Feb. 24: Update on Campus COVID-19 Guidelines

Dear Students,

We want to express our appreciation for your continued diligence as we ease back into in-person learning. We recognize that this has not been an easy time, and yet we have been impressed by the many ways in which you have all looked out for each other and done your part to protect the nest. Our community is certainly stronger together, and we have enjoyed having students back with one another in the classroom.

As you may know, last week’s positivity rate was low, and this is a great early sign that we can have a successful in-person semester. With that being said, it is imperative that we continue to follow all health and safety guidelines so that we can stay the course and maintain the safest living-learning environment possible. Given the progress we have made, we are happy to share that we are able to adjust some of the current campus guidelines, including the following:

• Resident students may now enter other individual residence hall rooms within their assigned residence hall. Residence hall room capacity is limited to the residents of the room plus two additional individuals from the same residence hall. In addition, common areas in the residence halls will remain accessible at 50% occupancy, with strict adherence to physical distancing and mask wearing guidelines.

• Regarding dining and other common areas on campus, students may sit with one other individual, yet they must remain six feet apart at all times.

• Ace’s Place in the Library will continue to remain closed at this time, yet similar to other common areas on campus, students may now sit appropriately physically distanced at tables within the space.

• While access to campus will remain restricted to community members and designated personnel, we will once again allow parents, siblings, grandparents, and legal guardians of students to visit campus, drop off, and/or pick up students through the guest registration process. Please note that approved visitors must follow all campus COVID-19-related expectations and are not permitted to enter any residence halls or administrative buildings.

• Lastly, in order to limit exposure to COVID-19, students are asked to continue to restrict all off-campus travel unless absolutely necessary.

Please know that we will continue to monitor our progress and make adjustments as necessary. In the meantime, stay well and thank you again for your ongoing cooperation and commitment to our Stonehill community.

Sincerely,

DeBrenna L. Agbényiga, Ph.D., MBA, MSW
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Pauline Dobrowski, Ed.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs