Fall 2020 FAQ

Students who do not have symptoms but have a positive COVID-19 test would be moved to isolation housing as fast as safely possible. It may take a few hours to make arrangements, during which time the student will be instructed to stay in their room and pack personal belongings until the arrangements are finalized. Facilities Services would be notified to perform cleaning of any shared bathrooms and high touch points in addition to all of the regular cleaning and disinfecting they are doing as part of our COVID-19 protocols.

Students who are not in quarantine due to a known COVID-19 exposure, have tested negative for COVID-19 during arrival testing, but then develop symptoms or fevers are considered a Person Under Investigation (PUI). Students with symptoms or fever should contact the Center for Health and Wellness (CHW), and remain in room quarantine until an evaluation can be arranged. If a student develops sudden severe symptoms such as trouble breathing, they should call 911. CHW makes evaluations a priority and they typically happen the same day. If symptoms start at night, students can remain in room quarantine until the next business day and contact CHW in the morning. Students needing support after hours can contact Midd Telehealth.

Those under investigation (PUIs) will be evaluated and tested for COVID-19 using a PCR based viral test. Depending on their living situation, PUIs may either return to their residence, or in some cases will be moved to temporary flex housing until test results are received. PUIs would not placed in COVID isolation housing unless their test is positive, as that would expose them to other COVID-positive individuals. In many cases, PUIs have symptoms due to non-COVID pathogens, and the COVID test is negative.

Roommates and suitemates should continue to practice physical distancing, hand hygiene, and use of face coverings. If the PUI individual tests positive for COVID, the roommate and suitemates would likely be considered close contacts and would be required to quarantine.

Individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 are reported to the Vermont Department of Health, and contact tracing quickly begins. Currently, close contacts are considered to be individuals​ who were within 6 feet of the infected person for more than 15 minutes, or individuals experiencing any direct bodily contact​ with someone who has tested positive. Those individuals are identified through contact tracing and placed in quarantine. Contacts of contacts are not required to follow this protocol unless they are in direct contact with someone who tests positive. This approach, which is required by the Vermont Department of Health, has proven to be an effective mitigation measure for COVID-19 and other illnesses.

Many individuals who know a person with COVID-19 wonder if they are at risk for developing the illness, even if the Department of Health does not contact them. Examples include friends of roommates of the infected person or coworkers of an individual who has a family member at home diagnosed with COVID-19.   In most cases these people are considered a contact of a contact, and are not considered to be at risk for developing illness. 

The health pledge affirms that the student is familiar with and willing to comply with Vermont’s COVID-19 restrictions and Middlebury’s policies. For example, students are required to prescreen for COVID-19 symptoms each day, wear cloth face coverings, practice good hand hygiene, practice physical distancing, and follow all other applicable health guidelines in order to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Middlebury follows a COVID-19 Conduct Policy and Disciplinary Process which explains details and possible sanctions for violating the Health Pledge and other COVID-related protocols.

For information on testing procedures, please see our testing fact sheet.

A number of factors would contribute to that decision including monitoring positive cases on campus. We would also continue to monitor the local health system capacity, cases in the broader community, and other factors. If conditions on campus or in our community change, we are prepared to convert to remote learning if necessary. We will continue to work closely with nearby Porter Medical Center and the Vermont Department of Health, and we will continue to follow CDC guidelines. In the event of a high number of cases, unexplained clusters, or unusual patterns, we will rely on guidance from the Department of Health and our Porter Medical Center partners to determine how best to proceed. We will also continue to monitor the regional, local, and University of Vermont Health Network statuses and resources.

As always, we are prepared to shift to an all-student room quarantine or to entirely remote learning if that becomes necessary.

On July 6, Vermont Governor Phil Scott announced the following mandatory guidance for reopening Vermont colleges and universities: https://accd.vermont.gov/sites/accdnew/files/documents/College-Restart-Plan.pdf

Middlebury College required all students returning to campus to self-quarantine at home for 14 days prior to returning to campus. At the end of the 14-day quarantine period, students were only permitted to return if they did not have any symptoms of COVID-19 and had no known exposure to COVID-19. This reduced their exposure while at home and reduced the risk of their bringing COVID-19 to campus.

We implemented a robust testing program in partnership with the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Broad Institute that allows us to deliver tests for COVID-19 infection. Each student has received two rounds of COVID-19 viral tests, including an anterior nares specimen on day zero and again on day seven. (See also the Broad Institute’s description of their COVID-19 diagnostic testing.) Positive tests result in immediate isolation of the student followed by contact tracing. This procedure currently exceeds state guidelines.

Students who were unable to do the 14-day quarantine at home before their arrival were required to do so in their dorm rooms on campus.

In addition, students are required to prescreen for COVID-19 symptoms each day, wear cloth face coverings, practice good hand hygiene, practice physical distancing, and follow all other applicable health guidelines in order to limit the spread of COVID-19.

The campus community is using a phased approach to its limitations on movement and behavior, with Phase 1 being the most restrictive and Phase 3 being the least restrictive. The phases are fluid and are dictated by a number of factors, including health conditions on campus and in the region.

Along with the Employee Health Pledge, Middlebury has developed a robust “Return to Work Guide” for all employees.

For details on testing, quarantining, and isolation plans, see our Return to Campus Guide.

Visit our Return to Campus Guide for details on traveling to Vermont.

Protocols include staggered arrivals of students and multiple rounds of testing when students return, quarantine before and after they arrive on campus, cloth mask use, restrictions on travel and visitors, limited gatherings according to Vermont guidance, physical distancing protocols, and other preventive measures to reduce the risk of infection, as well as an evacuation plan. We understand that the abilities of our students, faculty, and staff to adjust to this new reality will play an essential role in our success.

