The New School is currently planning to reopen campus for the Fall 2021 semester with mostly in-person classes. Official plans are not yet finalized but we can expect an announcement at the beginning of June, according to the Fall 2021 Campus Reopening FAQs document. Students, faculty, and staff have yet to have a concrete idea about what the Fall semester will look like.
With less than two weeks left in the spring semester, official plans for safety protocols, occupancy and campus testing, are not yet finalized. Here is what we know so far about fall reopening plans:
Fall Classes
Classes this fall will predominantly be in-person for undergraduate and graduate students, but some will take place in an online format. Building and classroom occupancy and safety protocols are still under review but the university plans to provide an update in early June.
Campus Access, Residence and Dining
Students can expect to have access to libraries, study and rehearsal spaces, the Making Center, specialized equipment, workshops and instruments. This is subject to change as the start of the fall semester approaches. Students, faculty and staff will be provided with an update to campus access then.
The cafeteria and other dining areas on campus are governed by the New York state restaurant regulations, and as of March 19, are operating at a 50% capacity. In the FAQ document, the New School notes that they are hopeful that capacity will increase by fall.
All residence halls will be open in the fall, including the newest dorm, 301 residence hall, which is located at West 17th Street and First Avenue and is scheduled to open this fall. The 301 residence will house primarily first-year students.
Testing Protocol
COVID-19 testing is mandatory for students, staff and faculty who are on campus; however, the official testing program for the fall semester is still under review. The university plans to provide an update on the program when the details are available.
Vaccination Policy
The New School will require all students, undergraduate and graduate, to be fully vaccinated for the fall semester in order to have access to buildings and facilities on campus. Faculty and staff are not required to be fully vaccinated, but are “strongly encouraged” to do so before the start of the semester.
“Fully vaccinated” is defined by the university as having had two weeks elapsed since completing vaccination. Students are not exempt from this requirement if they have had COVID-19 in the past or if they present evidence of having COVID-19 antibodies.
Unvaccinated students without a valid exemption will not be allowed on campus. COVID-19 vaccine exemptions can be made for students for religious and medical reasons. The New School underscores that students who are granted an exemption should expect to follow additional protocols. Students can contact Student Health Services at shs@newschool.edu for more information regarding exemptions.
For more information on the vaccination policy, refer to The New School’s Vaccination FAQ document.
Air Quality and HVAC System
The New School says that they have updated the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) units in buildings to the highest level rating. The university is actively undergoing a “detailed study of every HVAC unit on campus, focused on air exchanges and filtration.” In the reopening FAQs document, the university shared that they collaborate and communicate with other New York City colleges and universities to share best practices and guidance.
COVID-19 Coordination Group
The New School has also created a COVID Coordination Group (CCG), which is chaired by Tokumbo Shobowale, Executive Vice President for Business and Operations. The coordination group is the central point of contact for the university’s reopening planning efforts. According to a document detailing the role of CCG, the group is “informed by COVID-related input from government and public health agencies, expertise from university sub-committees, and insights from the NYC Colleges and Universities COVID Coordination Council.”
The CCG document also specifies that on June 1 the university will receive an update on the Academic Pivot Plan and in mid-July a revised version of COVID-19 health policies and systems will be announced.
What we don’t know
As the spring semester wraps up, students and faculty have yet to know what official safety protocols, such as building occupancy, elevator and classroom capacity, COVID-19 testing and reporting will look like in the Fall. What is also unclear is what public-health related designs the university will implement, such as altered campus traffic patterns, social distancing, plexiglass coverings or cubicles.
For more information about The New School’s plans to reopen in the fall, please refer to the Fall 2021 Campus Reopening FAQ’s document. To get updated COVID-19 case and testing numbers at The New School, check out The Free Press COVID-19 tracker.