We believe in the St. John’s College community, and believe that students who return to campus will do so with a spirit of care and concern for others. If you intend to join us in the fall, we will need your commitment to following a wide array of health and safety protocols, and your patience in understanding that the openness of the on-campus environment will shift with the tides of our public health conditions. Read below to understand what this will entail, and we hope to see you on campus this fall.
We firmly believe that our success with in-person classes and a residential community will be dependent on a vaccinated community and a robust testing plan. Therefore, St. John’s College, Santa Fe has announced a requirement for all students to complete the vaccination process prior to the start of the fall semester. Proof of vaccinations must be sent to the health center by July 15, 2021. Please go to your mySJC account to access the link for the health portal, which will allow you to easily upload your proof of vaccination status.
Students who are not vaccinated by the fall semester will be required to complete weekly testing until fully vaccinated. Students seeking a medical or religious exemption to the vaccination requirement should contact the health center for additional information about that process.
SJC plans to partner with a national testing provider to procure testing kits and to provide on-site management of test days every week. One hundred percent of all students who access campus will be subject to COVID-19 testing every week, until proof of vaccination status has been submitted. Members of the community who do not complete the weekly test will not be permitted to access campus for any in-person activity, and those who live on campus may be subject to removal from housing. Details on our testing protocols—including dates, times, and locations—will be communicated to everyone as our plans are finalized.
Off-campus students, staff, or faculty should not attempt to access campus if they are sick or experiencing any symptoms consistent with COVID-19. On-campus students who are sick or experiencing any COVID-related symptoms will be required to quarantine, be tested, and, if positive, remain in isolation in the college’s isolation units. During this time, the college will provide three daily meals, wellness checks, testing services, and supports. Any families who prefer to pick up their COVID-positive student and transport them home for self-isolation are welcome to do so.
In order to help protect the health and safety of the St. John’s College campus community and the public, face coverings are required to be worn inside campus buildings at all times. Vaccinated individuals may remove their masks while outside on campus property. This requirement is in accordance with the regulations of the state of New Mexico and is in effect until otherwise communicated.
While keeping a physical distance of at least six feet from other people, practicing good hygiene measures (e.g., frequent hand washing, avoiding touching the face, covering coughs and sneezes), and staying home when ill are the best-known protections against COVID-19, wearing a face covering that covers the nose and mouth can help protect others.
For the purposes of this policy, a face covering must:
Fit snugly against the sides of the face
Completely cover the nose and mouth
Be secured with ties, ear loops, elastic bands, or other equally effective method
Be free of holes, tears, or valves that have the potential to release respiratory droplets
If cloth:
This policy applies to all college personnel, students, contractors, and visitors.
Face coverings are not required when:
Working or spending time alone in a personal office or workspace
Operating a single-occupancy vehicle
Teleworking (i.e., not reporting on site to a college work location)
Inside a private on-campus residential unit
Eating or drinking; physical distancing is recommended when eating and drinking
Vaccinated individuals are not required to wear masks while outside campus buildings
Face coverings do not replace required job-specific PPE, such as medical/procedure masks, face shields, or respirators.
For students requesting a medical or health risk accommodation, determination of the accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Students may be required to provide documentation to substantiate their need for an accommodation. An accommodation may not include allowing someone to not wear a face covering where it is required. Requests should be made to Executive Director of Campus Health and Wellness Christine Guevara, christine.guevara(at)sjc.edu.
For college personnel requesting a medical or health risk accommodation, determination of the accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Personnel may be required to provide documentation to substantiate their need for an accommodation. An accommodation may not include allowing someone to not wear a face covering where it is required. Requests should be made to Director of Human Resources Aaron Young, aaron.young(at)sjc.edu.
The SJC community and guests are required to follow the face covering requirements at all times when on campus. If an individual is without a face covering, in accordance with this policy, members of the community are encouraged to begin with a polite verbal request for compliance to educate and persuade the individual to wear a face covering. If someone refuses to comply with the policy, please contact the Student Life Office or Public Safety for additional support. Students do not need to wear a face covering when inside a private on-campus residential unit; however, face coverings are required in common areas of residence halls.
Personnel are expected to comply with the face covering requirement as a condition of employment, as well as for the health and safety of themselves, their colleagues, and the campus community. Supervisors are required to ensure all of their personnel have a thorough understanding of the requirements outlined in this policy. Personnel who do not comply should be reminded of the policy by their supervisor and provided additional education and training as needed. If, after additional education and training, personnel refuse to comply, contact Director of Human Resources Aaron Young, aaron.young(at)sjc.edu.
St. John’s College is committed to maintaining a respectful, productive, inclusive, and equitable environment, and discrimination and other conduct that is inconsistent with our values will not be tolerated.
All persons on campus are expected to make all reasonable efforts to maintain distance from others. In addition, all members of the community are expected to follow posted signs about maintaining distance from others, directions within hallways, etc.
Ongoing and sustained conversation between tutors and students is integral to our academic model. Access to in-person conversations will expand and recede throughout the semester based on changing public health conditions, which can be monitored at our online dashboard. Tutors and students are expected to adhere to the following guidelines when meeting:
Every tutor and student should feel comfortable requesting virtual meetings, regardless of the public health outlook.
Except when the public health outlook is consistently “blue” on the college dashboard, meetings should follow all college and state guidelines. These include:
Maintaining social distancing.
Wearing masks at all times while in buildings except when eating.
Respecting gathering size limits.
Preferring outdoor meetings to indoor meetings.
If outdoor gatherings are problematic due to weather, indoor gatherings should meet all college and state mandates around space capacity.
All offices are expected to operate within the following guidelines. Director of Human Resources Aaron Young is the designated COVID-19 point of contact for all employees. Individual office operations will be managed by each supervisor with approval of the executive director of Campus Health and Wellness. All staff members are required to complete a COVID-19 Safety Protocol Training before returning to campus for work.
