The smiles are visibly back on the Clarkson University campus, as new mask policies have been announced that still include mask wearing in some settings, but optional in many others.
New York State has begun to shift its COVID-19 response from pandemic to endemic measures aligned to declining positivity rates and other data related to the Omicron variant that support moving forward. Earlier this week, Clarkson implemented the following mask policies for its campuses in Potsdam, Beacon and Schenectady as shown below. The University will reevaluate them periodically during the semester.
- Everyone is required to wear a mask in the classroom. Faculty and other presenters have the option to remove their mask in the classroom.
- Everyone is required to wear a mask in the Student Health Center and the College Connector transportation to continue to comply with the components of the NYS mask mandate that remain in place.
- Mask wearing is optional in all other indoor locations on campus at this time. Masks are not required in Cheel Campus Center & Arena and are not required for Clarkson hockey games.
- Everyone is required to carry a mask with them on campus. People can post a message on their office or residential room door that thanks others for wearing a mask in these spaces.
- Sponsored K-12 activities with local school systems that are held on our campuses will follow the same guidance in place for those districts.
“It’s nice to see the smiles on people’s faces again. You can sense that everyone is excited to be moving towards a “normal” life again,” said Bailee Underwood ‘23, a junior majoring in Biomolecular Science and Communications.
“We have consulted with external experts who have said that our masking plan is reasonable. As part of Clarkson’s values, we expect everyone to respect the choices of others. Clarkson has a robust vaccination status with 99% of our faculty and staff vaccinated and 98.7% of the student body. We have policies in place for sick persons, accessible COVID-19 testing for all, and all community members continuing to practice good hygiene and social distancing all contribute to this decision. These plans will be periodically evaluated and updated,” said Kelly Chezum, Vice President for Marketing and External Relations.
