Vaccination Policy

Vaccination Policy

August 16, 2021

Smith College requires all students to be fully vaccinated by the date they arrive on campus, 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.


Vaccination Guidance for Campus Community Members, Visitors, Contractors and College Affiliates

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This guidance will remain in effect during the COVID-19 pandemic and until altered or rescinded.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