Student Guidance

 VACCINATION

• Student vaccination records are due to the College BEFORE arrival. Vaccination records must be uploaded to the student health portal accessible from the Student Health Services website. 
• Students who arrive on campus without a vaccination record, or who have not already arranged for an exemption or communicated to the College the need to be vaccinated while on campus, will not receive their room key and will not be enrolled for the semester.
• The College can help facilitate vaccination in collaboration with Hartford HealthCare, Community Health, or other local partners. 
• Fully vaccinated is defined as two weeks after the second dose of a two-dose series (Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna), a single dose of Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or following the protocol for other WHO-approved vaccines for students living outside the United States. 
• A person’s vaccination status is a personal medical matter, and as a result, individuals must not ask others about their vaccination status. Choices that people make to protect themselves, their family or the community are theirs to make and one should not assume that, simply because a person chooses to take certain precautions (e.g. wear a mask, distance, get tested), it communicates anything about their vaccination status. 

 MASK WEARING

• Everyone: 

• The College is continually monitoring developments with respect to mask protocols, and the campus protocols will be updated if changes are necessary. 
• Everyone must have a mask with them at all times. 
• It is highly recommended and in some places required that people wear masks in the local community. See the Engagement Off-Campus in New London County section below for more details. 
• Wearing a mask adds an increased level of protection for individuals and the community. The CDC recommends, in particular, continued masking and physical distancing for individuals with weakened immune systems.
• All community members are expected to wear a mask when experiencing symptoms before diagnosis that may be COVID-19 related and if infected with a cold, flu or other respiratory illness. 

• Fully vaccinated: 
  • Outdoors: If you are fully vaccinated, you do not need to wear masks outdoors unless you are socializing in particularly close proximity to others. Masks are also not required when engaged in athletic activities, as well as dance, theater and music performances.
  • Indoors: 
    • You are required to wear masks in all indoor spaces on campus.
    • You may remove your mask when eating, during bathroom activities that require removal of masks, and in your room with your door closed. You may remove your mask in your room/apartment with the individual(s) you live with.
    • You may remove your mask indoors if you are in an enclosed or semi-enclosed space alone (e.g. in a classroom or other enclosed/partitioned space). If someone joins you, you must put your mask on. If you are at a table in a public area you must keep your mask on.
    • Masks are required in the fitness center and other recreational athletic facilities.
    • Mask policies for varsity athletic practices and competitions will follow NCAA and/or NESCAC protocols.

• Exempted or not fully vaccinated:
  • Outdoors: If you are exempted or not fully vaccinated, you do not need to wear masks outdoors except when socializing in close proximity to others and masks must continue to be worn in large gatherings where social distancing is not possible. 
  • Indoors: If you are exempted or not fully vaccinated the indoor expectations are consistent with what is noted for indoors above in the fully vaccinated section.
  • Masks must continue to be worn when engaged in indoor or outdoor athletic activity, dance, theater, or music performance. If a mask can not be worn during these activities, the particular situation will be evaluated, but you may not be able to participate.  
    
    

 SOCIAL DISTANCING

• Fully Vaccinated: Social distancing is not required. Individuals may choose to socially distance as an added level of precaution. Depending on the circumstances on campus there may be room/apartment capacity limits. Please see the section on Student Informal Socializing group size.
• Exempted or not fully vaccinated: It is recommended that you socially distance (6 feet) when possible indoors, in vehicles, and in settings where removal of masks is permitted (e.g. while eating). It is also recommended to socially distance outside when possible if not wearing a mask.

 STUDENT INFORMAL SOCIALIZING GROUP SIZE

Alert Level 3 - Orange: Gathering with anyone inside is not permitted. Outside, students may gather with a maximum of two other students while wearing a mask. 

Alert Level 2 - Yellow: If gathering in a residence hall room or apartment, 1 peer per room/apartment resident. No more than 4 people together in large open areas, eg. Cro, library, etc. (wearing masks and 6ft distancing if eating)

Modified Alert Level 1 - Green: If gathering in a residence hall room or apartment: 5 people in singles; 10 in doubles, triples, quads, apartments that are not Winchesters/River Ridges; 15 in Winchesters/River Ridges and off-campus properties (masks must be worn inside.) 

