August 2020
Dear Class of 2024,
The new school year is upon us! It is time to tie up loose ends at home and prepare to join us here at Skidmore College. We appreciate the efforts that you and your families have made to make this fall opening possible. The patience, flexibility, and fortitude you and your families have shown has been nothing short of saintly, and the efforts of numerous campus offices have been nothing short of Herculean. Some of you will study at home this fall, others will arrive in Saratoga Springs this weekend and most of you will join us on campus on August 19-20. At that point, the success of the school year will be largely in your hands. We can work, live and learn together if and only if you and all students commit to following public health protocols and to the general welfare of the communities these protocols are meant to protect.
Did you notice that I used the plural “communities” above? This is quite intentional. You will be joining the Class of 2024, a residence hall community, academic and co-curricular communities, and what we hope is the foundation of your first-year experience — your Scribner Seminar community which includes your faculty advisor, peer mentor, and classmates. If you have not done so already, be sure to get in touch with them. Very soon, they will make up your most immediate community. You will share a great deal of your First-Year Experience with them, and that experience starts this Friday, August 7, when some of your classmates arrive from locations all across the U.S. and around the globe to complete the two-week quarantine required by New York state. Other classmates will study remotely (i.e., from their family homes) this fall. I hope you reach out and support one another in whatever ways you can. The welfare of your Scribner Seminar community depends on the welfare of every member!
The series of Student Forums held this week have covered a wide range of topics related to the fall opening, but at the heart of each has been the health and welfare of the Skidmore College community which includes more than 3,000 faculty, staff, and students who all live in the larger Saratoga Springs community. Do what you can to keep these communities healthy; the welfare of each of these communities will bear directly on your own experience. We will return to this theme again during New Student Orientation (NSO) which will be available starting Friday, Aug 7. NSO is a multifaceted online program consisting of modules on Health & Wellness, Academics, and Joining Community. It is a required part of the First-Year Experience, and all students must complete all three online modules prior to Sunday, August 23.
In the meantime, we want to get know you a bit better. To that end, we require that you complete a “Reflection and Projection” (RAP) exercise that asks you to think about and share what is important to you now and what you hope to gain from your college education in the coming years. Your responses will figure into your first conversations with your faculty advisor. Be sure to complete your RAP prior to Friday, Aug 21.
No matter where you are coming from, when you will be arriving, and whether you will be on campus this fall or not, we are excited to welcome you to the Skidmore College community, and we look forward to seeing you soon one way or another!
Sincerely,
Amon Emeka, Ph.D.
Director of the First-Year Experience &
Associate Professor of Sociology
P.S. Below, you will find important information about arrival, orientation, and move-in, as well as other items related to being prepared for the fall semester.
Checklist of Upcoming Deadlines
August Checklist
| Activity | Due Date |
|---|---|
| Submit ID picture | July 1—August 10* (new deadline) |
| Write RAP | July 1—August 21* (new deadline) |
| Complete online wellness education class (instructions will be mailed to your SKIDMORE email account) |
August 3—23 |
| Register for Skidmore Urgent Notification System (SUNS) | Ongoing |
Past Deadlines
If you have missed any of these deadlines, please contact the appropriate office as soon as possible.
| Activity | Due Date |
|---|---|
| Mail in Health Forms (due Aug. 1) | Contact Health Services |
For a complete list of dates and deadlines, visit the Dates and Deadlines page on the FYE website.
Arrival and Orientation Information
New Students who are not arriving early for the 14-day quarantine-should arrive on August 19th or August 20th. The Office of Residential Life will contact you directly with the date and time for your move-in.
Maps and Directions
All the important locations are available on our interactive campus map.
This interactive map will help you find your residence hall, drop-off zone, parking,
and more.
Need directions to campus? You'll find those on our website.
Orientation
We know that this is a year that brings with it both the usual questions about classes, housing, and campus life, as well as a whole host of new questions about classes, housing, and campus life given Covid-19. In addition to our town halls, we have developed a three-part online New Student Orientation to help you as you prepare to come to campus. The first module, Health and Wellness, will be released later this week. The other two modules, Academics and Joining Community, will be released over the next three weeks leading up to our New Student Welcome on August 23rd.
