We are excited to be planning for an on-campus experience for more students this semester. We understand that maintaining a social life and experiencing peer-to-peer connection is an essential part of student life, and our goal is to create the best student experience possible, as safely as possible.
In part, our belief that we can responsibly expand our community is due to our current on-campus students’ commitment to doing their part in creating a culture of care. We thank them and are hopeful that we can build off our successes in order to provide a more intentional community both on and off campus for the 2021 Spring semester.
In order to facilitate a safe on-campus community, students who opt in and are approved to be on campus—for either residential living and/or hybrid classes—are expected to abide by all policies set out in the Culture of Care Agreement, in the protocols outlined in this document, and by the state of New Mexico. A thorough reading of the Culture of Care Agreement is expected of all community members, but we would like to draw your attention to a few of its expectations as you make your decision regarding the upcoming semester.
For example, all gatherings must abide by state regulations regarding mask-wearing (must always be worn), maximum gathering limits (currently 20 people), and social distancing (minimum of six feet of separation).
When making your decision to be on or off campus, please keep in mind that changing health conditions will impact student life, as access to campus amenities will shift with the conditions. When conditions are good, we will expand access to the library, bookstore, coffee shop, dining hall, Student Activities Center, and outdoor program rentals. When public health conditions worsen, access will decrease.
Please be aware that there are some buildings and spaces that will likely be closed for the entire spring semester, unless public health conditions improve at a pace that is hard to imagine at this time. These spaces are closed in accordance with recommendations from the CDC and the American College Health Association, as well as our limited availability of custodial staff. These spaces include all common rooms, Upper Commons, Lower Commons, The Cave, the Darkey Room, and all common kitchens.
Additionally, to restrict unsafe gatherings and limit exposure to activities proven to raise the risk of COVID-19 infection, students are encouraged to refrain from smoking. Because we understand the complexities of addiction, there will be a campus area designated for smoking that is decentralized to reduce risk to non-smoking students, faculty, and staff. If a student is required to quarantine or isolate, they will not be permitted to use this area during that time.
At all times, our decisions will be guided by state guidelines as well as our own internal guidelines, which include a variety of metrics. Most of these metrics can be found on our public dashboard . This dashboard is updated twice per week, and each metric is color-coded to show how open or closed that particular metric indicates we should be. We invite you all to refer regularly to this dashboard so that you are aware of the health situation on our campus, in our county, and across our state. We hope it will inspire you all to do your part to keep the spread low.
