Winter Term 2021 Pre-Arrival Information

The information on this page reflects arrival guidance for undergraduate students for the Winter 2021 term only.

For the most up-to-date information about arrival for Spring 2021, please visit https://student-affairs.dartmouth.edu/resources/2020-2021-planning-information 

Students originally assigned to arrive on Tuesday, January 5th will now arrive on Saturday, January 16th. Students originally assigned to arrive on Wednesday, January 6th will now arrive on Sunday, January 17th.  

Given the need to reduce the risk of transmission, there will be no early or late arrivals. Please make travel plans accordingly. ​

The one-week pre-arrival testing process for undergraduates approved for on-campus enrollment will start in early January. 

WHO

• All students approved for on-campus enrollment/facilities access who are currently within the US will be included in the pre-arrival testing process.
• Students who are not approved for on-campus enrollment and facilities access won't be asked to participate.
• And given timing and shipping restrictions for overseas addresses, it is not possible to include students at overseas addresses.

WHEN

• Participating students within the US who have winter on-campus approval/access will receive a message from Dr Reed at the Health Service on January 4, detailing the pre-arrival process and providing individualized links to the test provider.

WHERE

• The process will enable students to communicate directly with the test provider about the address to which the pre-arrival test should be sent, and the time for virtual administration of the observed test.

PRE-ARRIVAL DEADLINE

• Students assigned to arrive on January 16th will return their pre-arrival test as directed by January 11th. Students assigned to arrive on January 17th will return their test by January 12th. 

RESULTS

• The Health Service will be in touch with any student who has a positive pre-arrival test result. The clinician will work directly with the student about quarantine and isolation requirements, and to determine when and how they may travel.

As we said before fall arrivals, please say your good-byes at home, and please bring only what you can carry with you in case conditions require the College to evacuate the campus.​ ​

RETRIEVING ITEMS FROM STORAGE

• Those of you who have items in controlled storage will be able to reserve a time and get your things as soon as your first arrival test is negative.
• You should plan to arrive with the things you need for the first 24-48 hours of quarantine, but you will be able to retrieve your items by appointment once you are released from phase one of arrival quarantine after a negative test.
• You'll have more information about the belongings reservation process in early January.

END OF TERM STORAGE CONSIDERATIONS

• As you pack, please plan ahead for the end of winter term. Note that there will be no controlled storage available at the end of winter term for students who are not approved for on-campus enrollment spring term.
• Students here only for winter will need to remove and store all personal belongings off campus.
• Students who are on-campus in the winter who have belongings from last spring that are in controlled storage or trunk rooms will be required to take those items with them at the end of winter term or move them to non-College off-campus storage locations.

HINMAN MAIL CENTER

• During winter term, only students living on-campus will be able to send and receive packages from the Hinman Mail Center.
• If you receive packages or letter mail, you will receive an e-mail from our Hinman package tracking system within 24 hours.
• To reduce risk of transmission, physical Hinman mailboxes will not be available. Letter mail will be treated as packages for pick-up.
• As with pick-up from controlled storage, Hinman pick-up will be possible once students are cleared from phase one to phase two of quarantine.

LEVERONE FIRST

• All students will make Leverone their first stop for arrival testing and key pick-up for those assigned to rooms on campus.
• The Dartmouth Coach will add a Leverone drop-off for those arriving by bus.  
• If you do come with family or friends, they may not enter campus facilities and must remain outdoors, wear face coverings at all times, observe 6' physical distancing requirements, and follow all other College and local guidance. 

ARRIVAL TESTING

• Belongings will be placed in a designated area at Leverone during testing and key pick-up.
• Following arrival testing, check-in and key pick-up, students will move immediately to their room or local residence to begin arrival quarantine.
• Baggage transport will be available from Leverone to central points on campus in the event of bad weather.
• Note: Students who have had COVID may be exempted from testing requirements for a specified period of time in consultation with a Health Service clinician. If you've had COVID, please contact the Health Service and consult directly with a clinician about your testing status. All students, however, are required to follow all health guidelines, including arrival quarantine, physical distancing, mask-wearing, and all other requirements. 

PARKING

• College policies about student parking have not changed, but we have slightly increased capacity by adding a small remote lot for long-term student parking.
• All student vehicles must be permitted and registered following College parking policies.

PHASE ONE

All students, no matter where they were during the fall or the December break, will participate in arrival quarantine. There will be no exceptions.

• You will remain in your room in your residence hall as soon as you arrive for the next 24-72 hours - until you are formally released to phase 2 arrival quarantine when your first negative test results are back.
• During this initial period, you may only leave your room to use a restroom or for medical care.
• Kitchens and common areas will be closed.
• You will do your daily temperature screening and pre-order food from DDS, which will be delivered to your residence hall common area.
• Guests, visitors and gathering in groups of any size will not be permitted.

If your test results are negative, the arrival quarantine period will continue, but you'll be able to go out to pick up your meals at one of four designated campus locations and engage in individual physical exercise.

