COVID Update: Spring 2022 Arrival

Dear Bennington community,

I write to you today with important updates regarding our COVID protocols for arrival to campus in February. We look forward to welcoming all of our students and faculty back to campus, while continuing to prioritize the health and safety of our entire community amid an ever-changing pandemic.

As many of you know, the COVID Task Force has been working throughout the pandemic to monitor, assess and adjust our policies to ensure the safety of our students, faculty and staff. The Task Force is a team of committed staff and administrators co-chaired by Alison (Ali) Tartaglia, DrPH, our Director of Student Health Promotion and resident public health expert, and Dr. Randy Anselmo, Director of Health Services. Please know that like other college campuses throughout the nation, we do anticipate that Omicron will have an impact on our community, and with this in mind, we have updated a number of health and safety protocols in anticipation of your arrival which are outlined below.

Students and families are invited to join us for a Q&A on Monday, January 24 at 7:00 pm ET. You can register now, and submit any questions you have, so they can be addressed. Students should reach out to the Chair of our COVID task force, Ali Tartaglia if you need help with testing, boosters, or travel to ensure a smooth arrival.

A Q&A will be held for staff on February 1 at 11:00 am. Faculty members have received more detailed information from Provost Maurice Hall and Dean of Faculty Sarah Harris.

In closing, I would like to recognize and applaud the continued efforts of our entire community of students, faculty and staff, but especially our COVID Task Force. They have worked tirelessly to stay ahead of changing regulations, triangulate with local, state and national agencies, and ensure our planning remains nimble and responsive to an ever-evolving circumstance. While we hope that the future may bring a more manageable endemic phase, we will continue to respond to the current realities and challenges that the Omicron variant is presenting.

I thank you all for your continued commitment to the health of our entire community, which enables the best possible in-person learning experience on campus. Please take care of yourself and one another in the weeks ahead, and I look forward to welcoming you this February.

Sincerely,





Laura Walker

 

COVID Policy Updates: February 2022 Arrival

Commitment of Shared Responsibility
In order to support a culture of safety, responsibility, and accountability, we will require that all members of the community (students, staff, and faculty) sign a Commitment to Shared Responsibility. An updated commitment will be shared shortly.

Vaccination and boosting for students

• Students must be fully vaccinated, including their boosters. Students are asked to submit their documentation.
• If you have not been able to access a booster once you were eligible, you will be able to get that on campus. Please email Health Services to set this up.
• If you wish to request an exemption from the vaccination based on a medical contraindication or religious reason, reach out to Health Services and your request will be reviewed.

Vaccination and boosting for faculty and staff
Employees are required to get a booster within 30 days of their eligibility date. Please upload proof of booster vaccination to ADP.

If you have had COVID within the last 90 days
Students who have had COVID should let us know, as they will be exempt from arrival and surveillance testing for 90 days after they tested positive.

Arrival and arrival testing

• All students will be tested upon arrival and on Day 5.
• In addition, we are requesting that all students do a pre-arrival test in the 72 hours before they arrive on campus. They can either take 2 rapid tests (24-48 hours apart) or take a PCR; please bring photos of the rapid tests and bring results from a PCR. (Note that people in the U.S. may be able to order rapid tests by household for free from the federal government now if you have an address in the US.)
• Students who are fully vaccinated (boosted) and have negative pre-arrival test(s) will not have to quarantine when they arrive.
• Students who don't have access to tests or are not fully vaccinated and boosted will need to quarantine until the arrival test comes back negative.
• New and transfer students should plan to arrive between 11:00 am and 4:00 pm on Saturday, February 12.
• Houses open for returning students at 10 am on Monday, February 14. A form with sign ups for arrival times will be in Digital Coffee Hour on Thursday, January 27.
• A form will be sent out to students shortly related to arrival and COVID. Once this information is gathered we will be able to make further informed decisions around quarantine and spaces.

Masks

• Masking indoors is required in any shared spaces.
• We note that the CDC is encouraging people to wear higher-quality masks, like KN95s masks or surgical masks, if possible.
• Cloth or disposable masks should fit securely above the nose and below the chin. Bandanas, balaclavas and other loose fitting face coverings (ex: scarves) are not acceptable.
• Note that the federal government is expected to begin giving away N95 masks next week.

Ongoing testing

• Everyone—students, faculty and staff—on campus should be tested weekly.
• On Tuesday, February 15, we will resume a 4 day testing schedule: Monday through Thursday, 8:00-11:30 am and 12:30-3:00 pm. (Location to be determined.)

First week of classes
We are planning that all classes will be held virtually for the first week, and we plan to resume in person classes on Monday February 21. We may need to adjust based on positivity rates for arrival testing, or if there is persistent or increasing spread within the campus community.

Dining upon arrival
Pending outcomes of arrival testing and adherence to surveillance testing, the plan is that:

• The first week—The Dining Hall will be take-out only; students will be able to pick up the food.
• The second week—Students will be allowed to eat in the dining hall. It will not be open to faculty and staff until the following week.
• The third week and beyond—The dining hall will be open to all students, to all vaccinated faculty and staff, and to visitors who adhere to our visitor policy (including being vaccinated and boosted).

If a student tests positive
We will follow the new guidelines from the Vermont Department of Health:

COVID positive cases

• Students who test positive will be expected to isolate until Day 5, when they can be released if they test negative with antigen tests on days 4 and 5 and are asymptomatic. Students will receive direction from Student Life about where they will isolate and will be connected with Academic Services to assist with coursework.
• If they continue to test positive or have symptoms, they will continue to isolate.

Close contacts

• While the State of Vermont has discontinued for students, the College will continue contact tracing for any students or employees on campus who are identified as positive.
• Close contacts who have received the booster will not be required to quarantine. They will be tested on Day 5.
• People who are vaccinated and eligible for their booster but have not received it will be required to quarantine for 5 days. They will be tested on Day 5.
• People who are unvaccinated will be required to quarantine for 7 days. They will be tested on Day 7.

During isolation and quarantine

• Health Services will provide care for any students in isolation or quarantine.
• A member of the Academic Services staff will contact students in isolation or quarantine to discuss temporary accommodations and provide academic support.
• Students in quarantine (i.e, who have been a close contact of a COVID case) will have food delivered daily by a friend. Student Life will be in touch to coordinate that once the student is identified as a close contact.
• Students in isolation (i.e., who have COVID) will have food delivered by a staff member.

Daily symptom reporting
Fully vaccinated students will not be required to do daily symptom reporting during the Spring 2022 term.
Those who are not-yet-fully-vaccinated or who have exemptions should continue to do daily reporting of symptoms.

Visitor Policy
The Visitor Policy is the same as last term. To enter into a campus building, visitors need to be vaccinated and to fill out the visitor form—ideally at least 24 hours before they arrive on campus. Visitors who have not filled out the form should be prepared to show their vaccination card before entering any campus buildings.

Visitors are allowed in public outdoor spaces on Bennington College’s campus, including walking trails, regardless of vaccination status.

All visitors should wear a mask and observe social distancing at all times while on campus.