Faculty and staff should contact their personal care providers and isolate in accordance with Vermont and CDC guidance. The Vermont Department of Health will be notified and contact tracing will commence.

Students are required to sign the Student Health Pledge. They are also required to use a daily health check app called PolicyPath as part of that pledge. While currently exceeding CDC and Vermont guidelines, testing students on arrival is intended to identify any asymptomatic positive cases as early as possible.

Students and employees will be required to conduct a brief daily COVID-19 symptom screening, exposure, and temperature self-check at the start of each day. A digital survey has been created and should take only a couple of minutes to complete. We expect to be using a tool—either a web-based tool or an app that can be downloaded onto a phone—that will also support rapid contact tracing when an individual tests positive for COVID-19. More information about this technology will be provided closer to students’ arrival on campus. Students should bring personal thermometers with them to campus so they can check their temperatures daily.

Students will move into their rooms and remain there until the first test results are back. Meals will be delivered to dorms during the quarantine period. Leaving the room to use the bathroom or grab a meal from the dorm delivery point must be allowed—however, lingering cannot be allowed, and physical distancing, cloth face coverings, and hand hygiene protocols must be followed. Students will be warned in advance of this, and noncompliance could result in the loss of housing privileges for the remainder of the semester. For students who are able to self-quarantine for 14 days prior to coming to campus and travel directly to campus (assuming that they do not have any COVID-19 symptoms and no known exposure to COVID-19 during the 14-day period), we expect that the room quarantine will end as soon as the first test results are back—within 24 hours is expected. Should there be a delay in testing results, quarantine will take longer. Students who are unable to meet the direct travel and 14-day prearrival quarantine period will be required to remain in room quarantine until after their second test results have been returned and are negative.

Students with positive test results will stay in dedicated isolation housing. Transportation will be provided as soon as possible to the isolation housing facility. Contact tracing will commence immediately. 

Students in isolation will be supported by health, counseling, and residential life staff. Meals will be provided.  

Students who live off campus will be subject to the same guidelines as on-campus students.

Contact tracing and subsequent testing of individuals identified as a contact will be managed by the Vermont Department of Health.

Students identified through contact tracing who need to quarantine will be managed on a case-by-case basis. In many cases, students will be able to quarantine in their rooms following Department of Health guidance. In some cases, students may be relocated to other housing, as necessary. Students in quarantine will be supported by health, counseling, and residential life staff. Meals will be provided. Specific instructions will be provided to students as we get closer to arrival day, including what to bring and how to plan for possible quarantine.

Students will be required to stay on the Middlebury College campus. Students living in off-campus housing will be asked to stay in their houses and only travel directly to and from campus. Trips to town, trails, lakes, and other locations will be prohibited during any campus quarantine period. Local merchants will be encouraged to deliver goods to campus. Cloth face coverings, physical distancing, and limited-size gatherings will all be in effect and must be followed. Use of personal vehicles will be prohibited except for students living in off-campus housing who travel to and from campus for orientation activities. Gatherings at off-campus housing will be prohibited.  

According to the CDC, social distancing is also called physical distancing, and means keeping space between yourself and other people outside of your home. To practice social or physical distancing stay at least six feet (about two arms’ lengths) from other people. See the CDC’s guidance on social distancing.  

Annual influenza (flu) vaccine is recommended by the CDC for all U.S. citizens older than six months of age, barring any medical contraindications. Vaccination reduces the burden of respiratory illness in our community and reduces the likelihood that an individual would need to be quarantined for eight to 14 days or longer due to concerns about COVID-19. Faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to get an annual flu vaccine once it becomes available. Students, because they either live in congregate housing or have significant interactions with other students that do, will be required to get a flu shot this year, barring any medical or religious exemptions. A specific medical and religious exemption form will be available this summer. 

Further information about COVID-19 vaccinations will be provided once a vaccine is developed. 

The College will work with the Department of Health to facilitate contact tracing. College health officials and Department of Health officials are prepared to work together to identify close contacts. The Department of Health will use the Sara Alert system to help manage and follow COVID-19 infected and exposed individuals. Employees will be asked to follow Department of Health guidance and stay home. Students in quarantine or isolation will be supported by health, counseling, and residential life staff. Meals will be provided. Specific instructions will be provided to students as we get closer to arrival day, including what to bring and how to plan for possible quarantine.

Campus quarantine is expected to continue until all returning students have completed the arrival testing process. Due to the staggered arrival, this means that some students will remain in campus quarantine even after their second test is negative. Once all returning students have completed the two rounds of testing (day zero and day seven), gradual relaxation of local off-campus travel restrictions will be considered. Any restrictions will depend on the local, regional, and national situations with respect to COVID-19 and cannot be predicted at this time. It is reasonable to predict that low levels of COVID-19 would allow for fewer restrictions.  

There will be several mechanisms to care for and interact with students being isolated for COVID-19. The current plan is to isolate students in a separate building across the street from the Parton Health Center and on the edge of campus closest to Porter Hospital. For students who test positive but have no symptoms or very mild symptoms, daily Zoom check-ins with health center staff will be arranged. Students with mild to moderate illness will have the option of either a telehealth or in-person visit. Support is available 24/7. Students with moderate to severe illness will likely be referred to Porter Hospital or UVM for further care and monitoring. Health center staff will be carefully monitoring hospital access, intensive care capacity, and ventilator capacity through the UVM Health Network. Mental health support will be available for students through the counseling service or 24/7 through a telehealth mechanism.

Logistics such as supplying food, fluids, and medications and removing refuse will also be provided. Residential life staff will be available to support students as well.

