September 7, 2020 Update

Important Update from Dean Lively

Dear Students,

We have important information to share about student programs, activities and policies for this year. This information applies to all - whether you are on or off-campus. Please be sure to read all the way through this message so that you're completely up to date about what you can expect.

As we prepare to start the academic year, we know many of you are wondering about student organizations, programs and activities. Student life will certainly be different and will require all of us to be flexible, supportive, and understanding as we navigate a new framework both remotely and here on campus. Though our formats, parameters and expectations may change, our commitment to supporting student organizations, student government and student-generated programs remains the same as ever.

For all of you, there will be a rich array of online activities, meetings and programs. Just to give you a few examples:

*The Collis Student Involvement Fair on September 13 will feature online opportunities to meet and hang out with performance/arts/media groups, sports/recreational/outdoor organizations, service/spiritual/wellness groups, student governance representatives, cultural and issue-awareness organizations, and pre-professional/academic competition groups.

https://students.dartmouth.edu/collis/events/pre-orientationorientation/2020-virtual-involvement-fair

*Coming up this week and through the 17th,  there are four early Center for Professional Development online programs, including an interviewing workshop for seniors only, a fall recruiting workshop for juniors and seniors, a prep session for all students in advance of the fall virtual job and internship fair, and the online fair itself on September 17th.

https://sites.dartmouth.edu/cpd/dartboard/

*The week of the 14th, you can register for Center for Social Impact info sessions on getting involved, on applying to the Foundations for Social Impact leadership program for '24s, and jumping into the Dartmouth Impact Trivia Night on the 17th.

https://students.dartmouth.edu/social-impact/programs-initiatives/students/fall-2020-events-dcsi

You'll be getting lots of updates from programming sources around campus – keep an eye on them, and the Engage platform, and be sure to mark your calendars for the things that interest you.

ACTIVITIES DURING ARRIVAL QUARANTINE

For those of you with housing assignments on campus, there will be a menu of options for outdoor structured activities during days 3-14 of the arrival quarantine period through September 25th. All will be listed in the Engage platform,  and will require sign-up in advance - subject to confirmation that you and your floormates have been released to begin the second phase of quarantine (ie outdoor meal pick-up, solo walks, and sponsored structured activities). Examples include outdoor yoga and fitness classes, Outdoor Programs hikes, craft activities, campus scavenger hunts, and one-time weekend events including mini-golf sessions and outdoor laser tag on the Green.

POST ARRIVAL QUARANTINE ACTIVITIES

More broadly, here is the framework for on-campus activities once everyone is out of arrival quarantine after September 25th:

*Communal Spaces: There are new guidelines for communal and dining spaces on campus. These address expectations for space use, scheduling and accessing space, and guidelines around food. They'll be posted for the campus later this week.

*Tents: There are twelve tents across campus to allow campus departments and student organizations to host outdoor events. More information on tent location and reservation process will be provided in the coming weeks.

*Collis Center: The Collis Center will still be your student center. Collis has always played an integral role in the student experience and will continue to do so, despite some adjustments.

*Student Events: There will be new guidelines for in-person student events to support the new standards of health and safety. Some of the changes you may expect this fall are pre-registration of events, maintaining a list of all attendees, increased planning for social distancing and other safety considerations, and revised guidelines on food and tabling.

*Alcohol and Drinking Games: While the alcohol policy will be unchanged, effective immediately, and in order to decrease the risk of the spread of COVID-19, "drinking games" such as pong are prohibited in any location, on-campus or locally off-campus. These games promote the spreading of COVID-19 through lack of wearing face coverings, lack of physical distancing and the sharing of cups.

These new guidelines exist to promote the health and safety of the community and to support our institutional risk reduction efforts. It's an adjustment for everyone, but there will still be many ways for student organizations to continue to meet and host events, and to create new organizations that bring people together safely and in alignment with health and safety guidelines.

Whether you are learning remotely or are approved for fall on-campus, incredible opportunities await to connect, reconnect and discover new interests to explore. Once we get through the flurry of opening, we hope you'll jump in and take advantage of them.

All my best as we begin the week, and stay safe,

Dean Lively