INFORMATION: Spring Break Updates MacKenzie Riley Young | February 23, 2021

To the Thomas College Community,

Thomas College’s spring break is scheduled the week of March 8 to March 12. As with our previous breaks—Thanksgiving and winter break—the College will be taking many preventative actions to help ensure the health and safety of the community leading up to our break and to assist in a safe and orderly post-break reintegration on campus.

This email is the first in a series we will be sending to our community over the next three weeks.

IMPORTANT DATES

  • Friday, March 5: Last day of classes
  • Monday, March 8: Spring break begins for all students
  • Friday, March 12 – Sunday, March 14: Residences re-open (see below for additional details on reintegration)
  • Monday, March 15: In-person, on-campus, and Graduate online classes resume


Please note that we plan to resume in-person classes on Monday, March 15. The College is confident that the national and regional declines in COVID cases, our low-risk exposure, reduced density classrooms, and our reintegration testing protocols (outlined below) will allow us to re-form our strong community bubble without the need for beginning with remote classes.

RESIDENCE LIFE, REMAINING ON CAMPUS DURING BREAK

Consistent with previous breaks, students may request to remain on campus during spring break. Resident students who reside in non-exempt states (currently, only Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire are exempt) can also apply to remain on campus. If you have questions regarding staying on campus during break, please contact Hannah Gladstone, Dean of Students for more information.

COMMUNITY TESTING, WEEK OF MARCH 8

Anyone working or remaining on campus during the spring break period is required to test Monday, March 8 or Tuesday, March 9 and again as part of the reintegration testing (Thursday, March 11 to Saturday, March 13). Please check the testing trailer schedule for modified hours.

REINTEGRATION TESTING, POST-BREAK

Campus reintegration testing will be like our Thanksgiving and winter break testing.

  • All faculty, staff, and commuters must test between Thursday, March 11 and Saturday, March 13 (evening Graduate students and Graduate adjunct faculty will be required to test the first night of their on-campus class only)
  • Residents will begin staggered return on Friday, March 12 (an email from Dean of Students with more details and sign-up times will be in your inboxes shortly this week)
  • Any community members that traveled and returned from a non-exempt state or out of the country must show a negative COVID test administered within 72 hours of arrival
    • Travelers may not use on-campus testing facilities for this purpose
    • Students traveling to a non-exempt state must notify Hannah Gladstone
    • Employees traveling to a non-exempt state must notify Michelle Joler-Labbe
    • The College will be providing additional information covering break testing schedules, modeling good behaviors during break, post-break dining mitigation efforts, and athletic/intermural schedules in the coming days prior to break.

Despite the promising COVID trends, I urge everyone to practice and remember good behaviors over the break. How you conduct yourself away from campus will directly impact how quicky we are able to reestablish our community bubble and allow us to finish an incredible year strong and together on-campus.

With deep respect,

Laurie G. Lachance, President

Laurie G. Lachance
President
180 W River Rd, Waterville, ME 04901
wwwold.thomas.edu

For the most recent updates on Thomas College’s response to the coronavirus, please visit our COVID-19 web page. Our COVID-19 Dashboard is updated regularly with the latest testing data. If you have questions related to COVID-19, please do not hesitate to email us at covid19@thomas.edu.

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