According to CDC and Vermont Department of Health guidance, someone has recovered from COVID-19 when all three of these have happened:

1. It has been three full days of no fever without the use of fever-reducing medication, and
2. Other symptoms have improved, and
3. At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.   

For individuals who never had symptoms but had a positive test, this guidance would mean that isolation would last for 10 days. The Vermont Department of Health and the Sara Alert system will help guide isolated individuals as well.

The general student population will perform a daily symptom, exposure, and temperature check at the start of each day. Students with symptoms will be instructed to contact Parton Health Center immediately so that medical personnel can follow up and take the necessary steps. Students with severe or sudden-onset symptoms can always call 911. Porter Hospital is within two miles of campus. Students in isolation and/or quarantine will use the Department of Health’s Sara Alert system to track symptoms. For students who test positive but have no symptoms or very mild symptoms, daily Zoom check-ins with health center staff will be arranged. Students with mild to moderate illness will have the option of either a telehealth or in-person visit. Support is available 24/7. Students with moderate to severe illness will likely be referred to Porter Hospital or UVM for further care and monitoring. Health center staff will be carefully monitoring hospital access, intensive care capacity, and ventilator capacity through the UVM Health Network. Mental health support will be available for students through the counseling service or 24/7 through a telehealth mechanism.

Some individuals may have higher risk of severe illness and should carefully consider their plans. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified groups at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 (People Who Are at Higher Risk for Severe Illness and Other At-Risk Populations). Please note the CDC revised their guidance on June 25, identifying seven conditions that cause individuals to be at higher risk for severe illness and identifying several other conditions, such as asthma and Type 1 diabetes, that might cause increased risk.

Consistent with Middlebury’s ADA policy, Middlebury students and employees who have any of the medical conditions identified by the CDC and require reasonable accommodations to participate in educational programming or perform their job duties should contact the appropriate campus office: Disability Resource Center (students) or Human Resources (employees). Documentation from the individual’s healthcare provider must be submitted. Faculty with a concern about a specific class or pedagogical question should communicate with the appropriate dean (VPAA/dean of the faculty for the College; VPAA/dean of the Institute for MIIS). If the issue identified does not meet the legal definition of a disability, Middlebury will make reasonable efforts to consider and implement modifications. Requests for reasonable accommodations from individuals with qualifying disabilities that have been documented to cause an increased risk of severe illness will be given priority. 

Yes, we are contracting with a telehealth company to increase our capacity to provide counseling, psychiatric services, nutritional services, and medical services to students. This will enable students to access care 24 hours a day regardless of where they are living in the country. We expect this resource to be available with the start of the fall semester. This company will work in concert with our on-campus Vermont counseling and health service offices.

All incoming first-year students will be asked to complete a mental health questionnaire prior to arriving on campus. Students who score in clinical ranges will receive direct outreach from our staff and be informed of available on-campus and remote resources. Other students will be invited to complete mental health assessments once they return to campus and will be alerted to available resources. Health Services is working with the Health and Wellness Education (HWE) Office to ensure that students receive regular information about mental health and medical self-care, with ongoing educational campaigns. The HWE Office will also train key students to offer effective peer-to-peer support. Though requests remained high, there was not an increase in requests for counseling and mental health support in the spring. All employees of Middlebury have access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program, which can connect employees with mental health professionals.

There is emerging evidence that individuals who had COVID-19 may require prolonged recovery prior to return to activity, such as sports, dance, etc. to avoid heart/ cardiac complications. If you have already discussed this with your home physician and/ or had any testing (lab work, ECG, echocardiogram), the Center for Health and Wellness (CHW) would like you to have those records, including any office-visit notes, faxed to 802-443-2066 for your health record and review by CHW medical staff.

If you have not had an opportunity to discuss returning to activity with your home physician, you can call CHW at 802-443-3290 to request an appointment after Sept. 9^th (once all arrival testing and care is finished) to discuss return to activity. Returning fall sport athletes should also notify their team athletic trainer. In the meantime, please be aware that some individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 have had cardiac issues when returning to activity. Moderation is advised, even if you are feeling well, until clearance has been determined by a healthcare professional.

“Opening the spigot slowly” allows college health officials time to assess the impact of removing a mitigation measure and reduce the impact if removing that measure leads to an increase in cases. Allowing students to travel into Addison County while still emphasizing physical distancing and use of face coverings will reduce the spread on campus if the travel restriction alone leads to an increase in cases. If cases remain low on campus, health officials could then ease other restriction gradually and in a similar, deliberate fashion.

Middlebury is working with the Broad Institute of Cambridge, Mass., on COVID testing. For more details about the type of testing and process, visit:

https://www.broadinstitute.org/covid-19-testing/fall-2020-college-and-university-screening

We regret that students will not be allowed to have guests on campus, with the exception of move-in days. While the state guidance specifies that two visitors may accompany a student on their arrival day, Middlebury will be encouraging students to have only one drop-off guest accompany them to campus. If families traveling long distances require two drop-off guests to enable safe driving, one guest should remain in the vehicle while on campus. These move-in day guests will not be able to enter the residence halls. Other campus visitors are expected to be highly restricted as well, including restrictions on outside speakers, athletics spectators, and visitors to performing arts events and campus facilities such as the Museum of Art, McCullough Student Center, and the athletics center.

Generally, no. We anticipate that most, if not all, in-person guest lectures will be postponed. 

The campus will be closed to any non-essential visitors at least through the fall semester of 2020.

Yes. The campus will be closed to the general public and visitors, except for essential-service providers authorized by the College. This includes people taking recreational walks through campus and self-guided tours. It’s our hope that as we move into Phase 3, we may be able to allow limited numbers of prospective students to visit campus with protective protocols in place. More information will be provided as our planning evolves.

