Page 24 - BusinessWest Sept. 29, 2021

came to COVID-19 and how students could best learn and interact during the pandemic.
“You want to plan in times when you aren’t
in the middle of a crisis, so that you’re ready to use that plan when a crisis occurs,” he said. “But when you’re thinking through your crisis-plan- ning process, you’re thinking of things like a fire or a hurricane coming through. Nobody planned for a pandemic. We had protocols for a specific outbreak, but not something like this.”
“We learned that we need to
be agile. You might spend weeks planning something, and then one order comes through from the local or state government, and you need to pivot.”
The lesson? “We learned that we need to be agile. You might spend weeks planning some- thing, and then one order comes through from the local or state government, and you need to pivot.”
The latest pivot for AIC, one similar to what most colleges and universities are doing, involves students living and learning on campus, with residence halls open and clubs and sports in full swing. But a facemask requirement is back, too, at least indoors. And AIC is also requiring students and employees to be vaccinated against COVID.
“At last count, we were at 98%, which is a phenomenal number to get to,” Scott said, noting that religious and medical exemptions are being given, but those people are required to be tested weekly, and their quarantine and isolation protocols in the case of infec- tion differ from those of a vaccinated individual. “So far, the vaccination rate has been helping us quite a bit.”
Elms College in Chicopee has also mandated both masks indoors and vaccination for everyone (students, faculty, and staff) without a legitimate exemption.
“Last year, masks were required everywhere. Now, they are not required outdoors if you don’t have anyone within six feet of you,” President Harry Dumay said. “We don’t have distancing in the clasrooms like last year. But we’ll be functioning with a campus that is fully vaccinated.”
While students could choose to take classes in person or remotely last year, Dumay said the college is asking all undergraduates to be in classrooms this year, although remote capabilities are in place in case someone needs to quarantine.
“We thought this year would be com-
pletely free of all these things, but what
we’re seeing in the region and on campus are a lot of breakthrough cases, and Delta is more conta- gious than the original virus,” Dumay said.
When asked about pushback from students on the vaccine mandate, he said he wouldn’t use that
President Harry Dumay says Elms College not only has a plan for this fall, but “a backup to the plan and a backup to the backup.”
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