If you test positive for COVID-19, you will be moved to isolation housing with the support of Health Service clinicians, who will remain in close touch; Health Service clinicians will guide that process. 

PHASE TWO

• Once you have the arrival (day zero) negative test result from the Health Service, you will be released to phase two and will have some limited opportunities to leave your room to pick up your meals at your assigned location, pick up items in storage by appointment, and engage in individual exercise outdoors on campus (not in town).
• During this period, you may not go off-campus or into downtown Hanover, no one else may enter your room, and you will not have access to College facilities.
• You will be tested again during the first week on days 3 and 7 and may be released as early as day 8 if your day 7 test comes back negative.

See the Travel Quarantine and Return to Campus Information

END OF ARRIVAL QUARANTINE

• Academic buildings, the library, Collis, the gym and other college facilities will open on a limited access basis on the week of January 25 when the full arrival quarantine period is over.
• Specific building hours and guidelines will be available in January.
• Students eligible for in-person employment by College departments may begin work at this point.

BATHROOM USE

• Residence hall custodians will clean bathrooms first thing in the morning (typically before 8 am) and will be through for additional disinfections later in the day.
• Each bathroom will have a sign on the door that provides the capacity of the bathroom.
• In general, the guide is "every other fixture" to maintain physical distancing.
  • If there are only two fixtures in a bathroom, only one person should be using it at a time. If there are three fixtures, two could use at the same time, leaving the middle fixture unused. 
• In the residence hall, you should carry your own caddy with toiletries, and use your personal disinfecting bottle and microfiber cloths to wipe every surface you touch before and after you touch it. 
• If you encounter custodial staff in the residence halls, DDS staff in dining venues, or staff and faculty elsewhere, please be kind and appreciative, and please be wearing your face coverings and maintain 6' physical distance at all times.
  • If you are not in compliance, employees may understandably become concerned about exposure.
  • All of our essential workers, faculty and staff who may interact with you in person are committed to your health, as well as their own and one another's. They like you, are subject to health and testing guidelines.

 DINING GUIDELINES

• As in the fall, campus staff will deliver pre-ordered meals to each residence hall common area twice a day during phase one of the arrival quarantine period.
  • The dinner delivery will include continental breakfast for the next morning. 
• By January 19th, all students who arrived over the weekend should have arrival test results, and all dining for students who tested negative will shift to pick-up at one of four designated campus locations, unless students are placed in contact quarantine or isolation residence halls.
• Students assigned to quarantine or isolation halls will order meals for DDS delivery. 
   

FACILITIES GUIDELINES

• As has been the case in late fall, Residential Operations recommends opening windows for a short time each day to provide fresh air circulation and to help reduce the potential for the virus to concentrate in the air.
  • This can be done by opening and closing the window periodically during the day or leaving the window open just a crack during the course of the day.
  • The duration of the how long to leave the window open will depend upon how cold it is outside, as we do not want the space to get so cold inside that it risk freezing pipes or making the room so uncomfortable that you cannot live or work in the room. 
• This is important in all spaces, but particularly where more than one individual is occupying the space with windows.
  • In all cases, please close the window when the space is not occupied or at the end of the day as the temperature will drop overnight risking freezing and other damage to the building.
  • You can always crack the windows when you arrive the next time to occupy the space.
  • The level of discomfort in the space can be minimized by dressing warmly in layers.  
  • The opening and closing of windows along with social distancing, which minimizes the number of individuals in a space, and wearing your face covering can help prevent the virus from concentrating in a room if the virus is present.
• Kitchens and common areas in residential facilities will be closed during the full arrival quarantine period. 
• Ventilation studies in older facilities have produced reduced occupancies or closures in some locations on campus. Availability or posted usage guidelines have been adjusted accordingly.

• All students living locally who are not approved for on-campus winter enrollment/access are strongly encouraged to align their local arrival dates with the weekend of the 16th/17th, and all students will follow the arrival quarantine guidelines. 
• All students living locally will be able to participate in College testing protocols - testing on the day of arrival, days 3 and 7 after arrival, and twice weekly after that. All students will have access to the online scheduling tool that will enable them to schedule their weekly testing appointments. Some have asked if they will be able to register to do so - we'll be sending more information about next week about how to tell us you'll be here. 
• Although we had said we might be able to offer a waitlist for on-campus facilities access to students living locally, the escalating pandemic conditions are such that we won't be able to do so. We're sorry, as we know this is important to many of you, but students living locally off-campus who are not approved for on-campus enrollment will not be able to access campus facilities or work in person for College departments during the winter term. We will continue to reassess the public health situation as we move closer to spring, and will adjust for spring if possible. 

• As of now, we presume that students will remain on campus through the winter term exam period.
• We will return to planning for spring later in January, when we are better able to project public health and enrollment conditions for spring.  We are going to have a very short amount of time to prepare residence hall rooms for spring arrivals. We won't be able to provide information about possible interim housing until February.