Russell Sage College releases fall semester reopening plan
TROY, N.Y. » Russell Sage College has released its fall semester reopening plan, which focuses on the safety of the college’s students, faculty, and staff while still offering an inperson academic experience at both the Troy and Albany campuses.
Officials said the plan follows Reopening New York guidelines and exceeds the state standards in a number of areas, including:
• All residence hall rooms will be single- occupancy.
• Classroom environments will require 6-foot social distancing and all students and faculty wearing masks.
• Many classrooms and offices will be equipped with UV air-filtration systems.
• Employees and students will be tested before returning to campus for the fall semester.
• Russell Sage will have the capacity to conduct and analyze COVID-19 tests for symptomatic individuals on either campus.
• All students will sign a Sage Strong Pledge underscoring their shared commitment to the community and public health.
“We are an educational institution, and this difficult moment in time offers valuable lessons about how our individual actions affect the whole; this continues to be a learning experience for all of us,” Russell Sage College President Christopher Ames stated.
“Our success in operating under these conditions will be a communal and shared enterprise to observe best practices for health and hygiene,” Ames added.
Classes will begin on Monday, Aug. 24, and students will be expected to attend classes during two traditional campus holidays — Labor Day (Sept. 7) and Fall Break (Oct. 1213 ). These changes reduce three- day-weekend travel and allow for an earlier end to the semester.
All classes and final exams following the Thanksgiving break will be offered remotely or online. Residential students will have the option to remain on campus during the break and continue in the residence halls through the end of exams.
Depending on health and travel advisories, residential students who choose to leave campus for Thanksgiving may not be permitted to return to campus for the last two weeks of the semester. (Room rates will not be adjusted for students opting to travel during the break.) Dec. 11 will be the last day of final exams.
Residential students will receive more information about move-in options from the Residence Life Office.
They will have restructured classrooms to reduce density and to create a special teaching zone for the professor. Faculty will be making greater use of technology, mixing the best online learning techniques with engaging in-person instruction, some of it in small groups.
Campus food services will feature more grab-andgo options and made-to- order meals, and dining areas will be more spread out. In place of large gatherings, extra- curricular activities will be built around small and medium- sized groups as well as virtual forms of entertainment and interaction.
All rooms on campus will be single occupancy. Move-in to campus residences will be spread out over several days to reduce any crowding.
As Sage employees return to work on campus gradually through the summer, they will be tested for COVID-19 before resuming work on campus. Students will be required to be tested in the ten-day period preceding their first appearance on campus. The college will send information to assist with that testing.
The college is going to great lengths to foster safety: implementing enhanced sanitizing protocols across campus with classrooms, restrooms, and common areas cleaned and disinfected daily; expanding the number of hand sanitizing stations throughout campus; and providing disinfectant supplies for cleaning of shared surfaces during the day.
Faculty have reimagined classes, and Facilities has redesigned classrooms to advance learning with flexibility and creativity. Staff are providing services in restructured offices and through virtual conferences and meetings.
Students in turn will sign a pledge to be “Sage Strong.”