No. Parts of the Trail Around Middlebury (better known as the TAM) that run through College property will be closed to the public. We made this decision in collaboration with the Middlebury Area Land Trust, which oversees the TAM. We realize this is a major change for people who love to walk on those trails and we look forward to when we can lift the restrictions.

For now, as our students are required to stay on campus property, we are limiting the use of those stretches of the trail to students-only. We believe this will help keep both students and our community neighbors safer as we reduce possible exposure to the virus.

Roads that are under the ownership and control of the College, such as Old Chapel Road, Adirondack View, Porter Field Road, Service Road, Chateau Road, and Bicentennial Way are CLOSED to public access at this time. Public highways such as College Street, South Main Street, Weybridge Street, Hillcrest Road, Shannon Street, Storrs Avenue, and Franklin Street remain open for public use. The Catholic cemetery on Hillcrest and the town cemetery off South Main Street remain accessible.

No. Employees must arrive at work with what they need for the day. Deliveries to campus of lunch and other items for personal use are not permitted. Employees may only order items for delivery that are from approved vendors and for use at work. It is important for the health and safety of everyone on campus that we maintain our no visitor policy. (Students are permitted to place delivery orders if they follow the process as outlined by the Dean of Students Office.)

The College will support the Vermont Department of Health with contact tracing efforts. A process of contact list generation through class registrations, housing assignments, and possible athletics or other group participation will be promptly provided to the Department of Health to facilitate their contact tracing efforts. Individual privacy will be maintained in accordance with state regulations. Several health center and sports medicine staff and faculty members have participated in the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 contact tracing course and can provide further assistance to the Department of Health if necessary. In addition, the College is testing a contact tracing app to further facilitate this process.

The College follows guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Vermont Department of Health (VTDOH) to determine when personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn. PPE is selected based on a hazard assessment and an employee’s specific job duties. When an employee is required to perform a task considered very high risk or high risk, the employee will be trained and provided with PPE. Examples of very high-risk tasks are healthcare providers or first responders performing aerosol-generating activities, such as specimen collection or performing CPR. PPE that may be required includes respiratory protection (N95 respirator or powered air-purifying respirator), gloves, body protection, and eye/face protection.

Cloth face coverings are not considered PPE. When worn, cloth face coverings can aid in reducing the spread of the virus by containing respiratory droplets and secretions from the person wearing the face covering. The primary intent of cloth face coverings is to prevent the wearer from spreading the virus to others, especially by asymptomatic individuals. All faculty, staff, and students will be required to wear cloth face coverings while on campus.

PPE is selected based on a hazard assessment and an employee’s specific job duties. When an employee is required to perform a task that is considered very high risk or high risk, the employee will be trained and provided with the necessary PPE to perform their work safely. Cloth face coverings are not considered PPE but are required as a public health measure to reduce the spread of respiratory droplets and secretions.

Cloth face coverings are not surgical masks or N95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance. Cloth face coverings can be made at home from common materials or purchased. The College will provide two reusable cloth face masks to all faculty, staff, and students returning to campus. However, we are asking you to partner with us and use your own face coverings, when possible.

PPE is selected based on a hazard assessment and an employee’s specific job duties. When an employee is required to perform a task that is considered very high risk or high risk, the employee will be trained and provided with the necessary PPE to perform their work safely. Cloth face coverings are not considered PPE but are required as a public health measure to reduce the spread of respiratory droplets and secretions. 

Cloth face coverings are not surgical masks or N95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance. Cloth face coverings can be made at home from common materials or purchased. The College will provide two reusable cloth face masks to all faculty, staff, and students returning to campus. However, we are asking you to partner with us and use your own face coverings, when possible.

No. Employees who have successfully worked from home should continue to do so unless operational needs of a department dictate otherwise.

Senior officers, department heads, and managers will determine operational needs and which individuals are expected to return to campus, when, and to perform which tasks.

Departmental plans are being developed to determine which employees will return to working on campus. As an initial step in planning for the fall, all area managers will conduct a staffing plan to determine which employees will continue working remotely and which will be directed to return for on-site work, even if in a limited capacity. Your supervisor will communicate decisions to you directly. If you have not received information, please contact your supervisor for clarity regarding expectations for your position.

Once a department is approved to have employees work on campus, a workplace plan must be developed. The plan includes a hazard assessment to determine when, where, and how likely it is that the employees may be exposed to COVID-19 based upon job functions and implementation of exposure control measures to minimize and adjust activities that present greater risk.

Some individuals may have a higher risk of severe illness and should carefully consider their plans. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified groups at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 (People Who Are at Increased Risk for Severe Illness and Other At-Risk Populations).  Please note the CDC revised its guidance on June 25, identifying seven conditions that cause individuals to be at higher risk for severe illness, and also identifying several other conditions, such as asthma and Type 1 diabetes, that  might  cause increased  risk.

Consistent with Middlebury’s ADA policy, employees who have any of the medical conditions identified by the CDC and require reasonable accommodations to perform their job duties should contact Human Resources. Documentation from the individual’s healthcare provider must be submitted. 

Where possible, Middlebury encourages employees to work with their supervisor to enable working from home. For work that cannot be performed from home, Middlebury has implemented protocols and policies to reduce the risk of transmission on campus. Employees with family members at high risk should be hypervigilant, practice rigorous hygiene, and take every precaution to protect at-risk family members at home. If the family member is ill with a serious medical condition, the employee should contact Human Resources to determine eligibility for Family Medical Leave.

