President

In-Person Classes and Dining

January 21, 2022

Dear all,

I am writing with updates on our plans related to COVID-19. As we complete post-arrival testing, we have assessed the number and pattern of COVID-19 cases on campus and in Dutchess County. Based on these, the updates are:

  • Classes will be in-person starting Monday January 24.
  • Gordon Commons (GC) will have in-person dining with reduced densities (check your Vassar app for GC density in real time) starting with breakfast on Sunday January 23.
  • Grab-and-go options will be available through the Express, the Retreat, and the Food Truck, with expanded menus and hours.
  • Tables and chairs will return to the College Center and the Bridge Building on Monday January 24.
  • Masks continue to be required indoors at all times unless one is alone in a private space (or with roommates or apartment mates only) or is undertaking strenuous exercise. Please use a KN95/N95/KF94 mask or double mask with a surgical mask on the inside.
  • Events are permitted but without food, and all invited speakers must be told they are required to be vaccinated with a booster and have a negative test within 24 hours of the campus visit.

Please remember to get tested immediately if you have any symptoms, and try to limit social interactions that can cause spread (traveling together in a car, going out to restaurant/bars off campus, having large indoor social gatherings without full masking). For students, symptomatic testing is available through Health Services; additional testing is available at the Aula on Wednesday and Friday afternoons (1:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.) for students and employees, including faculty. We will continue to monitor the data and conduct additional surveillance testing in the future as needed.

We are still very much amidst this pandemic and remain mindful of the challenges we are facing. Keeping the campus safe for everyone—including people who are unable to be vaccinated (including boosted) or are immunocompromised—is a priority. We are a thoughtful, caring, and resilient community, and each of us has an important part to play in keeping the community safe and healthy. Thank you so very much for your perseverance in the face of this pandemic. We will continue to monitor conditions and write again with any needed changes.

Elizabeth H. Bradley, President
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
@EHBVassar