After we posted the initial Health and Safety Q&A with the administration, we received two follow up questions. Here they are, along with the administration’s responses:
Question: In the administration’s response to a question in the previous Q&A post, they wrote “access to the Student Services Center (SSC) is currently limited to students only, with no visitors or parents allowed. Public Safety & SSC personnel monitor to ensure that this policy is followed. If you believe visitors and/or parents are being permitted in the SSC, then please share this information with Public Safety.” If students refers here to people already admitted to NCC, then this policy is confusing, since all offices in the SSC work with people who have not yet been admitted, and some offices, like Admissions and Placement Testing, work exclusively with that population.
Answer: The Student Services Center (SSC) website communicates that a valid photo ID or NCC ID is required to enter. Only students or prospective students are permitted past the Information Desk in the SSC. Parents and friends are expected to wait outside the SSC. College personnel are aware of this mandate and have been instructed to ask visitors to remain outside the SSC. We have discussed this concern with Public Safety, to ensure this rule is being followed and we are in the process of reviewing web pages and other documentation to resolve any inconsistencies in how this policy is communicated. It is important to note, that regardless of who enters the SSC, if staff are following the appropriate safety protocols and measures (e.g., social distancing, mask wearing, and hand hygiene), then this will help increase protection and significantly decrease the likelihood of spreading the virus. Keeping interactions to less than 15 minutes, if possible, will also reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Employees should clean their workspaces before and after any interaction with a student. Please communicate with your supervisor if you need cleaning materials.
Question: In a recent email from Dr. Singhani, it stated that students who do not get tested will be prohibited from using student support services which includes my department, the Library. We are open to F2F and remote students. How will the Public Safety officers at the entrance be able to verify/check if students entering the building have in fact tested for COVID?
Answer: The following students MUST complete the surveillance testing as well as the College’s other mandatory health and safety protocols:
- Students enrolled in face-to-face courses
- Students working on campus
- Student athletes (will receive specific instructions from the Director of Athletics regarding the below requirements)
- Students using on-campus resources, on a weekly basis, for the facilitation of their academic courses (e.g., computer, internet, or study space access)
Regarding remote or online students who utilize services such as the Library, those students are required to show their NCC ID and complete the daily COVID screening. The College is creating a way to track those students for the Spring term. Additionally, we are working with Public Safety to monitor best practices amongst students (e.g., social distancing and mask wearing) while they use the library, for the protection of employees and students. Our goal is to ensure that students who are utilizing services on a weekly basis, which can be seen from the daily screening and entrance monitoring, are tracked for surveillance testing. If they do not complete their requirements, then this may result in a loss of access to services.