Middlebury recognizes that individual circumstances associated with the COVID-19 pandemic may impact one’s ability to return to work or prompt requests for adjustments in work. Human Resources is available to explore possible pathways to support individual needs.

The most important components of our efforts to maintain a healthy community are a shared commitment to complying with all health and safety expectations and to respectfully hold one another accountable for doing so. All Middlebury faculty, staff, and student employees who are eligible to return to in-person work at any Middlebury location must read the COVID-19 Safety and Return to Work Requirements and complete the mandatory Health Pledge.

Limiting the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 is essential and requires changes to how we live, study, and work together on campus.  Our strategy for a successful campus reopening is multilayered, with many control strategies combined simultaneously to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Each of our individual behaviors directly impacts not only our own health but also the health of those around us. These required individual actions protect ourselves and those around us: 

• Daily Health Checks 
• Face Coverings 
• Physical Distancing 
• Hand Hygiene 

Visit our “Working Safely at Middlebury” website for more information.

Employees should contact Human Resources for guidance on this issue. 

Middlebury recognizes the ongoing challenges and opportunities of shifting to a primarily remote work environment. A resource page has been developed to support employees in their ongoing efforts: https://www.middlebury.edu/office/human-resources/employee-resources.  Here you will find links to websites and articles to help support you as we deal with the effects of COVID-19, including free online training classes on relevant topics at the bottom of the page.

Individual circumstances associated with the COVID-19 pandemic may impact one’s ability to return to work or prompt requests for adjustments in work. Human Resources is available to explore possible pathways to support individual needs. 

Employees who are exposed to a person with COVID-19 should stay home and call their supervisor. In general, close contact involves living in the same household as a sick person, caring for a sick person, or being within six feet of a sick person for a prolonged period of 10 to 30 minutes or more. Supervisors, in turn, should notify Human Resources. Employees will be asked to provide a note from their doctor indicating the recommended period of self-isolation, which is generally up to 14 days. Employees will be required to use SLR and/or CTO during this period. 

You must stay informed and comply with all state and local health department requirements for the state/county where you live.

If you work at a Vermont location, you must carefully assess your travel plans with Vermont ACCD’s Cross-State Travel webpage to determine if a quarantine at home will be required before returning to campus.

On July 6, 2020, Governor Phil Scott released new state of Vermont guidelines for reopening colleges and universities. The state Department of Health guidelines, which were developed in consultation with institutions of higher education throughout the state, including Middlebury, are consistent with our reopening plans. Please know that we will meet or exceed these recommendations, as our highest priority is to protect the health and safety of the entire community.  

On-site work should be coordinated with your area manager as part of the staffing and workplace plans. However, if you think you must return to campus briefly to perform a necessary task (for example, pick up mail) or retrieve a personal item, please use this guidance:

• For Vermont locations, you must contact your supervisor or the building director/coordinator for approval (include the date and time you intend to enter a building); email the approval to publicsafety@middlebury.edu in the event Public Safety needs to provide assistance with accessing the building or needs to be aware of the activity on campus.
• On the Institute’s campus in Monterey, all requests to come to campus go through Barbara Burke, who will review and authorize access.
• For the Middlebury in D.C. office, all requests go through Fariha Haque or Ian Stewart, who will review and authorize access.
• Limit your trips to campus to a minimum, and ensure stops are brief (less than 30 minutes).
• Wear a cloth face covering when entering any buildings.
• Ensure your hands are clean (washed or sanitized) before entering any building and before touching any surfaces.
• No visitors or guests are allowed.
• If others are present in the building, maintain a strict social distance of six feet at all times and do not congregate with others.

On-site work should be coordinated with your area manager as part of the staffing and workplace plans. This process ensures work activities are approved by senior leadership and can be performed safely and in compliance with all mandatory safety and health requirements.

On-site work should be coordinated with your area manager as part of the staffing and workplace plans. If you think you must return to campus briefly to perform a necessary task that will take less than 30 minutes, follow the guidance described above. If you have a need to work in a Middlebury building for more than 30 minutes, you must follow the approval process described in the COVID-19 Safety and Return to Work Requirements. 

If you need equipment to work at home, contact your supervisor to discuss and make appropriate arrangements. Computers and other equipment will be provided on a case-by-case basis. You’ll need to return computers and other equipment once we resume normal business operations.

We are planning to divide students into three groups and have a staggered arrival, beginning with the first group consisting of residential life staff, peer health educators, orientation leaders, First@Midd peer leaders, ISSS PALS, and other student leaders, who will arrive on August 18. The second group will consist of all incoming new students, all fall-season athletes, and all international students not serving in any of the group-one leadership roles, and they will arrive on August 26, to be followed by the third group on August 28. Please note that while we have every intention of keeping with this schedule, the public health situation is constantly evolving. If you are purchasing airline tickets, we recommend you consider travel insurance or changeable tickets, if possible. 

While we recognize the challenges this strict arrival schedule may impose, it is necessary to give us the greatest possible chance of starting the semester with a healthy campus, and so we will only consider alternative arrivals in cases of true emergency.

Yes, we do anticipate that there will be room to house everyone. Additional information is available on the Fall Housing Process web page.

We will be conducting the room draw process over the month of July for returning students. Returning students will be able to select their own housing, including living with or near small groups of friends. Over 50 percent of our housing on campus is singles. New incoming students, international students, and U.S. students abroad uncertain if they will be able to return due to visa or travel restrictions, and students whose study-abroad programs have been canceled, will be assigned housing in August. We are also actively exploring the addition of new properties to our housing system.

Students who had planned to study abroad, but will now be returning to campus, will be included in a later room draw process in August.

