Policies

Policies

Together, we are responsible for keeping our Smith community safe and healthy. By individually following college protocols and practices to prevent the spread of coronavirus, we create a safe campus for us all.


Policies

COVID-19 Vaccination Policy

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 booster shot within 30 days of becoming eligible for a booster.


External Attendees at Indoor College-Sponsored Events

Beginning February 28, 2022, the college will permit external guests (any individual not actively participating in the college’s COVID-19 screening program) at indoor Smith events under the following conditions.

In order to allow non-Smith guests at events: 

  • The event must be sponsored by a department or program (not an individual).
  • All external guests, with the exception of children under 5 who are not yet eligible for a vaccine, must show proof of full vaccination at the time of the event. At Smith College, “full vaccination” is defined as receiving the primary vaccination course, plus a booster shot for those who are eligible, and two weeks have passed since receiving the last shot for which you are eligible. Exemptions from this requirement are not permitted for members of the public.
  • The college may not store or keep proof of vaccination either in hard-copy or digitally.
  • Masks must be worn indoors  at events of 30 or more people unless actively eating or drinking (note that food or drink may not be served at events in student houses with external guests).
  • Sponsoring departments are fully responsible for the communication, coordination and enforcement of these and any other college policies.
  • Sponsoring departments are responsible for all staffing required to comply with these guidelines.

If an event is open to external guests, all attendees (including students and employees) must present one of the following when entering the event:

  1. For those within the college’s COVID-19 screening program, a current OneCard indicating that the holder is a member of the faculty, a current employee or current student. Admission should not be granted to those with OneCards that indicate that they are in any other category. Details are provided below.
  2. For external guests, proof of vaccination.

As a reminder, the sponsoring department or program is solely responsible for attendee management and policy compliance. This includes providing sufficient staffing to ensure that every attendee presents a current OneCard or proof of vaccination.

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.


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