions for uploading booster information will be sent directly to employees
from HR.
Masks
- Skidmore will begin the semester at a yellow status level. Masks will continue to be required at all times in indoor public spaces. Please refer to current guidelines here.
- Given the extremely contagious nature of Omicron, at this time due to the current surge, all members of the Skidmore community are strongly encouraged
to wear a snuggly-fitting KN95 mask or to double mask using a cloth mask over a disposable mask
when indoors in public spaces.
- Students, faculty, and staff will be provided with KN95 masks when they are first
tested upon returning for the spring semester. However, please make plans now to secure additional
masks that you will need for use throughout the semester.
Classes
- During the first four days of the semester (Jan. 25-Jan. 28), faculty members will
have the discretion to hold classes remotely or in person. Instructors will inform their students by email if they will be teaching remotely
during this time. Beginning Monday Jan. 31, we anticipate all classes will be taught
in person.
Compliance and Communication
- It is imperative that students check their email regularly. This is the official communication format for the College as well as the system faculty
will use to alert students to changes in the class teaching mode.
- Compliance with these policies is essential. More information will follow about penalties
for failure to adhere to these protocols meant to safeguard our entire community.
There is much to look forward to this spring, and our priority is to start out as safely and as best we can to ensure the semester can
continue as normally as possible.
We understand that individuals may have questions beyond what was addressed in this
communication. We are considering all areas related to our return to campus and will provide additional
details in a timely and responsive manner. Please monitor your email regularly for important updates in the coming days and weeks.
Sincerely,
The COVID-19 Logistics Working Group
- Donna Ng (Co-Chair), Vice President for Finance and Administration & Treasurer
- Gail Cummings-Danson (Co-Chair), Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and
Director of Athletics
- Sarah Delaney Vero, Interim Human Resources Director
- Pat Fehling, Associate Dean of the Faculty and Professor for Health and Human Physiological
Sciences Department
- Sara Miga, Director of External Relations and Strategic Communications
- Tim Munro, Director of Campus Safety
- Bruce Murray, Assistant Director of Facilities
- Kelley Patton-Ostrander, Assistant Vice President for Financial Planning & Auxiliary
Services
- Ann Marie Przywara, Associate Dean of Student Affairs for Residential Life
- Julia Routbort, Associate Dean of Student Affairs for Health and Wellness
- Angela Valden, Strategic Communications Editor
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