The decision came amid a peak in COVID-19 cases and following the results of a masking preference survey, which was completed by over 4,600 New School community members in March, and showed a lack of agreement about the policy.
When The New School community returned to campus from over a year of remote schooling and work in August, many were comforted by the university’s relatively cautious approach to COVID-19, which included a vaccine mandate, mask requirement and regular PCR testing.
Now, more than eight months later, the university appears to have entered a new period of rolling-back those requirements; regular PCR testing is no longer required for fully vaccinated and boosted individuals and masks may be removed in some spaces, such as designated eating areas and select College of Performing Arts settings. But, as the positivity rate rises again in New York, administrators have opted to temporarily keep some of those original measures to reduce disruption mid-semester.
On April 7, the university announced in an email to the community that New School students, staff and faculty must continue to wear masks in most indoor campus spaces through the end of the semester.
A survey completed by over 4,600 New School community members in March — when cases were beginning to rise — showed mixed opinions on the masking policy.
“Our community is not in agreement on preferences or needs or their individual approaches to risk being on campus together,” Steven Melzer, the senior director of strategic initiatives, said. “There really wasn’t a clear story.”
There really wasn’t a clear story.
— Steven Melzer, senior director of strategic initiatives and Spring 2022 Campus Operation Group lead at The New School
50-60% of survey respondents said they would prefer a mask optional policy for spaces like small classrooms, shared offices and large lectures, with a slightly higher proportion in support of optional masking in study spaces and public spaces. Over 80% of all respondents were in support of a mask optional policy in dining spaces and residence halls. Overall, a larger portion of students were in favor of an optional masking policy in all campus spaces than faculty and staff were.
The New York state positivity rate rose from 0.7% on March 5 to 8.9% on May 2, according to the state health department. As of May 8, it sits at 6.9%. The New School COVID-19 Data Dashboard reports a cumulative campus positivity rate since Jan. 10 of 1.7%, and a positivity rate during the week of April 25 of 2.8%.
Renée T. White, New School provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, and Tokumbo Shobowale, executive vice president of Business and Operations, made the decision to require masks through the end of the semester after receiving a recommendation to do so from the Spring 2022 Campus Operation Group, which Melzer leads.
The group, S-COG, includes members from Student Health Services, Human Resources, Student Success and other offices at The New School. They consult with the student, faculty and staff senates and are partnered with Brad Hutton, former deputy commissioner for public health under the Cuomo administration.
The group was considering recommending the removal of the mask requirement in February based on changing public health guidance for fully vaccinated communities — 99% of on-campus community members at The New School are fully vaccinated — according to Melzer.
S-COG recommended the continuance of the masking requirement based on goals central to its purpose, such as reducing risk and avoiding sudden disruptions.
While the results of the survey were taken into consideration, they were not a deciding factor in the group’s recommendation, he said.
Melzer added that many universities that opted to remove their own mask mandates this semester have had to reinstate them, leaving communities confused.
“It really proved how unfair the back and forth in such a quick succession would be,” Melzer said.
Many students were concerned by other students’ support of optional masking.
“I live with immunocompromised people and I really cannot afford to take the risk of bringing COVID-19 home to them,” Martina Gallo, a fifth-year studying communication design and literary studies at Parsons School of Design and Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, said.
I live with immunocompromised people and I really cannot afford to take the risk of bringing COVID-19 home to them.
— Martina Gallo, fifth-year studying communication design and literary studies at Parsons School of Design and Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts
Jonathan Lovett, a third-year studying photography at Parsons, emphasized the benefits of mask wearing for all, adding that he has not gotten the flu since masks became required.
“Just trying to prevent sickness at all seems like the right choice to me, especially in a school setting that’s so demanding,” Lovett said. “You fall behind so much if you miss any school.”
Shivam Sachdeva, the health and wellness lead on the University Student Senate, said he expected masks to be required through the end of the semester.
“Taking off masks is the next phase of the pandemic, but is also uncomfortable for certain individuals and puts them at risk,” Sachdeva, a second-year Strategic Design and Management student at Parsons, said.
Stephen Lehren, a third-year Culture and Media student at Lang, was less enthusiastic about the decision.
“Honestly I thought it was fine, obviously they have a very strict policy and aren’t open to change,” he said. “I realized, for lack of a better term, you can’t fight city hall on an issue like this and just decided to go about my life.”
The New School also signaled the possibility that masks may not be required in all non-healthcare spaces as of May 23, and is expected to announce a definitive decision in the next couple of weeks, Melzer said.
The university will announce masking and testing policies for the fall semester over the summer. If a mask-optional policy is adopted, community members will have the option to attend in-person classes maskless for the first time since March 2020.
In February, the university also halted regular mandatory COVID-19 testing for fully vaccinated community members and expanded campus visitor access, when the dashboard reflected a positivity rate of 0.5%. The only remaining on-campus testing center is located in the lobby of Arnold Hall at 55 W. 13th St.
“My two plus years in this area has taught me to certainly not predict, but also don’t commit to anything that is five months out, or four months out,” Melzer said. “What we do know is that many of the things that have helped us keep a safe campus haven’t changed.”