Health & Safety

Health & Safety

Consistent with changes to the number of cases of COVID-19 in the region, regulation by the commonwealth of Massachusetts, new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the results of surveys of the vaccination status of students and employees, the college is implementing summer operating protocols.

VIEW SMITH COLLEGE’S COVID-19 SCREENING DATA

Remote Support Resources Available

At a time when Smith students can’t be together on campus, Smith is committed to providing equitable, inclusive, dynamic services. Please visit the Remote Support Resources website for information on remote academic and personal support.


Policies

COVID-19 Vaccine Policy

June 18, 2021

Smith College requires all students to be fully vaccinated by the date they arrive on campus for the fall semester, including Five College students, high school students and auditors who take courses on Smith’s campus.

Smith College requires all employees to be fully vaccinated by August 1, 2021, including casual employees and Five College faculty and staff who teach or work on Smith’s campus. The college may require some independent contractors to be vaccinated depending on the nature of their work on campus, determined by the cabinet member overseeing them. Staff who work abroad should consult with their supervisors, and faculty who work abroad should consult with the Provost, to clarify any additional requirements and alternative arrangements that might apply.

“Fully vaccinated” means you have completed full courses of U.S. Federal Drug Administration or World Health Organization listed COVID-19 vaccines.

Masks and Social Distancing

You are welcome to wear masks both indoors and outdoors. Masks are required indoors for those not fully vaccinated.

Students may host visitors in on-campus residences. Visitors must follow all Smith health and safety protocols. External visitors are not allowed in other campus buildings or dining facilities.

In-person meetings of staff in the screening program are allowed.

 

Student and Employee Handbook Addendum

Community safety during a pandemic is a collective responsibility. The ability of the Smith College community to thrive during the current COVID-19 pandemic is contingent upon a shared understanding that we each have a role in taking steps that promote not only our own health but the health of the other individuals with whom we share our campus.

A culture of care acknowledges that keeping our community safe and caring for one another requires each of us to fully comply with public health guidelines. In support of our goal to create a culture of care, and in accordance with public health guidance, Smith College requires that all students, faculty, staff, and approved visitors to campus abide by:

1. All applicable laws, regulations, and guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, as well as state and local public health authorities; and

2. All other safety precautions required by Smith College.

The college will maintain a publicly-available listing of these safety precautions online. This listing may be updated over time.

The college encourages everyone to do their best to honor not only the letter, but the spirit of any safety precautions. Students, faculty, and staff who do not adhere to applicable safety precautions may be subject to disciplinary action under relevant processes. Approved visitors who do not adhere to applicable safety precautions may be removed and/or trespassed from Smith College.


Community Testing

Anyone who will regularly be on campus—residential students, local off-campus students, staff and faculty—will be required to participate in asymptomatic community screening once per week.

  • Students approved to be in residence on or near campus who develop symptoms should contact the Schacht Center for Health and Wellness at 413-585-2250. Employees who develop symptoms should be tested immediately by their primary healthcare provider.
  • Students approved to be in residence on or near campus will be tested for coronavirus on arrival to campus and retested on a regular basis, at no cost, once per week. Students living locally off-campus who wish to take part in on-campus activities must follow the on-campus testing protocol.
  • Students approved to be in residence on or near campus and employees must follow COVID-19 response protocol if they display any symptoms related to COVID-19.
  • Students or student-facing employees who develop symptoms should be tested immediately by a local health-care provider.
  • All on-campus asymptomatic testing will be conducted in coordination with the Broad Institute.
  • Asymptomatic testing will be done using a CRSP SARS-CoV-2 Real-time Reverse Transcriptase(RT)-PCR Diagnostic Assay. Testing uses anterior nares swabs, which are less invasive than other methods.

CORONAVIRUS SCREENING


Isolation Planning

  • Any student in residence who tests positive for COVID-19 will be moved to dedicated isolation housing for care and monitoring.
  • Meals, transportation to and from medical care, and extended cleaning protocols will be provided for students in isolation.