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COVID 19 Updates

Dean of Students Update: DOS Update: Fall Preparations, Vaccination Requirements, and Housing

| by Derek Doucet

Students, Fall 2021, Vaccination Information

Dear Students,

Happy mid-summer! We’re eagerly anticipating your return and are writing with updates about fall preparations, vaccination requirements, housing, and the Bread Loaf campus community.

Overview of What to Expect in the Fall

We are excited to welcome students, faculty, and staff back in person this fall. While we continue to monitor conditions of the pandemic, we plan to return to as normal operations as possible, including a vibrant student social life, athletics, student organization events, and of course, in-person classes. 

We expect that with vaccination requirements in place for faculty, staff, and students, we will have a highly vaccinated campus population at the start of the semester. There will, however, be a small number of students who have been unable to get vaccinated prior to arrival, due in part to differences in the availability of vaccines worldwide. Depending on the number of unvaccinated students and the regional, national, and global state of the pandemic, we are planning for an arrival period of two weeks, when some COVID-19-related requirements will be in place. This will allow individuals who are not able to be fully vaccinated prior to arrival to begin the vaccination process immediately. We intend to move through this arrival period and quickly return to a much more normal state. 

With all of this in mind, we do not expect the need for campus-wide arrival quarantine or COVID-19 testing, or for ongoing surveillance testing during the term. The situation remains fluid, however, and as always we will update you if we need to change these plans. Please check the Campus Status web page for the latest information.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement Reminder

All students enrolled for in-person learning at Middlebury in the fall must be fully vaccinated, or have an approved medical or religious exemption, before their arrival on campus. This means they must have received their final dose of the vaccine no later than 14 days prior to arrival. Please upload your proof of vaccination or your religious or medical exemption by August 10.  

Specific requirements are as follows:

  • Students living in the United States should receive all required doses of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson) at least two weeks before their arrival.
  • Students living abroad without access to FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines should prioritize WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines, followed by any other government vaccines provided in their location prior to coming to campus.
  • All Middlebury College undergraduates must upload to their student health portal a photo of their COVID-19 vaccine record as an “Immunization Record” showing a completed vaccination series. Please direct questions to healthservices@middlebury.edu. 
  • Students wishing to request a religious or medical exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine requirement should complete a COVID-19 Vaccine Exemption form found on the Center for Health and Wellness forms page. They then must upload it via the student health portal as follows: Open the document tab. Select document type “Immunization record.” Upload exemption document.
  • Some international students may not be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine in their home countries prior to fall semester arrival. Middlebury College will host a vaccination clinic during arrival days for those individuals. If you are unable to get a COVID-19 vaccine prior to arrival, please email healthservices@middlebury.edu for further guidance.
  • Please keep in mind that if a student arrives on campus unvaccinated, they may be required to complete arrival testing and room quarantine until a negative test result is received. 

Housing

The most important elements of our success last year were the community spirit and dedication students showed in caring for one another. While things will look and feel far more normal than last year, we anticipate a very full campus this fall. This is primarily because many students will be returning from leaves of absence taken during the pandemic. Others will be on campus due to changes in their study abroad plans, and we will welcome a larger than normal incoming class. This will be an exhilarating and welcome change, but it does mean we will have limited ability to change room assignments obtained through draw. In order to ensure educational access and opportunity for as many students as possible, we ask for your flexibility and understanding as we proceed through the housing process.  

Bread Loaf Campus Intentional Community

This fall we have a unique opportunity for about 90 juniors and seniors: The Bread Loaf campus will be opened for undergraduate housing. Students interested in living at Bread Loaf will be placed before the Junior/Senior room selection process or select spaces during room selection. We encourage you to think about this exciting opportunity to live at Bread Loaf! Some things to know:

  •  If you are interested, please fill out this form to be placed at Bread Loaf prior to room selection. Spaces that are not taken before Junior/Senior room selection will be offered in the room selection process next week. 
  • Rooms at the Bread Loaf Inn are a mix of singles and doubles. Frothingham Cottage, a house with four doubles, will also be available for a group of eight students.  
  • There will be a shuttle that will run during the day between main campus and Bread Loaf. Schedules will be published closer to the start of the semester. Students with vehicles also will be given a parking pass for the main campus.
  • Students living at Bread Loaf will be given both a Snow Bowl and a Rikert Nordic Center season pass at no charge. 
  • Students will receive $1,000 off their room rate and $500 off the board plan per semester.  
  • Floor plans for Bread Loaf are available here to review. 
  • More information about the Bread Loaf housing option is available on the Bread Loaf Housing Option web page and FAQ. 

Enjoy the rest of summer and get excited for a great year. We’ll see you soon!

Sincerely,

Derek Doucet

Dean of Students