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 spring, 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 spring.
We firmly believe that our success with an in-person community will be dependent on a robust testing plan. Therefore, St. John’s College, Santa Fe plans to partner with a national testing provider to procure testing kits and to provide on-site management of test days each week. One hundred percent of all students, staff, and faculty who access campus will be subject to COVID-19 testing every week. 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.
St. John’s College is partnering with CastleBranch to monitor and track the wellness of our campus community. All members of the community are expected to complete a daily health screen to confirm that they are symptom-free through the use of a convenient app. The screening app requires everyone to submit their daily temperature, as well as answer a series of COVID-related questions. CastleBranch will monitor responses and alert the Campus Health and Wellness team if a student has not completed this daily requirement. Students who do not complete the daily screening app will not be permitted to campus for any in-person activity. CastleBranch will also be monitoring the results of COVID-19 tests and conduct contact tracing for our student community when needed. We ask that you make yourself familiar with this organization as they will be contacting our students directly to support our efforts as we seek to keep our community safe.
No off-campus students, staff, or faculty will be allowed on 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, academic accommodations, 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 while on campus at all times. This includes both indoor public spaces and all outdoor spaces. 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:
This policy applies to all college personnel, students, contractors, and visitors.
Face coverings are not required when:
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.
Students are required to follow the face covering requirements at all times when on campus. If a student 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 student to wear a face covering. If a student 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 a six-foot 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:
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.
As members of the St. John’s College community, we have come to appreciate and value our collective ability to govern ourselves, which rests on the observance of two principles: those of responsibility and honesty. We recognize that the well-being of the campus community, which is composed largely of students, depends primarily on personal self-regulation through public-spirited acceptance of the common good. In the face of COVID-19, we are called to build upon these core values, recognizing that now more than ever, each of our actions, and inactions, has profound impacts on our fellow community members. All members of the college community share the responsibility to uphold a Culture of Care in order to protect the well-being of everyone—including students, faculty, staff, and community members. The Culture of Care serves to promote and protect the greater good by providing students with a framework for living and working together as students of St. John’s.
The Culture of Care agreement is expected to be observed by all members of our community, both on- and off-campus residents, and will require signature prior to the start of the 2021 Spring semester. Please log into your mySJC account now to read and sign the document.
