Dear Kenyon students and colleagues,
We are in a different and better place today than we were a year ago. Very high vaccination rates among our students and employees give us confidence that we will be able to manage risks involved with in-person instruction and residential life on campus. At the same time, the emergence of the delta variant is a reminder that the pandemic is not over, and lagging vaccination rates in Knox County remain a point of concern. Nevertheless, it is important both to remember what we have learned about managing COVID over the past year, and to recognize that we are operating in a very different, and generally much safer, environment. COVID remains with us, but it will not constrain and define this academic year the way it has the last three semesters. We are moving from life under COVID to living with COVID.
This memo details our COVID management plans heading into the 2021-22 academic year (at-a-glance PDF). Our ongoing mitigation efforts will continue to follow best practices outlined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in collaboration with our state and local public health partners. Thus, details of our policies will likely change in response to new knowledge and new circumstances, but they will always be designed to protect the health and well-being of the campus community, based on the best available information.
Sincerely,
Drew Kerkhoff
Chair, COVID-19 Steering Committee
Associate Provost and Professor of Biology
We value being together, in person.
Academics. Classes will be conducted in person, following a traditional academic calendar.
Student residences. All students will be in residence, with about 115 living in newly converted student housing, including the McIlvaine Apartments, the Kenyon Inn, and The Pines of Apple Valley.
Dining. Peirce Hall will offer both dine-in and takeout for students and employees. The private dining rooms will remain open for general seating, with reservations for private functions limited to before or after peak hours (11 a.m - 1:15 p.m. weekdays). A full set of catering services will be available. Grab-and-go options will be available in Gund Commons starting in September.
Athletics. Kenyon will follow NCAA guidelines (PDF) for fall training and competition.
Events, meetings and gatherings. Organizers should follow these guidelines when planning their events. We encourage organizers to consider hosting events outdoors or in other well-ventilated areas, keeping gatherings small or offering virtual programs.
Administrative services and operations. As a residential college, most of our work is done on campus. However, over the past three semesters we have learned to do some work effectively from a distance. Arrangements to continue or begin to work off-campus must adhere to the remote work policy.
There are things we can do to keep ourselves, and others, healthy.
Vaccination. As a private college where nearly all students live on campus, Kenyon has a responsibility to use the most effective tools available to promote the health of its community. Immunization is first among them.
- Students are required to provide proof of immunization for all vaccines recommended by the CDC, including COVID-19. Requests for reasonable accommodations for medical exceptions and sincerely held religious beliefs are considered on an individual basis.
- In partnership with Knox Public Health, COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer) will be available to Kenyon students on Wednesday, August 25, at the Lowry Center. COVID-19 vaccine may also be obtained by appointment at Knox Public Health and Knox Community Hospital in Mt. Vernon.
- The influenza vaccine also is required for students and will be provided on campus at no charge to students when our allocation of this season’s vaccine becomes available later this semester.
- Employees are strongly encouraged to receive the COVID-19 vaccine; while not required, more than 80% of all employees have reported that they are vaccinated.
Face coverings. Masks offer added protection; they are required in certain circumstances and recommended in others. Based on current CDC and local public health guidance:
- Masks are currently required indoors, regardless of vaccination status. Exceptions include: students in their residence hall or apartment; employees working alone in a private office or workspace; individuals who are actively eating or exercising; individuals whose health or job prevents them from wearing a face covering (see return to campus protocols for employees).
- We will continue to monitor local and regional case data, review CDC guidance and consult with local public health authorities on our policies. Should conditions allow us to relax our mask mandate, unvaccinated individuals will be expected to continue to wear a mask in the presence of others indoors.
Distancing
- Unvaccinated individuals are expected to maintain a 6-foot distance from others.
- Event spaces are limited to 85% of normal capacities so that those who choose to maintain a distance greater than 3 feet can do so.
The Kenyon campus is not a bubble. This is by design.
Visitors. The campus is open to visitors, including family and friends of students in residence as well as prospective students and families. Visitors must adhere to all campus guidelines, according to their vaccination status.
Travel
- Students may travel off campus and return without any need for a quarantine period or entry testing. Unvaccinated students participate in weekly testing.
- Employees are permitted to travel as part of their job duties. It is strongly recommended that employees receive the COVID-19 vaccine prior to traveling on Kenyon’s behalf.
- People who travel should consult CDC guidance for domestic and international travel.
We’ve built systems for managing COVID-19 cases and minimizing transmission.
COVID-19 testing. With a largely vaccinated population, our testing program will focus on symptomatic students and surveillance testing of unvaccinated students.
- Unvaccinated students will receive a COVID-19 test upon arrival, and will be required to undergo testing on a weekly basis. Students not reporting for mandatory testing will be subject to disciplinary action.
- Campus-wide, compulsory testing of students may be instituted if conditions require it.
Symptom checks, and what to do if you have symptoms. Because of the possibility of breakthrough infections, and the importance of limiting community spread, all community members are encouraged to continue daily symptom checks.
- Students exhibiting two or more COVID-19 symptoms should schedule an appointment with the Cox Health & Counseling Center for medical assessment, which could include testing. To schedule an appointment please call 740-427-5525 or email health@kenyon.edu.
- Symptomatic students suspected of having COVID-19 will be moved to isolation housing and remain in quarantine pending test results. During this period, they must wear a face covering at all times indoors, and they are not permitted to go to class or participate in athletics or other extracurricular activities. Their meals will be delivered.
- Employees should follow the return to campus protocols if they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
What happens if you test positive for COVID-19.
- Students who test positive for COVID-19 will be moved to isolation housing (if not already there) and undergo contact tracing by Knox Public Health, with assistance from Cox Center staff. They will remain in isolation for 10 days (from the onset of symptoms or receipt of a positive test result). During this period, they must wear a face covering at all times indoors, and they are not permitted to go to class or participate in athletics or other extracurricular activities. Their meals will be delivered.
- Cox Center staff will remain in contact with all students in isolation, and will help them to connect to local health providers as necessary.
- Employees who test positive for COVID-19 should refer to the return to campus protocols for isolation guidelines based on their vaccination status.
What happens if you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19.
- Fully vaccinated students who are determined to be close contacts by Knox Public Health will receive a COVID-19 test within 3-5 days of exposure, and must wear a face covering at all times indoors until they receive a negative test result. During this period, if they are asymptomatic they may quarantine in their residence, attend class, and participate in athletics or other extracurricular activities on a case-by-case basis. They are not permitted to dine in at Peirce but may pick up takeout meals.
- Unvaccinated students who are determined to be close contacts will be quarantined; if they are asymptomatic, they may quarantine in their residence. During this period, they must wear a face covering at all times indoors, and they are not permitted to go to class or participate in athletics or other extracurricular activities. They also are not permitted to dine in at Peirce but may pick up takeout meals. They will receive a COVID-19 test approximately 5 days after exposure and, if negative, will be released from quarantine after 7 days.
- Employees who are determined to be a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 should refer to the return to campus protocols for quarantine guidelines based on their vaccination status.