Protocols and Guidelines for the Academic Year
This information is archived as of July 23, 2021, and is saved here for reference. See latest health information.
July 24, 2020
Dear Central Family,
I hope your practice of physical distancing, face covering, hand-washing and other well-known tenets of pandemic protocol have kept you and your loved ones healthy and looking forward to Central’s fall semester — which we are currently planning on running as scheduled with classes starting Aug. 26 and ending Dec. 11. Final exam week is Dec. 15-17.
Because the health and safety of all members of the Central community are of primary importance, here on campus we have been and will continue work to prepare for your arrival. We have developed many new procedures, protocols and behavioral guidelines, all of which can be found in the COVID-19 section of our website. We’ve developed these with the continued input of our two coronavirus task forces and state and national authorities. We have learned considerably more in recent weeks about the spread of the COVID-19 virus and as a learning community it is important that we apply what we learn.
I urge you to spend time reviewing all the protocols and FAQs; below I highlight a few areas of most immediate interest.
General Information
It is now required and absolutely essential to our shared success that all members of the Central community wear a face covering in indoor public spaces and outdoors when six-foot physical distances cannot be maintained. All students should bring at least two washable face masks, a personal supply of hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies for the residence room, and patience as we all adapt to the changes in the way we must interact during the pandemic. Central will provide two additional face masks and a reusable face shield when you check in during Move-In Day. Faculty and staff will also have access to face masks and shields, and everyone is reminded to wash face masks and shields (and hands) regularly. The masks and face shield will be provided to students, faculty and staff at no cost.
Athletics
Central’s student-athletes and athletic training students will be among the first to arrive on campus in early August. The athletics task force reviewed the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and NCAA and consulted with the American Rivers Conference in developing the detailed protocols regarding practice, competition and travel. Given the dynamic nature of athletics competition and team building, these protocols [link to athletics protocols when done] are critical for all student-athletes to review and understand prior to arriving on campus.
Move-In
In order to minimize congestion when students move into the residence halls, move-in will occur over multiple days in a staggered manner with assigned times. All students and visitors are required to wear masks and visitors are asked to leave the rooms as soon as possible to respect the health of student residents.
Dining
All staff and students are required to wear face coverings (mask or face shield) when preparing, serving or picking up meals. Dining services staff follow the strict guidelines of the CDC and Food and Drug Administration in food preparation and service, for their health and yours. Students will be expected to maintain six-foot physical distancing in our dining facilities and not to move tables. If an individual coughs or sneezes in the serving area without a face covering, we are required under health regulations to discard the prepared food in the area, clean the area and begin the cooking process again. As you can imagine, this would be incredibly disruptive to our normal schedule. Accordingly, no one will be admitted to our dining venues without a face covering.
Classes
Classrooms have been set to maintain a six-foot physical distance between all students and faculty. Therefore, you may find yourself in an unusual classroom this semester! Cleaning supplies will be available to wipe down desktops, chairs, etc., at the start and end of class, a new routine that will not take long — just like carts at the grocery store. Wear a face mask and/or face shield in your classes and please avoid clustering in the hallways. Members of the faculty will provide specific instructions for any additional or adaptive requirements depending on the nature of each course.
We’ll continue to update our COVID-19 web section as we get more information in response to the pandemic and state and national guidelines.
Keeping Each Other Safe
One fact will not change: Safely reopening the campus and keeping it open for in-person learning is up to each one of us. By practicing good pandemic hygiene, we will go a long way toward keeping the health of our community manageable. This also means doing so on and off campus, during classes and while on breaks, with friends, roommates, colleagues and family members and with all we interact.
I cannot overemphasize the need for vigilance. Never has the continued health of the college, the Central community and, indeed, of our state and nation been more directly dependent on the day-to-day choices made by each one of us. Please join me in making every effort to keep yourself and everyone with whom you interact safe. And encourage others to do the same.
I so appreciate all of the many and great sacrifices all of you have made to ensure one another’s safety while continuing our educational mission since the start of the pandemic. Unfortunately, we’ll need to remain observant and careful for the long haul. I say this not to discourage. No one is more enthusiastic about reopening campus than I am. But you deserve to hear the truth from me: We will have to continue to adapt in many ways, some foreseen and others unforeseeable. If we all come to campus determined to keep one another safe, we can prevail.
Have a Heart for Others
At Central we have a heart for others. This is why it is now required that all members of the Central community wear a face covering in indoor public spaces and outdoors when six-foot physical distances cannot be maintained. So wear a mask. Maintain physical distance. Wash hands frequently. Carry hand sanitizer. Clean and disinfect. This is how we can be there for each other now. Entire countries and world regions have largely returned to some semblance of normal with the help of these simple means along with testing, quarantining and contact tracing. With your help, we will do the same on Central’s campus. I know it is a sacrifice. But if ever there was one worth making, this is it.
I’ll continue to be in touch. Take care, be well and see you soon.
Mark Putnam
President