Campus Update | Spring 2022

Spring 2022 | Campus Update

In-seat, on-campus classes begin Monday, January 24. Our indoor mask mandate (covering your nose and mouth properly) for public access spaces—in hallways, classrooms, and public areas—remains in place.

With the start of the Spring 2022 semester quickly approaching and COVID-19 continuing to be a challenge for our community, we ask for your continued support and commitment to ensuring our success and well being in managing the latest phase of the pandemic together.

COVID-19 Testing for Students, Faculty, Administrators, and Staff

All members of our campus community—students, faculty, administrators, and staff—are strongly encouraged to participate in on-campus COVID-19 testing when returning to campus for the start of the Spring 2022 semester. Testing will be provided Monday, January 24 and Tuesday, January 25.

Employees and resident students returning to campus before January 24 are required to either be tested through one of the on-campus tests or must submit proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than 72 hours before their return to campus.

Employees and commuter students returning to campus on or after January 24 are required to test on January 24 or 24. Otherwise, they must submit proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than 72 hours before their return to campus.

Students and employees can submit private, off-campus COVID-19 test results (either taken at a testing facility or using an at-home testing kit) through Self-Service, following the upload instructions.

Students who are unable to attend testing prior to the above dates and cannot obtain a negative COVID-19 test result prior to their return to campus must contact [email protected].

To ensure our health and safety, we are committed to increasing routine testing for all members of our community on campus through the Spring semester. Information about test dates will be shared routinely.

Vaccine Booster and Reporting

All members of the Mount community are required to be fully vaccinated, with only approved medical or religious exemptions allowed. Employees and students who have approved medical or religious exemptions for vaccination will be required to submit weekly negative tests to Human Resources or Student Affairs.

Consistent with current CDC, State, and City guidelines, we strongly encourage all members of the community to get a booster vaccination as soon as you are eligible to do so. These booster doses are expected to reduce the duration and severity of illness should you become infected with COVID, and help protect our community from the spread of the more contagious variant currently spreading in the US. Booster vaccination records should be submitted through Self-Service to update your personal records as soon as they are received.

All students participating in Study Abroad programs for the Spring 2022 semester and beyond are required to receive a vaccine booster before traveling abroad. Many international programs are updating their requirements for participation on an ongoing basis, and the College will share information with students as we are informed of updates.

All nursing students participating in clinical placements must receive a booster vaccination to be eligible for clinicals. This is a requirement of the clinical settings, and there cannot and will not be exceptions to this requirement.

All members of the College community are reminded that they must submit their vaccination status, including receiving booster vaccines, through Self-Service.

Residential Life, Student Activities, and Athletics

Our protocols for residential life remain unchanged from the Fall 2021 semester. Again, to keep our community healthy, the safety precautions that were in place during the Fall will continue, including the prohibition of guests in residence halls. Residential students will be required to recommit to these safety protocols upon their return to campus.

Clubs, organizations, and all student activities will continue in-person once students are back on campus. With health and safety in mind, all will be meeting regularly while adhering to masking protocols and where necessary, using a hybrid approach with limited large events until further notice.

Regretfully, but with our community’s safety paramount, until further notice there will be no spectators permitted to attend student events.

The Skyline Conference has prohibited spectators for athletic competitions until February 1, 2022. While we continue to monitor guidance from the NCAA and Skyline Conference for Winter and Spring athletics, participation in athletics competitions and related events continues as scheduled. Travel plans for our Spring teams remain under consideration as the College monitors local and regional conditions, and updates to student athletes will be provided as we are informed.