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Read Smith’s COVID-19 guidelines.

COVID-19 Information

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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith community members have adhered to safety and prevention strategies to protect all those on campus. To build on this success, campus COVID protocols will continue to evolve as necessary. Together, with clear communication and responsible actions, we can maintain a safe and caring learning environment for all.

Announcements

Beginning Monday, June 13, 2022, we will change our COVID-19 protocols.

Read more in this May 31, 2022 letter to students, faculty and staff.

Changes to COVID-19 Testing Hours

On Monday, May 16, the COVID-19 testing center hours are changing to reflect the reduced campus population. Please review the May 12, 2022 notice for details.

SCHEDULE A COVID-19 TEST

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What You Need to Know

Indoor Masking

  • Masks are required in classrooms (exception: an individual may remove their mask to lecture or present).
  • Masks are required in gatherings of 30 or more.
  • Masks are still required in the Schacht Center for Health and Wellness and the COVID-19 Testing Center.
  • Masking is optional and welcomed in all other settings, including offices and student residences. Please be supportive of those who choose to wear masks.

Testing

  • Mandatory asymptomatic testing has been discontinued. 
  • Symptomatic testing is available and strongly encouraged for all members of the Smith community through the Schacht Center for Health and Wellness.
  • Optional asymptomatic testing is available for current students, staff and employees and may only be taken once per week.

When: Monday–Thursday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: Campus Center, First Floor, room CC103/104

Who: Current students, staff and faculty on campus during the day.

SCHEDULE AN ASYMPTOMATIC TEST

When: Monday–Thursday: 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Where: Schacht Center, back entrance adjacent to the parking lot across the street from the Human Resources Office at 30 Belmont Street

Who: Current students, staff and faculty working evening shifts or hours that make it difficult to get to the testing center during testing hours.

How: Self-collection PCR test kits are available in a box next to the kiosk. Evening employees may drop off their tests in the dropbox there. Drops may be made in the evenings, Sunday through Thursday, there may be a delay in receiving the results.

When: Monday–Thursday: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: Self-collection kiosk at the Schacht Center, back entrance adjacent to the parking lot across the street from the Human Resources Office at 30 Belmont Street

Who: Current students, staff and faculty exhibiting any symptoms related to COVID-19.

How: All symptomatic tests will be self-administered. Symptomatic individuals should submit a PCR test using the self-collection test kits available in a box next to the kiosk. Symptomatic individuals will also take a rapid antigen test. Instructions on use and reporting will be at the kiosk.

Policies and Guidelines

Vaccination

Updated January 12, 2022

Smith College requires all students to be fully vaccinated, including Five College students and high school students who take courses on Smith’s campus, and dependents and partners of students who live on campus.

Smith College requires all employees to be fully vaccinated, including off campus investment office employees, casual employees, and Five College faculty and staff who teach or work on Smith’s campus. The college requires some third-party visitors and vendors (contractors) to be vaccinated, depending on the nature of their work on campus. Guidelines for demonstration of vaccination status are below. Ultimate determinations will be made by the cabinet member with oversight of the student, vendor, volunteer, project or employee. For those working abroad, staff should consult with their supervisors and faculty should consult with the provost to clarify any additional requirements and alternative arrangements that might apply.

“Fully vaccinated” means two weeks have passed since your final dose of a U.S. Federal Drug Administration or World Health Organization listed COVID-19 vaccine, and, effective January 21, 2022, receipt of a first booster shot.

Introduction

This guidance explains how the Smith College vaccination mandate applies to all members of the community as well as third-party visitors to campus, including:

  • Members of the public
  • Volunteers
  • Vendors
  • Consultants
  • Contractors
  • Emeriti/ae faculty
  • Temporary employees hired through agencies
  • Community course auditors from the local community and alumnae
  • High school students taking courses
  • Dependents of students who live on campus

This guidance will remain in effect during the COVID-19 pandemic and until altered or rescinded.

General Guidance

Outdoor campus spaces are open to the public. All visitors to campus must follow Smith College’s COVID-related health and safety policies. Visitors are asked not to come to campus if they are sick or show symptoms.

Vaccination

The college’s vaccination policy applies to many of the third-party visitors to campus. Below, these are broken down by type. Note that pursuant to the public accommodations law, the college is required to accommodate legally recognized exemptions to a vaccine requirement (e.g. religious or medical) for third parties availing themselves of our services, such as high school students and auditors attending courses. By contrast, we are not required to accommodate exemptions for vendors and volunteers.

No vaccination required: Short-term, low-frequency, or low-contact visitors and vendors. All must follow campus COVID-19 health and safety requirements.