All Alert Levels: When socializing indoors, the only people with whom students may remove their masks are immediate roommates or apartment-mates. There are no other social group “bubbles” that enable students to remove their mask with other peers. Masks can be temporarily dropped/lifted when eating or drinking a beverage but should be put back in place as soon as possible.

 HAND HYGIENE AND RESPIRATORY ETIQUETTE

• All community members, regardless of vaccination status, should follow good hand hygiene. This includes washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol to clean hands BEFORE and AFTER:
• Touching your eyes, nose or mouth
• Touching your mask
• Entering and leaving a public place
• Touching an item or surface that may be frequently touched by other people, such as door handles, tables, gas pumps, shopping carts or electronic cashier registers/screens  
• All community members, regardless of vaccination status, should follow good respiratory etiquette. This includes covering coughs and sneezes and keeping hands clean. To help stop the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses:
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze
• Throw used tissues in the trash
• If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hands

 SYMPTOM SCREENING AND COVERIFIED

• It is recommended that students perform daily health screenings using the CoVerified app. 
• Students with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 infection must stay in their room/home and consult with Student Health Services.  
• When completing the symptom screening, please take into consideration symptoms you experience regularly and likely are not related to a new infection (e.g. chronic headaches, allergies, etc.). Do not note symptoms in CoVerified if they do not appear to be related to a new infection.

• CoVerified: Everyone on campus will need to access CoVerified either via the app on a smartphone or the website on a computer. To download this free app, go to the App Store or Google Play. You will use your Connecticut College username/password to login to the app. There is also a web-based version available. 

  You can review the app’s functionality by reading the User App Tutorial.

  Faculty, staff and students will use CoVerified to do the following:

  • Complete daily symptom checks (Students—please bring a thermometer with you to campus)
  • Schedule times for testing (when directed to schedule testing) 
  • Receive notification of test results

  The app will assign each individual one of three status labels: Remote, Clear or Restricted.

  Remote means that the person is not on campus and, therefore, is not expected to follow the daily symptom check and testing expectations. A person will be restricted if they do not complete their daily symptom check and if they are in quarantine or isolation.

  With weekly testing in place, students will not be uniformly expected to show the app status screen or website printout to demonstrate their campus status (Clear or Restricted). The symptom checking is a helpful reminder to monitor one’s health and seek the assistance of a health care professional if COVID-19 symptoms emerge.

   

 TESTING

• All students will be tested upon arrival to campus. 
• All students will participate in twice weekly PCR testing. These tests are called screening tests. You will be assigned to either Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday Testing. 
• Students experiencing COVID-19 symptoms will be tested in Student Health Services. These tests are called diagnostic tests. 

Conn's COVID Testing Center location and days/hours of operation: 

Testing Center Hours
Located in the 1962 Room at Crozier-Williams
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 
Quarantine testing hours 4:30-4:50 p.m. 
Closed Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays

 ISOLATION AND PROTOCOLS FOR POSITIVE
COVID-19 CASES

• Vaccinated students who test positive will be housed in isolation housing for at least 10 days to recover from the virus. 
• If you are in isolation, you must stay in isolation housing and may not go into other spaces on campus. 
• You may be outside in the immediate vicinity of your isolation housing. 
• Student Health Services will regularly check in with you and food will be delivered to you. 
• The College has isolation housing identified on campus and we are partnering with local hotels to offer additional isolation housing should that be necessary. 
• If you need to be in isolation, you will need to be in touch with your class dean and faculty members to discuss how you will continue with your coursework when you cannot be in class during the estimated 10-day isolation period.

• Exempted or not fully vaccinated students who test positive will be housed in isolation housing for at least 10 days to recover from the virus. 
  • If you are in isolation, you must stay in isolation housing and may not go into other spaces on campus. 
  • You may be outside in the immediate vicinity of your isolation housing. 
  • Student Health Services will regularly check in with you and food will be delivered to you. 
  • The College has isolation housing identified on campus and we are partnering with local hotels to offer additional isolation housing should that be necessary. 
  • If you need to be in isolation, you will need to be in touch with your class dean and faculty members to discuss how you will continue with their coursework when you cannot be in class during the estimated 10-day isolation period.

