Important Information From the COVID-19 Incident Response Team (CIRT)

Dear students, staff and faculty:

As we approach the beginning of the spring semester, the COVID-19 Incident Response Team (CIRT) would like to share several critical updates on the college’s operations and community health and safety expectations.

Throughout the spring semester, campus operations will be driven by the COVID-19 operating modes (green/medium risk, yellow/elevated risk, red/high risk) with an initial blue mode. Our current plan is that we will move to green mode on March 1; however, that will depend on campus conditions and compliance with health and safety guidelines.

As of today, the campus is in blue mode. Students arriving on campus into quarantine must follow quarantine procedures until they have been cleared by the Schacht Center for Health and Wellness.

Beginning immediately and until further notice, on-campus and approved off-campus students will be tested three times per week.

• Once clear of quarantine, students may not visit other houses or rooms. Kitchens and common spaces are closed.
• Once clear of quarantine, students must remain on campus. They may only travel up to 1 mile from campus for work or to purchase essential commodities (e.g., groceries and medicine). Students may not visit any off-campus residences or participate in off-campus social gatherings of any kind.
• Once clear of quarantine, dining is grab-and-go only.
• Once clear of quarantine, given current COVID-19 conditions, students should limit outside interactions as much as possible in the week following their arrival on campus. Time spent outside of a student’s individual room should only include essential tasks such as meal or medication pickup and solo outdoor activities.

Additionally, any employee approved to be on campus two or more times per month must now participate in the COVID-19 screening program. Employees approved to be on campus two or more times per week must test twice weekly, and those approved to be on campus between two times per month and once per week must be tested weekly.

Operating Modes and Health and Safety Notifications

When the college moves to a higher-risk operating mode (for example, green to yellow), the community will be notified immediately via an email from CIRT, an emergency text and voice notification and a sitewide update to the banner on the top of smith.edu webpages. Each alert will be accompanied by reminders that outline which campus operations (academic, dining, residential, etc.) will change and when those changes become active.

Similarly, when the college moves to a lower-risk operating mode, the community will be notified by email and web updates. Text and voice emergency alerts will be used only for moves to higher-risk operating modes.

CIRT will also send a weekly, all-campus email that shares data on the campus screening programs; city, regional and state coronavirus updates; and other important health and safety news. Between these emails, real-time data on the college’s screening program will be available on the college’s COVID-19 dashboard.

Additionally, CIRT will host a biweekly (every other week) community forum via Zoom to offer updates and answer questions from students, staff and faculty. These meetings will begin in the first week of February. A Zoom invitation will be sent as soon as the first session is scheduled.

Health and Safety Guidelines

As a reminder, every member of the Smith community is expected to follow health and safety guidelines including, but not limited to:

• Participation in the COVID-19 screening program at the assigned frequency
• Where expected, wear lanyards indicating participation in the COVID-19 screening program
• The wearing of masks at all times on campus other than when alone in individual rooms or offices
• Strict adherence to the guidelines set by the operating mode.

Any member of the community not following these guidelines should expect to receive corrective actions up to and including dismissal from campus, including loss of on-campus housing or termination of employment.

Community compliance to health and safety guidelines is the core of the Culture of Care plan and the safe completion of a spring semester. We ask that every student and employee help maintain a safe environment for living, working and learning on campus.

Any member of the community who has concerns about lack of compliance with health and safety behaviors may, at their discretion and if comfortable doing so:

• Approach an individual or group to ensure they are aware of health and safety guidelines. The college will offer training to support these conversations between members of our community.
• Reach out to, as appropriate, a supervisor, student affairs or residence life staff member or student leader to share specific concerns. 
• File an anonymous report online using EthicsPoint or by calling 855-805-7490.
• Contact covid19info@smith.edu.

As President McCartney wrote last week, Smith’s Culture of Care is a reciprocal one; it requires that we not only comply with guidelines but also hold one another accountable. With your help, we know that we can provide a safe and vibrant spring semester for each of us to learn, live and work at Smith College.

The COVID-19 Incident Response Team (CIRT)
covid19info@smith.edu

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