This category includes:

  • Deliveries
  • Casual visitors to campus, museum or botanic garden or visitors who stay for less than one day
  • Contractors and vendors who stay for less than one day
  • Contractors who work in a discrete and separate site, e.g., fenced construction site
  • Athletic recruits

Vaccination required for: visitors that are on campus for more than one day or with higher contact, such as visitors to student residences, or those providing services in a crowded space or large event. Visitors in this category must be fully vaccinated and follow campus COVID-19 health and safety requirements. The person or entity hosting or sponsoring the guest is responsible to confirm their guest’s vaccination status. This can be accomplished by receiving verbal confirmation of vaccination status or a visual inspection of vaccination records (Note: The college does not allow the collection of vaccination records in hard-copy or digital formats for privacy reasons).

This category includes:

  • High School students enrolled in Smith courses (high school guidance counselors will be responsible for communicating to their high school students that they must be vaccinated to attend Smith)
  • Volunteers including members of the board of trustees and other external advisory groups
  • Contractors who work for long duration on campus in an office or other un-separated work setting (note, however, that temp agency workers must provide proof as described in the category below)
  • Contractors of short duration who work in close proximity to members of the college community, e.g. musical accompanists, bus drivers etc.
  • Community course auditors
  • Emeriti/ae faculty and staff
  • Five College faculty who teach at Smith
  • Visiting scholars or researchers
  • Northampton High School students enrolled in Smith courses
  • Eligible dependents and partners of students who live on campus
  • Visitors to student residences

 

Vaccination required by provision of vaccination card, or exemption granted for medical and religious reasons: Employees, students, agency temporary workers.

People in this category must be fully vaccinated and upload proof of vaccination (or exemption) in Workday before they can come to campus.

This category includes:

  • Students
  • Staff and faculty (Employees: Please upload this required documentation to WorkDay. Instructions can be found on the Workday Help site.)
  • Agency temporary and other long-term contractors who work amid Smith College employees
  • Casual employees

Indoor College-Sponsored Events

Types of Events Allowed

Events that are sponsored by a Smith department or program for the primary benefit of our students or faculty such as performances, athletic events and lectures.

Types of Events Not Allowed

  • Events that cannot be staffed and supported by the sponsoring campus department or office
  • Events that involve serving or consuming food or drink in student residences
  • Events that allow for unvaccinated people to attend

Responsibilities of Sponsoring Department or Program

Sponsoring departments or programs are solely responsible for the communication, coordination and enforcement of these and any other college and Culture of Care policies. Departments should carefully consider the burden they are undertaking when opening an event to external attendees.

Checklist for hosting an event that includes external guests:

  • Communicate that the event is open to external guests.
  • Communicate the documentation requirements in order to be admitted to the event: “A current Smith College ID or proof of vaccination is required for admission. Five College students may show a Five College ID for admission in lieu of vaccination documentation.”
  • Ensure sufficient staffing of the event to review documents and prevent bottlenecks at the point of entry. College employees or student workers may provide this staffing. Protocols for staffing this function listed below.
    • Train staff on the protocols for reviewing OneCards and proof of vaccination
    • Select staff members who are trained in and comfortable with the responsibility of evaluating the veracity of OneCards and vaccination documents.
    • Provide onsite supervision at the event to help manage the potential for confrontation or escalation with an individual refusing to present documents or presenting invalid documents, and the pressure associated with moving attendees through the process on-site.

Departments hosting a public event will need to manage the process manually, in real time e.g. visually inspecting OneCards and CDC-issued vaccination cards (paper or electronic) at the entrance to the events. Look for the following information when evaluating the veracity of documentation presented:

Acceptable Identification for Vaccine Verification Detail

Smith OneCard

OneCard holders with the following words listed beneath the ID#

  • “Student”
  • “Faculty/Staff”
  • “Casual Worker”
  • “Emeriti” (retired faculty members)
  • “Five College, Inc” (employees working at Smith)

Smith OneCard for those taking courses at Smith (with a different design than a standard OneCard)

OneCard holders with the following words listed beneath the ID#:

  • “Five College Student”
  • “High School Student”

Other Acceptable Identification

Current Five College Student ID from:

  • Amherst College
  • Hampshire College
  • Mount Holyoke College
  • University of Massachusetts

Proof of Vaccination

All others must show proof of vaccination (see details below).

