Dear Marist Students,

We are happy to report that with the cooperation and assistance of the Marist community, the number of COVID-19 cases on-campus has continued to decrease. Based on our most recent data, Marist students are now permitted to resume additional select on-campus activities effective April 23-26, and we are planning to update the COVID-19 dashboard to green on Monday, April 26. We would like to thank you for following all necessary precautions and working with us to decrease the number of cases on campus. Your efforts are not only appreciated, but they are working!

This is exciting news and we are heading in a promising direction. However, we will continue to be cautious about proceeding with our planned resumption of activities and, as always, will use data to make informed decisions. If our community maintains a low number of cases on campus and the vaccination rate continues to increase among students, faculty, and staff, we will be able to fully open our campus. However, as previously communicated, if the number of COVID-19 cases increase, we will reinstitute restrictions.

Approved activities beginning Friday, April 23:

• Intramural registration will open for badminton, corn hole, dodgeball, Kan Jam, kickball, pickleball, ping pong, softball, spike ball, tennis, wiffle ball, and 2-on-2 volleyball. Leagues will begin as early as Monday, April 26. Register now through IMLeagues.com.
• Student Activities will host programming throughout the weekend. Click here to view upcoming events.
• Varsity athletic teams who have competition schedules that dictate the need to qualify for conference championships, will be permitted to resume practicing, training, and competing in association with identified risk on a case-by-case basis. Our goal is to allow as many teams as possible to qualify for postseason tournaments and beyond. The department of athletics will communicate next steps with each team individually.

Approved activities beginning Saturday, April 24:

• McCormick Hall Fitness Center will open at 25 percent capacity, with individual registration requirements through IMLeagues.com, and supervision by McCann Center staff.
• Student Activities will host programming throughout the weekend. Click here to view upcoming events.

Approved activities beginning Sunday, April 25:

• Student Activities will host programming throughout the weekend. Click here to view upcoming events.

Approved activities beginning Monday, April 26:

• In-person dining will resume at 25 percent capacity in the main dining hall beginning at breakfast. Students are also encouraged to enjoy their meals outside under the dining tent located behind the Student Center. Masks must be worn except when seated and eating or drinking at a table.
• Marist Music will relaunch in-person, small group practices and rehearsals. Rehearsals for all groups, including band and singers, will be held outside under faculty supervision, with students using bell covers and bags for instruments and special masks for singers. Please contact musicdept@marist.edu for eligibility and other specific details required for participation.
• First Floor Team Weight Room and McCann Pool will open with capacity limitations, with individual registration requirements through IMLeagues.com, and supervision by McCann Center staff. Pool limitations include one swimmer per lane, masking requirement on pool deck and in locker room, and limited use of locker rooms for changing only. Showers are unavailable.
• Off-season training will resume for select varsity sports. Individual follow-up and guidelines will be communicated by the department of athletics.
• Club sports and select intramural activities will resume. Register now through IMLeagues.com.

Items under consideration for approval the week of May 3:

• Students residing in campus housing could be permitted to visit with one another, including students from different residence facilities, provided that gathering size limits are followed and masks are worn. Off-campus guests, including commuter students, are not permitted within any campus residence facility. Click here to view all of the visitation policies in the COVID-19 Code of Student Conduct Addendum. At this time, students can gather with students from other residence halls outdoors or in the dining hall.

What You Can Continue to Do to Help:

• If you have any symptoms, no matter how slight, please self-quarantine and get a COVID-19 test as soon as possible. Contact Health Services for an assessment and help with arranging a test if you are symptomatic. DO NOT go to surveillance testing if you have symptoms.
• Continue to practice social distancing, good personal hygiene, and wear masks at all times.
• Double mask, as this is known to offer increased protection for the mask wearers and others. To double mask, wear a multilayered cloth mask over a surgical mask.
• Protect your roommates, team members, and loved ones by minimizing contact with others outside of your living situation. If you may have been exposed or have taken personal risks, protect your roommates by self-quarantining when at home.
• Comply with surveillance testing requirements and contact tracing. We urge students to remain vigilant as we continue to phase in additional activities.

COVID-19 Vaccinations:
The most important step we can take to facilitate our campus reopening is getting vaccinated. Getting vaccinated prevents serious illness and death and protects those in vulnerable populations. It is also our best chance to eliminate the virus from our community by achieving herd immunity.

Marist successfully hosted three on-campus vaccination clinics on April 13, April 15, and April 20. These clinics were exclusively for Marist students and we received a lot of positive feedback from our students about their experience. We will partner with MidHudson Regional Hospital for a FINAL clinic at the hospital on Tuesday, April 27. Click here to register.

If you have been vaccinated, don’t forget to upload your proof of vaccination after each dose to marist.medicatconnect.com. If you were vaccinated at 51 Fulton Street on April 13, April 15, or April 20, AND voluntarily swiped your Marist ID, no additional action is needed. Uploading your data will provide Marist with an accurate count of fully vaccinated students and allow us to make additional data-informed decisions moving forward.

Thank you again for your continued commitment to keeping our community safe.

Sincerely,
Geoff Brackett, Executive Vice President
Thom Wermuth, Vice President for Academic Affairs
Deb DiCaprio, Vice President for Student Affairs