Return-to-Campus Guidelines - Spring 2022
Academic Calendar Update
The College will delay the start of the spring 2022 semester to begin on Tuesday, January 18. View the updated academic calendar. The School of Graduate and Professional Studies (SGPS) academic calendar remains unchanged.
Spring 2022 Semester Important Dates:
- Jan. 15-17: Students Move-In
- Jan. 17: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (No classes, non-essential offices closed)
- Jan. 18: First Day of Classes
- Feb. 28 - March 4: Spring Break (No classes)
- April 15: Good Friday (No classes; College Holiday)
- April 17: Easter Monday (Classes in session, non-essential offices closed)
- April 26: SCAD (No classes)
- April 27: Friday Class Schedule
- May 4: Last Day of Classes
- May 5: Reading Day (No classes)
- May 6: Finals (No final exams will be administered on Saturday, May 7 or Sunday, May 8.)
- May 9-11: Finals
- May 12-13: Senior Days
- May 14: Commencement Ceremony
Spring 2022 Re-Entry Testing
The College will require all students including commuters, regardless of vaccination status, to test negative for COVID-19 as they arrive on campus. Tests will be administered by the College at no cost to students on-campus as students move back between Jan. 15 to 17. Students will receive further details on testing and move-in procedures from the Office of Housing & Residence Life.
Based on this new guideline, students no longer need to submit negative test results prior to their return to campus as they will be tested upon arrival. However, we
strongly encourage
students to test themselves three to five days prior to returning followed by quarantining to avoid testing positive during move-in. Students who do test positive during their return will not be able to move in nor begin in-person classes until they complete their isolation period. The College will not provide space for isolation for individuals who test positive during their check-in so the student will need to isolate at home. Students should develop a plan for this scenario.
Should a student receive a positive COVID-19 test result before returning to campus, please stay home and contact Student Health to discuss your next steps.
Updated Quarantine and Isolation Procedures
Based on the recently published guidance by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the College has updated its quarantine and isolation procedures to the following:
Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 will isolate for 5 days and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours), follow that by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter.
Additionally, non-vaccinated individuals or those who are more than six months out from their second vaccine dose (or more than 2 months after the J&J vaccine) and not yet boosted who are exposed will be required to quarantine for 5 days followed by strict mask use for an additional 5 days.
Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask around others for 10 days after the exposure. For all those exposed, best practice would also include a test for COVID-19 at day 5 after exposure. If symptoms occur, individuals should immediately quarantine until a negative test confirms symptoms are not attributable to COVID-19.
Vaccine Guidelines
Elizabethtown College strongly encourages all members of the campus community to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and booster. While we are not requiring individuals to be vaccinated, employees and students should submit their updated Vaccine & Booster Verification Status to include their booster information as soon as possible. Non-vaccinated individuals will be subject to weekly surveillance testing at a rate of 25-percent of this population upon their return to campus.
Masking Requirements
In order to best protect our campus community, Elizabethtown College is requiring all individuals, those fully vaccinated and non-vaccinated, to wear face masks inside campus buildings. Individuals are not required to wear face coverings while in personal residence hall rooms, apartments, quads, or offices unless guests are present.
Please note if there are changes in our community trends, we will communicate updates to our guidelines based on state and federal recommendations. We appreciate your support and compliance with campus COVID-19 guidelines as we work to provide a healthy and safe environment for all.
