March 17, 2021

Dear Students,

Due to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases on campus, we are voluntarily enacting a precautionary campus pause. This will be in effect for one week, from 2:00 p.m. today, Wednesday, March 17 through 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 23.

It is important to note that our current COVID-19 case numbers remain well below the New York State guidelines that would mandate a transition to virtual learning. Nonetheless, out of an abundance of caution and to protect the health and safety of our community, we believe this is the best course of action to mitigate additional spread of the virus.

Residential students should remain on campus during the pause and not return home. If a student must leave campus for any period of time over 24 hours for an essential errand, they must notify Housing at housing@marist.edu and attend surveillance testing within 24 hours of return to campus. In addition, they must practice a self-imposed quarantine (e.g. take classes online, eat in their room, limit interactions with others) until test results are received by the College. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Approved student activities during the temporary pause include:

• Attending in-person classes, labs, and classroom activities.
• Reporting for surveillance/targeted testing, unless in isolation or quarantine.
• Walking outside with their immediate roommates/pods.
• Utilizing the McCann Center general fitness area through the reservation system (if their residence hall is not in precautionary quarantine).
• Engage in outdoor activities with their immediate household or pod using safe social distancing practices. Examples of acceptable activities include walking, jogging, throwing a Frisbee, etc.
• Complete essential errands such as grocery shopping, attending medical appointments, internships and off-campus jobs.
• Students who reside in Champagnat and Marian who have received negative test results from surveillance testing on March 17th are permitted to pick up their packages from the mail room, following all safety guidelines in regard to masks and social distancing.

During the temporary pause the following limitations will be in place:

• No in-person gatherings are permitted outside of immediate households/pods.
• In-person dining will be suspended. All students must use grab-and-go dining. 
• No visitors or guests will be permitted in ANY residence hall.
• Division I Athletic programs will be suspended, including weight room training on the first floor of McCann.
• All in-person activities will be suspended, including in-person St. Patrick’s Day gatherings.
• Residents of Marian Hall and Champagnat Hall will be placed in precautionary quarantine and required to participate in mandatory targeted testing. 

During the pause, surveillance testing will continue. If you are called, it is important that you report for testing. Our testing program is a critical element of our protocol to keep our campus safe. We want to remind you that the College has a zero-tolerance policy for those who do not comply with our guidelines. Information on cases related to Marist College is always available on our COVID-19 dashboard, which is updated frequently. If you see any Marist community member violating our COVID-19-related Code of Conduct, please call (845) 575-MASK.

Please remember: if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, you must contact Health Services at 845-575-3270. If you need to speak with a counselor, services are available and can be arranged by calling (845) 575-3314 or by emailing counseling.services@marist.edu. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, after hours you can contact the Office of Security at (845) 471-1822 to access the on-call counselor.  

We’re grateful for your assistance as we continue to make every effort to protect the health and safety of the Marist community.

Sincerely,

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