College campuses across New York are welcoming back students before the end of the month with a host of new rules in places to prevent the spread of COVID-19. At Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, students will return on a staggered basis, beginning August 15. Vassar President Dr. Elizabeth Bradley spoke with WAMC’s Allison Dunne, who is based at WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau at Vassar. This is the second part of their interview.
Just a few students and staff have remained on the Vassar campus since the switch to remote learning in March. Now, with health and safety protocols in place, Vassar has planned for an in-person return, though remote learning is an option. Bradley, who serves on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s New York Forward advisory board, to help with the state’s reopening, says Vassar’s requirements include social distancing, mask wearing, testing, and more. Students who live on campus will have to sign a community care pledge.
Bradley has written an opening editorial to a study just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Open Network about the safety of reopening colleges during COVID-19. The first part of the interview can be found here.
AUGUST 5 UPDATE: To help ensure the safety of students and local residents alike, Vassar College’s campus will be closed to visitors from August 8 through at least September 7, pending consultation with county health officials, President Elizabeth Bradley announced.
Students will begin arriving for the fall semester in staggered groups over a three-week period starting August 8.