Please be sure to visit the Fall Planning webpage for the most up-to-date information to prepare for your first year at Skidmore.
Packing Lists
As you consider packing, Please review the Residential Life Packing List for what to bring and what to leave at home. Given the times we are in, it will be important that you bring face masks, a digital thermometer and hand sanitizer. Further, you are encouraged to not overpack. If you are traveling to campus by car, you should bring only the items you can fit in that car. The same applies if you are traveling by plane, bus, or train. When we close for the semester on Friday, Nov. 20, you will be required to take all of your personal belongings with you.
Post Office Reminders
Your student mailbox assignment will be available the first week of August. To obtain
your assignment and mailbox combination, please visit the Post Office website and click on student mailbox information. You will be asked to log in with your username
and password.
Incoming mail and/or packages should be addressed:
John/Jane Doe—Class of 2024
Mailbox #____________
Skidmore College
815 N Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Important: Do not use "PO Box" as the local post office will send your mail elsewhere in town, which will delay your items. Be sure to have mail addressed to your "Mailbox."
Package pickup protocol is as follows:
- Masks are required for postal services and package pick up
- Maintain 6’ social distancing and follow signs on floor
- One way traffic in and out of the Post Office
- No cash sales….payment only by Skidmore ID card
- Only accepting pre-paid packages which can be dropped off in the blue courier box located in the Case Center vestibule or next to the laundry room in Jonsson Tower. Larger packages can be dropped off at the Post Office
- Avoid mass gatherings. If you see a line of students greater than 5, please come back later.
- Window hours 9:00 am – 4:45 pm Monday-Friday.
Your Skidmore ID
Your ID is essential for your first day at Skidmore. It is not just for the dining
hall and library; your ID is also the key to your residence hall, your room, and a
declining balance card. Prior to arriving on campus, we ask you to upload a photo
for your ID. Students who do not submit appropriate photos (or never submit photos)
will face unnecessary delays when they arrive on campus. Given Covid-19 protocols, it is even more important that you submit your photo before
the new deadline of August 10th.
Please use the guidelines below when submitting your photo. Photos that do not follow these guidelines or are deemed inappropriate will not be processed.
Between July 1 and August 10th incoming students should upload a photo for their student IDs.
Photo Submission Guidelines
- This picture is for identification purposes
- The picture must be in color
- The picture must be less than 500 KB in size
- The picture must be a minimum of 300 x 300 pixels
- The picture must be a file type of .jpg, .jpeg, .gif., or .png.
- Please use plain light color or blank background
- No hats, sunglasses, jewelry, or garments that obstruct the view of your face
- Eyeglasses should be worn if normally used by students
- Eyes should be open and looking at camera
- There should be a small space between your head and the top of the image
- Head should be positioned directly facing the camera, not leaning on anything
Any questions or concerns should be directed to the Card Office at 518-580-5854. We thank you for your cooperation in getting your photo submitted to be sure your ID is ready for your arrival on campus.
REquired Wellness Education Course for Incoming First-Year Students
We know you're excited about coming to Skidmore and we are thrilled to welcome you to our community. Skidmore College is deeply committed to the health, wellbeing and happiness of its community members. In an effort to prepare you for the unique challenges and responsibilities of college, we require each incoming student to complete the following online courses offered through our partnership with 3rd Millennium Classrooms:
- Alcohol-Wise.
This is an alcohol prevention program. Whether you drink or not, Alcohol-Wise will empower you to make well-informed decisions and will help you cope with the drinking behavior of peers.
- Marijuana-Wise
This is a marijuana prevention course that provides you with accurate information about marijuana, including its effects.
- Consent & Respect
This is a comprehensive course addressing intimate partner violence, healthy relationships, bystander empowerment and consent.
The courses will become available to you on August 3, 2020. The deadline for completion is August 23, 2020. Failure to complete the course may result in a referral to the Student Conduct Office.
The instructions and the link for accessing the courses will be sent to your Skidmore email address.
If you have questions, please contact Kim Golemboski at kgolembo@skidmore.edu or 518-580-5484.
Please note: We will also be sending a Part 2 to these courses approximately 30 days after the start of the semester. Additional information and instructions will be sent to your Skidmore email account once the semester begins.