Our planning has been guided by two overarching principles: the health and well-being of everyone in our community—students, tutors, and staff—and the integrity of the St. John’s academic Program. Thus, for those of you who elect to return to campus, classes will be offered in a mix of modalities: fully online, “hybrid” (in-person with remote participation), and fully in person and outdoors, weather permitting. In-person classes will be masked and socially distanced and will comply with all applicable regulations and guidance regarding indoor gatherings.
For the sake of protecting the health and well-being of all members of the community, some undergraduate classes will continue online. Some classes will be conducted in a hybrid format: The students and tutor will meet in person, but some students will join the class remotely on a rotating basis; technology will allow all students, present and remote, to view one another. Some classes may be offered entirely in person, under tents, when weather permits; these classes may be online until that time. For students residing on or near campus, we expect that all laboratories will have the opportunity to conduct many practica in person. Seminars are likely to remain fully online until health conditions are quite favorable. In some cases, seminars may periodically meet in sections (of rotating membership), with one section meeting in person.
Graduate Institute seminars and tutorials will be conducted either entirely online or entirely in person. Graduate Institute preceptorials will likely be conducted online, so that the full variety of preceptorials will be available to all graduate students.
You should be aware that the situation is constantly changing, and we may need to adapt as the semester moves forward. For example, the public health situation could require us to begin the semester online and to delay in-person residence and classes for some weeks. Or, once the semester is underway, a worsening of the public health situation could cause us to pause in-person instruction for a length of time while continuing on-campus residence. On the other hand, improvements in the health situation in the course of the spring may render it possible to hold more classes in person. We will be monitoring conditions continuously, and we are committed to making the changes necessary to balance our desire for the best possible learning experience with the necessity of caring for the health and safety of everyone in our community.
Academic life at the college does not, of course, consist solely of the work in the classroom. Throughout the pandemic, we have worked to make it possible for students and tutors to meet for one-on-one conversations online. Students returning to campus will have the opportunity to have some, but not all, individual meetings with tutors in person, as long as all participants observe rules about distancing and masking. This includes paper conferences, paper advising, seminar orals, Don Rags, and casual conversations. Students and tutors will each continue to be free to request that such meetings be held online. The library will be open for borrowing books and for study, with limited capacity and hours. Other study spaces such as the Fishbowl and the Barr-Buchanan Center will also be available—again, on the assumption that everyone acts in accordance with campus rules regarding distancing, masking, reservations, and the maximum occupancy of public spaces. Because the number of people that we can bring together in a single space will likely remain limited throughout the spring, Friday night lecture and question period, as well as other large gatherings, will, for the foreseeable future, continue to be online.
Please note that we have made significant changes to the 2021 Spring academic calendar with a view to mitigating risk of transmission of COVID-19 while classes are in session. The changes include:
Please see the calendar below.
For participation in online classes—both for students remaining fully online and for students present in Annapolis having a class meeting online—all of the expectations, policies, and protocols in place for the 2020 Fall semester concerning the conduct of work online remain in place. It is especially important that all students continue to meet the minimum technology requirements and attendance and participation expectations that are currently in place.
The college will continue to provide—remotely and online—a full range of academic support and assistance, as well as access to all staff, administrators, offices, and student services.
If you have questions about the spring semester, classes, or academic events and policies, please contact the Dean’s Office (annapolis.deansoffice(at)sjc.edu), Assistant Dean Nathan Dugan (nathan.dugan(at)sjc.edu), or Dean Joseph Macfarland (joseph.macfarland(at)sjc.edu). If you have questions about registration, please contact the Office of the Registrar (annapolis.registrar(at)sjc.edu).
If you have questions about Graduate Institute classes or academic events and policies, please contact the Office of the Graduate Institute (graduateinstitute-annapolis(at)sjc.edu) or Associate Dean Emily Langston (emily.langston(at)sjc.edu).
Wednesday, 1/20: Expected move-in for resident assistants for training.
Monday, 1/25: Semester begins for Graduate Institute students and for undergraduate seniors with senior essay writing period (their 16-week term extends from 1/25 to 5/14).
Monday, 1/25–Friday, 2/19: Senior Essay Writing Period–All senior classes cancelled, except for seminar on 1/25 and 1/28
Friday, 1/29: Move-in for fall continuing freshmen and January freshmen. January freshmen orientation.
Sunday, 1/31: January freshman class convocation at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Monday, 2/1: All classes begin for all freshmen (their 16-week term extends from 2/1 to 5/21).
Thursday, 2/4: All classes begin online for sophomores and juniors (their 16-week term extends from 2/8 to 5/28).
Thursday, 2/11: Move-in day for all returning fall freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors
Saturday, 2/20: Senior essays due.
Monday, 3/8: Senior essay orals begin.
Friday, 3/12–Sunday, 3/14: Three-day weekend.
Sunday, 3/21: Masters essays due to the GI Office.
Tuesday, 3/23: Rest and Reading Day–no classes for undergraduates.
Wednesday, 3/24–Monday, 3/29: Freshman essay writing period; no tutorials or laboratories.
Tuesday, 3/29–Monday, 4/5: Sophomore essay writing period; no tutorials or laboratories.
Tuesday, 4/6–Monday, 4/12: Junior essay writing; no tutorials or laboratories.
Wednesday, 4/14: Rest and Reading Day–no classes for undergraduates.
Friday, 4/23–Sunday, 4/25: Three-day weekend.
Monday, 5/3–Tuesday, 5/4: Don Rags; no tutorials or laboratories (possibly also on Saturday, 5/1).
Thursday, 5/13–Friday, 5/14: Don Rags; no tutorials or laboratories.
Thursday, 5/13: Last day of classes for seniors and Graduate Institute students.
Sunday, 5/16: Commencement.
Friday, 5/21: Last day of classes for freshmen.
Wednesday, 5/26: Sophomore enabling.
Friday, 5/28: Last day of classes for sophomores and juniors.
Monday, 5/31: First day of summer session for January freshmen, and first day of the summer Graduate Institute three-week preceptorial.
Monday, 7/19: January Freshman Essay Due at the start of seminar
Sunday, 8/1: Fall 2021 Fee Statement due in full or enrollment in payment plan required.
Friday, 8/6: End of January freshman second semester.