 OFF-CAMPUS ENGAGEMENT WITHIN NEW LONDON COUNTY

Given that New London County is noted as a county with substantial or high transmission of COVID-19 travel within the county should be limited to essential needs (e.g. market, pharmacy, doctor) when needing to go into indoor locations. Students may travel within the area to go to outdoor areas (e.g. Harkness Park, beaches, etc.), employment, and for organized programs coordinated through the College. Students should avoid crowded outdoor spaces. If you have any questions you may reach out to your class dean for guidance. We will continually evaluate these expectations as we monitor COVID-19 levels in Connecticut and New London County.

Very Important: The College is not permitting indoor activities off-campus where masks would not reasonably be worn (e.g. restaurants and bars). If you are going to eat off-campus, find a restaurant with seating outside and, if picking up take-out, wear a mask when entering the restaurant. Students may not go to bars even if the bar contains an outdoor space due to crowded outdoor areas.

 TRAVEL BEYOND NEW LONDON COUNTY

• Fully vaccinated: It is discouraged but students may travel beyond New London County. Students are expected to wear masks while traveling and taking proper precautions at their destination in order to minimize the likelihood of contracting COVID-19.

• Exempted or not fully vaccinated: Students who are exempted or not fully vaccinated must request permission from their class dean to travel beyond New London County overnight. When they return, they must follow quarantine expectations, which include being in quarantine until they get a single negative PCR test. Students then need to resume their twice weekly testing. Students are expected to complete the travel form that will go to the class deans for review. To request approval follow these steps: 
• Complete the Off-Campus Travel Approval Form
• Submit the form no later than Wednesdays at 5 p.m. for a response by that Friday.
• Class deans will review requests on Thursdays and may follow up with you for additional information/context.
• Your class dean will inform you by Friday morning if your request is approved or denied.
• Late and last-minute requests will not be considered as the class deans will not be reviewing requests on weekends.

• Thanksgiving travel: The College will closely monitor the circumstances related to COVID-19 over the course of September and October in order to determine if any semester plans need to be adjusted ahead of the Thanksgiving Break in late November. 

 CONSEQUENCES FOR NOT FOLLOWING CAMPUS COVID-19 EXPECTATIONS

The College takes seriously its responsibility to our own campus community and to the wider region and state. We anticipate that all of you will do your part to keep our campus safe and help protect the health and wellbeing of your peers, the faculty and staff of the College, and the broader New London community. If you do not comply with the health and safety requirements, as well as any other COVID-related policies the College puts into place, you will be referred to the student conduct process.

 MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

Campus life with COVID-19 can be challenging, but faculty and staff are here to support you in whatever way they can. In particular, Student Counseling Services is an important resource. 

Student Counseling Services staff are available to students by calling (860) 439-4587. In addition to our counselors, there are two other important resources available to students: My SSP and Counseling After-Hours. 

My SSP: All students needing assistance during or after-hours may reach an off-site licensed professional clinician who has partnered with us to provide urgent or on-going care through My SSP:

• Download the free My SSP App, available on the App Store or Google Play.
• Through the app, you can call or chat with a Student Support Counselor 24/7 in real-time or schedule a telephone or video session that fits your schedule. My SSP provides support in the event of a personal crisis and also connects students with providers, offering both short and long-term counseling.
•  You can browse a digital library of helpful articles and videos. 
• Or, you can call them directly at (866) 743-7732 (If calling from outside North America, dial 001-416-380-6578).

Counseling After-Hours: All students needing assistance after-hours may also reach an off-site licensed professional clinician who has partnered with us through Counseling After-Hours: 

• You can reach the service by calling (860) 439-4587 and pressing option 2. 
• This is a telephone-based mental health service that is available to all students in need of access to mental health support when Student Counseling Services is not open. 
• This service provides students with access to an off-site counselor who will provide support at any time during the evening, weekend or break.

Coping with Covid-19 Resources can be found here. A complete list of resources can be found at Student Counseling Services