This includes OneCard holders with the following words listed beneath the ID#:

  • “Affiliate”
  • “Affiliate (25 Year Club)”
  • “Alum​nus/a​”
  • “Retiree”
  • “Spouses​/​Dependent”
  • “SSW Student”
What to look for when inspecting proof of vaccination

For Vaccination Cards:

  • Name of person vaccinated appears on the document
  • Date of vaccinations, including a booster shot (if eligible for booster). Ensure that the date is at least two weeks after a two-dose vaccine or two weeks after the primary course or, if eligible for a booster, two weeks after the booster. Eligibility for a booster, see CDC guidance.
  • Vaccine manufacturer: FDA-approved (Pfizer, Moderna, J&J/Janssen) or other World Health Organization approved 
  • Medical facility administering the vaccination is referenced 

State-supported digital vaccination records, such as myvaxrecord.mass.gov or Excelsior Pass Plus, are also acceptable.

Important: The college does not allow the collection of vaccination records in hard-copy or digital formats for such purposes. Do not ask for digital copies of vaccination records by email, registration form, or any other means of digital collection. If you are sent an electronic copy of someone’s medical records, please delete immediately and let the sender know you did so.

Tested positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms? Here’s what to do.

STOP: If you have tested positive for COVID-19, either through a rapid or PCR test administered somewhere other than the Smith College testing program, contact testingandtracing@smith.edu immediately.

Note: The below instructions only apply to fully vaccinated individuals. Those who have received approved exemptions from vaccinations or who are eligible for but have not yet received a booster should follow the instructions provided by the testing and tracing team.

  1. A contact tracer will notify you of your test result and perform a state-required interview.
  2. Isolate for 7 days.
    • Contact tracers will work with individuals living on campus to identify an appropriate isolation space and place the student on a short term medical absence if needed.
    • Individuals living on campus who test positive and can get home via a personal vehicle may work with Health Services to determine whether they can complete their isolation at their off-campus home. Please speak with a Schacht Center for Health and Wellness staff member before leaving campus.
    • Employees and individuals living off campus should isolate at home and notify their supervisor that they will be home for at least 7 days.
  3. On your seventh day of isolation, if your symptoms are improving and you have been fever-free for 24 hours without the aid of medication,
    • Students may exit isolation and must continue to mask and use only grab-and-go dining for an additional three days. 
    • Employees may return to their regular work schedule and must continue to mask for an additional three days.
  4. Following isolation, do not participate in the Smith College PCR testing program for 90 days.

Reminder

This guidance only applies to fully vaccinated individuals. Those who have received approved exemptions from vaccinations or who are eligible for but have not yet received a booster must quarantine at home.

  1. Students should continue attending class and employees should continue working, but must wear a mask around others for 10 full days and monitor themselves for any COVID-related symptoms. Employees are encouraged to discuss the option for remote work with their supervisors during this period.
  2. If asymptomatic, complete a required PCR test on day 5 following exposure. A contact tracer will provide close contacts with the exact date to be tested.
  3. If COVID-like symptoms develop, contact the Schacht Center immediately at 413.585.2250 to schedule a symptomatic test.
  1. Do not test at the Campus Center test site if you have symptoms associated with COVID.
  2. Students and employees who develop symptoms should submit a PCR test to the self-collection kiosk (see details in the “Self-Collection Kiosk (Symptomatic)” section above. They may also access an antigen test at the kiosk to administer at home. Employees or students who develop symptoms Friday - Sunday and do not have access to a home antigen test should email testingandtracing@smith.edu who can assist them in acquiring a test on campus. 
  3. Anyone who tests positive using an antigen test should email testingandtracing@smith.edu as soon as possible, and follow the instructions under the “I have tested positive for COVID-19” section.
  4. Do not attend class or work until your symptoms have improved and you have received a negative rapid antigen or PCR test result. Wear a mask at all times.

If you believe you have been exposed outside of your presence on campus and are asymptomatic, wear a mask around others for 10 full days and monitor yourself for any COVID-related symptoms. Complete a PCR test on day 5 following exposure.

To the Community

COVID-19 Protocols Changing on Monday, June 13, 2022

May 31, 2022 | CIRT Update, COVID Response, Spring 2022

Alert: Mandatory Masking In Effect

May 6, 2022 | CIRT Update, COVID Response, Spring 2022

Responding to the Rise in COVID-19 Cases

May 19, 2022 | CIRT Update, COVID Response, Spring 2022

Important: Change to COVID-19 On-Campus Isolation Policy and Masking Policy

May 4, 2022 | CIRT Update, COVID Response, Spring 2022

COVID-19 Testing Hours Change

May 12, 2022 | CIRT Update, COVID Response, Spring 2022

COVID Update

April 25, 2022 | CIRT Update, COVID Response, Spring 2022

Letters to the Community

Letters to Students

Letters to Staff

Letters to Faculty

Letters to Alumnae

 

Contact

More Information
Email: covid19info@smith.edu
For questions about testing and tracing, please email testingandtracing@smith.edu.