Yes, students who were approved through the off-campus lottery system may live off campus. They will be subject to the same policies and procedures applicable to students living on campus. It will be critical that they carefully observe all state and town safety protocols. 

If you have any disability-related needs that you believe may influence your housing assignment, please visit the Disability Resource Center for details on the process to request accommodations. While we will work hard to identify reasonable accommodations to allow full participation, please note that our ability to do so may be limited by our housing inventory. Requests for accommodations after the housing application has closed may be difficult to meet prior to a student’s arrival on campus and will be prioritized based on the space available. Students may contact the Disability Resource Center at ada@middlebury.edu, 802-443-5936 (voice), 802-443-2382 (voice), or 802-443-7437 (TTY).

Students who need to exercise extra health precautions according to CDC guidelines, including for issues that may not meet the definition of a disability, are encouraged to consult with their healthcare provider as soon as possible to make a personalized plan. Consistent with Middlebury’s ADA policy, Middlebury students who have any of the medical conditions identified by the CDC and require reasonable housing accommodations should immediately contact the Disability Resource Center. Reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities will be given priority over requests for reasons other than a disability.

We anticipate that students whose special circumstances are such that they need to remain on campus after November 20 will need to request permission to do so from their deans. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.  
 

There will be very little variety during the quarantine period, but we will have vegan and vegetarian meals, and meals for special diets. There will be one menu option for all other meals.

Dining Services will adopt a three-phase approach similar to what various cities and states are doing around the country. Beginning in phase one, all meals will be to-go, and there will be limited outside seating under tents at each dining hall. No indoor seating will be allowed. Students will be assigned to a dining hall and required to receive all meals at that location. There will be a bagged lunch and dinner options at various locations throughout campus to reduce the number of students in the dining halls. In phases one and two, there will be several more changes, which are described below:

•    Food and beverage options will be limited.
•    All three dining halls will serve the same menu. 
•    All dining halls will follow a one-way traffic format.
•    Dining employees will serve all items.
•    There will be no self-serve bars in phase one and very few in phase two.

Please also note that student dietary needs and restrictions will be met per our usual protocols, and we will have similar options as we did last spring. Also, students will be allowed as much food as they like and can come back for more if they would like to do so. 

We have not yet determined how students will be assigned to dining halls. The dining and residential life teams are putting together a plan, which will most likely be based on proximity of dorms.  

The full dining plan will be emailed to students prior to their arrival.

For a list of the fall 2020 course offerings, please refer to the course schedule.

For fall 2020 course modality descriptions, please refer to this document.

All spaces will be adjusted to reduce density and ensure at least six feet of physical distancing. For classes, we analyzed our 90-plus general-use classrooms to determine what their capacities would be once adjusted for physical distancing. The majority of in-person classes will use these classrooms, which will be larger ones than would ordinarily be needed. In addition, a small number of other spaces that would typically be used for other activities might be brought into service as teaching spaces.

Around the end of May, faculty were surveyed as to their initial preferences for teaching online or in person. Approximately a third indicated they were likely to teach exclusively online.

Yes. While we’re still working to finalize the full range of classes available to fully remote learners, this is an option. Our faculty have been working tirelessly with our DLINQ colleagues to prepare excellent online educational experiences.

RETURNING STUDENTS: You may declare your intention to study fully remotely by writing to your dean. If you elect to study remotely, you will not be charged the room and board or student activity fee, but the tuition will remain the same.

INCOMING NEW STUDENTS: If you have questions about remote study this fall, please connect with a dean according to your last name in the list below. Note that the people listed below will not necessarily be your deans during the academic year, but they are your best point of contact at this time:

Classes begin September 8. There will be no October break. Friday, November 20, will be the last day of on-campus classes for the semester, followed by a week of break. Classes will resume on November 30 with a week of remote instruction and then remote finals.

We will decide about the schedule for the rest of the academic year during the fall semester, as we evaluate the broader public health situation.

Faculty will be able to choose how they teach their classes, whether it be online, in person, or hybrid. We hope that most faculty will focus on one of these modalities for each course and not be teaching simultaneously in multiple modalities. We recognize that courses might need to be online and in person simultaneously when students are quarantined or isolated, so faculty will need to prepare for this eventuality. Faculty teaching loads will be “normal” in terms of the number of courses they are expected to teach, but there will be nothing “normal” about the upcoming semester, generally.

We expect about a third of all classes to be exclusively online. Many classes will have both an in-person and online component, given space restrictions in classrooms and physical distancing requirements.

Of the 530 courses we will teach in the fall, we anticipate that about 175 will be taught online. Please note, as well, that these will not be “emergency online” classes but will be well planned. Faculty are engaged in intensive training this summer in online teaching methods.

That is still to be determined. We will be working with faculty over the next several weeks to determine which courses will be online and which will be in person or hybrid. Course descriptions will indicate the intended modality for the course. This information will be available in time for advising (late July) and registration (early August) so students can make informed decisions. Depending on health conditions on the ground, faculty will need to be prepared to pivot to online modalities at any time.

In other words, if a faculty member has opted to teach a class in person, will there be a simultaneous online version as well so that students who don’t want to (or can’t) take classes in person can still participate in the courses that are being offered in person?

Most courses will be taught either online or in person; we don’t expect many of them will be taught simultaneously online and in person. Some faculty hope to offer such simultaneous instruction, and we will know more about what courses will be taught in both modalities in the next several weeks.

After careful consideration we have made the difficult decision to cancel all study abroad for the fall 2020 semester. This decision applies to the Middlebury Schools Abroad as well as study abroad on externally sponsored programs.

