In a letter to the Smith community on Monday, Nov. 23, President McCartney announced the college’s plan for the spring 2021 semester which will allow for interested students to return to campus. The college will prioritize first years, seniors, new transfer students, and students who cannot learn from home but will invite over 1,800 students to campus.
“Many students are eager to return to campus,” the letter states, “and the college has developed a careful plan to make that possible.”
According to Pres. McCartney, the college has been monitoring the experiences of other residential colleges’ on-campus semesters this fall. The college observed that campuses that implemented strong COVID-19 management programs and practiced recommended public health protocols – wearing masks, hand washing, physical distancing, less crowded indoor space – were successful in keeping transmissions of COVID-19 low. Based on these observations and survey responses from students and faculty, McCartney states that Smith will be able to invite most students back to campus for the spring with this new plan.
For the spring semester, Smith is prepared to house 1,830 students on campus in single rooms while ensuring that adequate space is provided for isolation and quarantine if needed. The college plans to prioritize on-campus housing for students based on their class year, admission status, and on-campus housing eligibility.
The semester’s mode of instruction will be primarily remote. Spring courses will either be offered as remote only or as “enhanced remote” courses that will incorporate in-person meetings. For the first two weeks, all classes will be remote to allow time for students to complete on-campus COVID-19 testing protocols.
Daily campus life will operate in compliance with masking, physical distancing, and other public health mandates. Students will be required to get screened and tested for COVID-19 twice-weekly, employees will be screened and tested weekly at minimum depending on how frequently they come to campus. Masks or other approved face coverings will be required everywhere on campus.
Students will arrive on campus three to four weeks before classes begin in phases so that Smith can test everyone upon arrival and mandate quarantine or isolation if needed. Before arriving on campus, students are being asked by the college to quarantine for two weeks. Students coming from high-risk states and outside the country will reside in isolation and quarantine housing until they are cleared by Smith’s testing program.
Although Smith is developing protocols to provide students safe options to return and remain on campus, students who want to continue remote study will be able to do so without penalty.
The country continues to experience surges in daily COVID-19 cases. As of Friday, the United States reported a record number of more than 198,500 new coronavirus cases in a day. Daily cases in Massachusetts continue to increase as well.
McCartney acknowledges this continuing spread of COVID-19 and informs the community that Smith’s plan could change depending on the circumstances and mandates regarding the pandemic which continue to evolve.
“We are very eager to have more students on campus,” McCartney states, “At the same time, it is important to note that significant uncertainty remains about the trajectory of COVID-19 cases and the spread of the coronavirus in the coming months … Our plans for the spring could change at any point based on the severity of the pandemic or if federal, state, or local regulations change.”
Students who have registered for the spring semester are being asked to confirm their housing plans by Dec. 1 at 7:00pm. Dean of the College Baishakhi Taylor has invited students to register for webinars on the college’s spring plans, the next one will take place on Monday Nov. 30 from 6:00 to 7:00pm. The college has updated its COVID-19 website, students are encouraged to send their questions to covid19info@smith.edu
