Hartwick College Opening Plans Have Eye on Health Safety

Hartwick College will welcome students to campus between Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 30. Classes begin August 31.

All students and employees will be required to adhere to the following specific protocols:

· All Hartwick students are required to provide evidence of negative results from SARS-CoV-2 RT PCR testing within a maximum of 14 days prior to arrival;

· Students arriving from a “Hot Spot” state, as determined by the State of New York, will be required to quarantine for 14 days, per current guidelines — even if the student has tested negative for COVID-19; and

· Between August 22 and August 31, all students (residents and commuters) and all employees will undergo SARS-CoV-2 RT PCR testing upon their initial arrival on campus; and

· After August 31, all students and employees will be tested every other week until the end of in-person classes (November 20).

Before instruction begins on Monday, August 31, every member of the Hartwick community must commit to follow Our Social Compact: A Healthy Hartwick College. The compact outlines the College’s expectations that all members of the campus community will wear a face mask in all public spaces on campus; ensure six-foot physical distancing at all times and respect personal space; assure good hygiene including frequent handwashing; participate in daily screenings including temperature checks; disinfect living and working spaces and personal items on a regular basis; and comply with the College’s Reopening Campus Plan as well as local, state, and federal guidelines on COVID-19 when both on and off campus.

“Hartwick’s goal is to enable our students to return for instruction while complying with the best guidance available to protect our community, both on- and off-campus,” Hartwick College President Margaret L. Drugovich said. “We see behaviors – the use of face coverings and social distancing – as being critically important. Our decision to test is intended as a complement to these essential practices. Hartwick’s plan for reopening has been crafted by a dedicated team of campus leaders who have had one goal in mind: to reopen our campus in a manner that follows the best technical guidance to assure inspired learning while lowering the risk of community spread of COVID. I am grateful to this group for their tireless work, and to all of our employees and students who are committed to the welfare of our community.”

Coursework will be delivered both in-person and virtually for students in the fall semester. Changes to the academic calendar for the fall semester eliminated breaks until in-person instruction ends on Friday, November 20. All students will leave campus by November 21 and then complete the semester’s instruction and exams remotely. Final exams conclude on December 10.

The College has enhanced safety and cleaning measures throughout campus. These include:

· Daily screening of all individuals entering campus.

· Increased sanitizing of academic and administrative buildings and residence halls.

· Additional hand sanitizer dispensers at building entrances, dining and café locations, fitness entrances, and event spaces.

· Markings and signage in campus buildings to indicate six-foot distancing.

· Designated single-direction foot-traffic in some spaces, and limited the number of building entrances to facilitate screening.

· Restricted elevator occupancy.

· Reduced capacity in theaters and auditoriums to maintain six-foot social distance.

· Reduced capacity in classrooms to accommodate social distancing, enhanced classroom cleaning, and assignment to alternative instructional spaces.

· Classroom “down time” to assist with the disbursement of aerosols.

· Removed furniture and fixtures from offices to ensure six-foot social distance while facilitating work processes.

· Removed furniture and rearranged common areas, such as lounges and study areas, to ensure six-foot social distancing.

· Installed Lexan shields in offices with public-facing reception areas.