Although many institutions opted to cancel all fall study abroad at once, we decided to make our decisions program-by-program based on the specific circumstances in each of the countries in which our Schools operate. We worked closely with our staff abroad to determine each School’s viability given its program structures and local COVID-19 conditions. Although in a few instances we determined some Schools Abroad could not run because of local conditions, it was the travel restrictions—both in the U.S. and in some host countries—that eventually became the more frequent roadblock. The U.S. Department of State’s Global Level 4 Health Advisory (Do Not Travel) that has been in place since the spring has not yet been lifted. Under these circumstances, we cannot support fall 2020 study abroad that involves international travel.

While we hope that many of our students who were planning to study abroad in the fall will be able to take advantage of this opportunity in the spring or fall of 2021, we know that for some this will not be possible. For this we are very sorry. This news has also been disappointing for our staff abroad and in Vermont, whose job it is to guide and support students through these immersive experiences that can be such a defining moment in a student’s undergraduate years.

If you commit to your study abroad program and it is later canceled, you will be able to enroll at Middlebury and will be included in a later room draw process in August.

A leave of absence or deferral will not impact financial aid eligibility. Students are guaranteed eight semesters of financial assistance provided they reapply each year.

For students who withdraw on or before September 7, there will not be any impact on their financial aid eligibility. For information on the College’s policy regarding refunds and withdrawals on or following September 8, please visit Withdrawal Refunds.

Students will be permitted to have campus jobs assuming they can be performed in accordance with all applicable health and safety guidelines.

Students who elect to take a leave should not anticipate a change in their eligibility to work on campus once they return to campus. This is similar to when students return from their time studying abroad.

Posse student funding is guaranteed for eight semesters.

No, there are no changes to the College health insurance plan. More information is available here. 

Student loan borrowers who take a leave of absence for longer than six months will be required to begin repaying their loans. More information is available here. 

Yes, students will not be charged for room and board if they stay home and take their classes online. See also “May I study entirely remotely for the fall term?” under Classes.

Tuition will be the same regardless of the mode of delivery of the course. If students are experiencing unexpected financial challenges, please reach out to Student Financial Services. 

Students are required to enroll in a minimum of two out of four winter (J-term) terms, earning at least two course credits toward the graduation requirement of 36 course credits. (All first-year students must enroll in a winter term course their first winter term at Middlebury, and the second credit may be earned by enrolling in a winter term course, a credit-bearing independent project, a credit-bearing internship, or by studying abroad and earning winter term equivalent credit.) No fees are charged to students for any winter term they complete, and therefore students are not provided with financial aid for winter term. When students opt out of winter term, student accounts are not credited and refunds are not issued. Winter 2021 term will be online and remote, but winter 2021 term continues to be credit-earning. There will be no account credits or refunds for winter term. During the course registration process for winter/spring terms, students will be asked to opt in or opt out of winter 2021 term.

The deadline for declaring your intention to take a leave or defer admission is July 6.

For planning purposes, it is essential that students notify their dean by July 6 if they intend to withdraw for the fall 2020 semester. New students should notify the Office of Admissions by July 6 if they intend to defer admission.

Returning students considering taking a leave of absence should contact their deans with any questions, or to officially declare their intention to take a leave:
 

• Atwater: Dean Scott Barnicle
• Brainerd: Dean AJ Place
• Cook: Michelle Audette, Assistant Director of Student Success
• Ross: Dean Emily Van Mistri
• Wonnacott: Dean Matt Longman
   

Incoming new students with questions about taking a gap year or deferring for a semester, or about the financial aid implications of those decisions, should contact the Admissions Office at admissions@middlebury.edu. 

For incoming new students who have other questions about what to expect at Middlebury this fall, connect with a dean according to your last name in the list below. Note that the people listed below will not necessarily be your deans during the academic year, but they are your best point of contact at this time:

 Last name starts with                             Contact

• A–Farr                                             Dean Scott Barnicle
• Fat–Lap                                           Michelle Audette, Assistant Director of Student Success
• Lav–Rob                                          Dean Emily Van Mistri
• Roch–Z                                            Dean Matt Longman

Yes, in accordance with our refund policy, students can get a full refund if they withdraw before the semester starts. Middlebury will allow all students who have taken time off to return, though housing constraints might affect when they can return. The refund policy will follow a schedule similar to previous semesters. Please visit Withdrawal Refunds for additional information.

If the on-campus portion of the semester is shortened unexpectedly and all classes move to online, a credit will be issued for the unused portion of room and board only. Tuition will not be refunded.

Personal vehicles are permitted to transport yourself and other students following these requirements: 

• Trips with multiple passengers should be less than 15 minutes whenever possible and all vehicle occupants must wear face coverings.
• You should know all passengers in the vehicle whenever possible. 
• With more than one person in the car, windows must be down at least two inches for air flow, though as much as possible is recommended. 
• Reduce capacity in vehicles whenever possible, even for short trips.  No direct contact between passengers and do not exceed the number of seat belts.  
• Longer trips without a face covering are permissible IF the driver is the only person in the car. 

If you’re riding the ACTR bus:  

• ACTR meets Middlebury College requirements and can be used by students for local transportation. Read about ACTR’s response to COVID here. 

College vehicles (vans):

• College vehicle rentals may be used for limited travel for academic purposes within Addison County only, if approved by department vice president. 

All gatherings, inside and outside, will need to comply with the Department of Event Management guidelines, which will specify group size, space, and physical distancing requirements. In general, it is expected that outside gatherings could allow for a larger capacity.

Yes, though many social interactions will be different than in the past. Physical distancing, mask use, group size limitations, adjusted capacities in campus spaces, and other safety measures will be in place based on current U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Vermont Department of Health guidance. 

