College During COVID-19: Spring 2022
The past couple of years have been challenging for people all over the world. We are constantly hearing people talk about adjusting to the new normal. People have been in isolation, quarantining, separated from loved ones, and working remotely over Zoom. As the coronavirus rages on, the country is trying to adapt, implementing mask mandates and social distancing guidelines once again. It is especially difficult for places like schools (and colleges in particular), which are high-risk areas to contract COVID-19.
Barnard has taken great measures to protect those returning to campus for the 2021 to 2022 academic year while keeping students, faculty, and staff safe, and prioritizing the health of the entire community. The College constantly monitors the state of the pandemic on campus and within New York City and adjusts its policies and regulations as needed whenever circumstances change. While prospective or new students may feel uncertain about attending college during a pandemic, Barnard has managed to maintain community safety while providing the college experience in student life, classes, and dorm living.
Community members accessing campus are required to be fully vaccinated, with the COVID-19 booster, unless they have an exemption. Masks are worn in public spaces, except when eating in the designated areas or when necessary in dormitory restrooms. Social distancing is implemented when possible, and in-person gatherings have a cap on the number of people who can attend.
Campus life is returning to near normalcy within the College’s safety guidelines. Students are allowed to travel to study abroad programs, and campus dorms are open at full capacity. Barnard and Columbia’s policies on guests in dorms and campus events change depending on the percent of COVID cases on campus. Guests from outside the Columbia community are not permitted, but students can sign one other residential student into their dorm. Tents with tables and chairs have been set up on the Futter Field lawn for students to sit and study or eat. Some professors reserve space in the tent to hold their classes or office hours outdoors when the weather is nice. In-person events typically require a registration process to ensure there are not too many people in attendance, and capacity limits are enforced for reserved spaces. Clubs and organizations can hold meetings in person under the Columbia guidelines. When there is a spike in COVID cases on campus, extracurricular in-person events are suspended. Clubs move their meetings online to a Zoom format, so even when in-person activities are restricted, students can still engage in student life, outside of coursework.
Before accessing campus, every student, whether they live in campus housing or off-campus, is required to complete a quarantine period upon arrival in New York. We are now tested every week for COVID-19, with an easy access app that allows us to schedule our tests and view the results. In order to enter campus, everyone is required to show a “Green Screen” on the app, which only appears green when students have completed a daily attestation of symptoms and met the testing requirements without any positive test results. The app connects to the campus security system that requires students and staff to swipe their university ID cards to enter all campus buildings. To maintain swipe access, you must complete weekly testing and the daily symptom check.
The weekly testing requirements allow COVID cases to be detected as soon as possible, sometimes before symptoms appear, to help prevent the spread of the virus. Barnard has a team of contact tracers who notify anyone who may have been in close contact with someone who tested positive. Once a student has been notified by a contact tracer, they are tested, and if their test receives a positive result too, they enter into quarantine housing. If the student lives in off-campus housing, they can quarantine there. If the student lives on-campus, they can quarantine in separate isolation housing at Barnard, where staff offers support such as food drop-off.
Classes are mostly in-person, adhering to mask mandates and social distancing guidelines. Some select courses remain in an online Zoom format, and some professors choose to hold their office hours online, but for the most part, things are in-person. For the first two weeks of the Spring 2022 semester—the shopping period before students finalize their schedules—all classes are held virtually, and there are no in-person events or meetings during that period either, to protect the community as members reenter the testing program. Professors have remained incredibly understanding and acknowledge that every student has unique circumstances. Most record their lectures or provide a zoom link to attend class virtually when students must enter isolation, or if they are feeling sick.
The dining halls are open with the option of dining inside or taking food to go. Although, in the event of a spike in COVID-19 cases within the Columbia community, the dining halls will be closed to eating inside and offer food to-go only. There is grab-and-go, pre-packaged food such as bagels, fruit, sandwiches, and salads available at the Diana Center Cafe, Liz’s Place, and Peet’s Coffee in Milstein. Milstein Library is open for the semester and serves as one of the most important buildings on campus, providing a great sense of community during studying and free time between classes. Additionally, Barnard students are able to use Columbia University’s libraries and other study spaces too.
At Barnard, we often refer to New York City as an extension of the classroom, taking advantage of the different resources and opportunities it provides. Restaurants, stores, museums, public transportation, and other places are open throughout the city. However, like Barnard’s campus, masks are required inside buildings and proof of vaccination is mandatory when in a place where masks will be removed, like eating inside a café or restaurant. Some professors have started hosting field trips around the city again in the Fall 2021 semester, such as the First Year Seminar Witches class going to see Wicked on Broadway, and the Introduction to Art History course visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Barnard students continue to exercise the same level of precaution and safety on campus as off campus in the city.
The greatest challenge is promoting everyone’s wellbeing and health while beginning to return to normal campus functioning. Students, faculty, and administration have adjusted to the constantly changing conditions and engage in conversation about the social impacts of the pandemic both in and outside of classes.