Yes. Faculty and staff will continue to work from home for the fall semester. Only essential personnel will be working from campus.
Yes, but only as needed. Faculty can continue to use their faculty offices to teach their online classes if they choose to do so, but they must comply with the college’s mandate to wear a face covering and to social distance any time they are outside of their assigned office. Staff who need to access campus should contact HR to receive permission to access campus before traveling to campus.
As St. John’s College prepares to deliver our unique program of study to students on-campus and online, we have consulted with a number of agencies, organizations and associations including: Centers for Disease Control, New Mexico Department of Health, Maryland Department of Health, New Mexico Governor’s Office, Maryland Governor’s Office, Council of Independent Colleges, American College Health Association, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of New Mexico.
The international students who decide to join the campus community in-person will be required to adhere to our newly developed COVID-19 policies. These policies include but are not limited to: the wearing of face coverings; social distancing; limiting gathering sizes (current limit is 5); closure of communal spaces and on-campus dining facilities, and required testing upon arrival followed by random testing throughout the year. Students who will not adhere to these guidelines will be removed from campus housing and enrolled in online classes for the remainder of the semester.
All students will be assigned an arrival date when they will be tested. As soon as a student’s family member has successfully moved them into the residence halls, the student will be tested and required to quarantine until results are received. If there is a positive test, the student will be moved into one of the college’s isolation units. The New Mexico Department of Health will be notified to conduct contact tracing for our community. We will continue to test random samples of students monthly throughout the semester. Students are expected to comply with testing expectations or opt to take online classes.
We are working with the New Mexico Department of Health to provide the testing to students, faculty, and staff. More information on this to come.
Students, staff, and faculty will be expected to follow daily screening protocols, which are currently in development. This may include the daily monitoring of temperatures and/or the using of screening apps on phones. More information on this will be provided when finalized.
Yes, the campus will be closed to all but the campus community and those who provide services to the campus community.
We will have limited in-person capacity in most rooms, which will be around 10 students. This could lead to classes intermittently dividing into sections and to intermittent independent work to allow for rotation of students. Hybrid technology may also be utilized to allow for full group participation.
We expect to take advantage of our abundant outdoor space and open air to hold some classes and will keep doors and windows open when weather and temperatures allow. We recommend that students bring warm hats, gloves, scarves, and coats to allow us to comfortably spend time outside as late into fall as possible.
No, faculty and staff will not be permitted to travel for work-related purposes for the foreseeable future. If a faculty or staff member needs to travel out of state for a personal reason, they should contact HR and their supervisor in writing as soon as plans are made. They will also need to comply with the state’s required 14-day quarantine upon their return before being permitted to be on campus. Students living on campus will not be permitted to travel out of state.
Faculty and staff will continue to work from home for the fall semester. Only essential personnel will be working from campus. If college leadership decides to have staff return to working from campus before the end of the fall semester, that information will be communicated at that time. We do understand that there may be a need to be on campus. Please limit these visits for only essential tasks and you need to contact HR before going to campus to get permission to do so. Faculty can continue to use their faculty offices to teach their online classes if they choose to do so, but they must comply with the college’s mandate to wear a face covering and to maintain a minimum of six feet of social distancing any time they are outside of their assigned office. Please wash your hands frequently and stay home if you have any symptoms.
We understand that most K-12 school districts have announced that they will at least start the academic year with online instruction. We are asking supervisors to be flexible with staff regarding the time of day that work is performed so that parents have flexibility to assist children with remote schooling and other matters. Employees who have questions about this matter should contact HR.
All persons on campus are required to wear face coverings that fully cover their mouths and noses when in indoor common and public areas of the college. This includes classrooms, meeting rooms, hallways, offices, and other shared spaces.
Staff and tutors are required to wear face coverings in private offices only when meeting with others. The use of face coverings is not required when in an office alone.
Yes, but if you do not have a sufficient face covering, the college will provide all employees with a cloth face covering - simply contact HR with your request. It is recommended that you keep an extra face covering in your office or desk. Other PPE will be provided to employees based upon the specific requirements of your position. Frequent hand washing is strongly recommended, and hand sanitizer will be available in many locations throughout campus.
Any medical documentation or questions about specific employee concerns should be directed to Aaron Young (aaron.young(at)sjc.edu), director of human resources, and not discussed with other offices or employees.
Strategies like social distancing, face coverings, and de-densification measures can only succeed at reducing risk with the vigorous participation of the entire campus community.
If you see someone not wearing a face covering or not following other guidelines, we encourage community members to politely remind them to do so. Mitigating risks to the health and safety of the entire community is both a shared benefit and a shared responsibility. If you are uncomfortable addressing a situation directly with those involved, please seek out the support of Public Safety or HR.
Please instruct the potential infected employee to remain at home until released by a physician or public health official. If a doctor’s note releasing the employee is unavailable, follow the CDC guidelines on when an employee may discontinue self-isolation, which contain specific requirements dependent upon whether the employee tested positive for COVID-19 and/or exhibited symptoms. Any employee on our health plans has access to Telehealth to get quick advice if a doctor’s appointment is not available, immediately. Please contact Aaron Young in Human Resources immediately at aaron.young(at)sjc.edu if you have an employee who is experiencing symptoms.
Please instruct the potential infected employee to remain at home until released by a physician or public health official. If a doctor’s note releasing the employee is unavailable, follow the CDC guidelines on when an employee may discontinue self-isolation, which contain specific requirements dependent upon whether the employee tested positive for COVID-19 and/or exhibited symptoms. Email Aaron Young at aaron.young(at)sjc.edu with this information and any documentation and/or information the employee has given or told you.
The college is required to track leave in a different manner in these cases. Please reach out to Aaron Young (aaron.young(at)sjc.edu) to request the leave tracking information.