Your access cards will only open the residence hall in which you live and any academic buildings to which you need access. Access to other campus facilities is still being determined. While we understand that you will visit friends in other halls, completely unlimited building access is inconsistent with our need to maintain physical distancing to the extent we are able. 

All gatherings will need to comply with Vermont’s group size, space, and physical distancing guidelines in place at the time. At present, this means group gatherings of up to 25 people are permitted, though this could change at any time. Any such gatherings must be scheduled in spaces large enough to allow adequate physical distancing. The Office of Event Management is updating its space reservation process to account for these group size and space requirements. In addition to formally scheduled events, these requirements apply to all informal student gatherings, including parties, whether registered or impromptu. Group size and space rules must be followed in all cases without exception to maintain adequate physical distancing.

Yes, assuming that the job can be performed in accordance with all applicable health and safety guidelines.

The Middlebury experience also includes participation in a number of structured activities beyond the classroom, including in the creative arts, athletics, and club and intramural sports. This will not be a traditional fall on campus in any respect, including for those activities. We are creating guidelines for how students can continue to engage with the performing and studio arts, and faculty have begun conversations in regard to meaningful artistic engagement. Student Affairs is also developing plans for the many other clubs and organizations students enjoy outside of the classroom. We will share those with you over the summer and upon your arrival.

NESCAC has canceled all fall sports for 2020. 

Yes, in accordance with our refund policy, students can get a full refund if they withdraw before the semester starts. Middlebury will allow all students who have taken time off to return, though housing constraints might affect when they can return. The refund policy will follow a schedule similar to previous semesters. Please visit Withdrawal Refunds for additional information.

Decisions about winter athletics have not yet been made. If winter sports are permitted, winter athletes will be permitted to be on campus, along with a limited number of other students, all of whom will need to be approved on a case-by-case basis.

Please contact your coach. 

Initially, off-campus travel will be very limited and carefully monitored. There will be a phased approach to off-campus travel. During the initial arrival quarantine period, students will be required to remain on campus except for essential reasons such as critical doctor’s appointments or family emergencies. Requests for such an exception should be directed to your dean. Once we have successfully completed the arrival quarantine period, it may be possible to permit limited off-campus travel, such as within the town of Middlebury. The final decision will be based on the public health situation at the time. 

Note: any interstate travel permitted by the College must follow Vermont Department of Health guidelines.

We anticipate that there will be travel restrictions for all faculty and staff, based on federal, state, and local conditions and regulations. We are working on the travel policy, which will be available later this summer. 

NESCAC announced on July 10 that there will be no NESCAC competition this fall.

No. As a result of this decision, there will be no scheduled NESCAC competitions or championships. Individual institutions do, however, have the discretion to organize practices and to consider alternate competitions, dependent on state and local health guidelines. At this time, Middlebury does not have any competitions scheduled for the fall. We continue to consult the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Vermont Department of Health, and other authoritative sources on all public health issues and their potential bearing on Middlebury programming. If public health guidelines allow for any sort of limited competition at Middlebury, we will consider them at the appropriate time and only if it is safe to do so. 

The NCAA released a blanket eligibility waiver on July 9, 2020. The waiver indicates that a student-athlete will not count a season of eligibility if they compete in 50 percent or fewer of the maximum NCAA competitions. For example, the maximum number of NCAA competitions for soccer is 20 contests. If a student-athlete participates in nine contests, they would retain their eligibility. If the student-athlete participates in 11 contests, they would use a season of eligibility. The waivers can be found here.

The student-athletes and teams are subject to the state of Vermont’s health guidelines. We will follow the same measured approach as the entire College for reopening. Vermont’s governor recently announced that “institutions should consider how their athletic programs will need to be altered to comply with state guidance. Additional sports-specific guidance for college-level sports will be forthcoming.” We will evaluate any new guidelines and share additional information as it becomes available.

NESCAC presidents agreed to provide as much flexibility as possible for coaches, strength and conditioning personnel, and sports medicine staff to work with both in-season and off-season student-athletes to provide a safe and engaging experience.

The July 10, 2020, NESCAC decision does not address winter or spring seasons. Our decisions about winter and spring sports will be based on a future decision as well as Vermont health guidelines when they become available.

NESCAC athletic administrators and presidents have been collaborating to provide as much flexibility as possible for student-athletes to have a meaningful experience with their sport. They have also been looking into many options to do so, and the idea of moving fall sports to the spring has been a national conversation. While we remain committed as a conference and as individual institutions to providing the best and most robust experiences possible for our student-athletes, we must be guided by current realities as well, including but not limited to the following: 1. Current NCAA legislation would not permit fall sports to compete in the spring, and there is not a specific timeframe on when or if the NCAA will address this possibility. If this is addressed by the NCAA, it would likely be in late summer or fall. 2. If current public health conditions continue or worsen throughout the upcoming months or longer, the opportunities for competition will remain limited, as they are for this fall. 3. If public health conditions permit more robust competition in the spring, the first priority will be the experience of the spring student-athletes. Various resources such as field space, lack of lighting, and staffing challenges will create significant obstacles to the pursuit of fall sport competition in the spring.

The general answer is yes, we will remain as flexible as possible. Student-athletes are encouraged to remain in close contact with their coach if they have specific questions about where they might fit into their team, given returning players and incoming first-years next year.

Please also note, as we state in our Fall Planning 2020 FAQs: In accordance with our refund policy, students can get a full refund if they withdraw before the semester starts. Middlebury will allow all students who have taken time off to return, though housing constraints might affect when they can return. The refund policy will follow a schedule similar to previous semesters. Please visit Withdrawal Refunds for additional information.