Information will be added here as we have it, and is subject to change. Last update: November 23, 2020
As of November 6, 2020, at 12:01 a.m., Governor Baker's Executive Order 54 was implemented, which puts into place new restrictions regarding gatherings. Minor changes to Hampshire's Covid-19 policies are in effect to accommodate this new executive order:
All students, staff, faculty, and visitors must wear a face covering at all times while on campus, including outside. Face coverings do not need to be worn in a private room or office when alone with the door closed. Face coverings must cover the mouth and nose. If you cannot wear a face covering due to a health condition, contact the Dean of Students Office to discuss possible accommodations. In no circumstances will anyone be permitted to attend classes or other indoor gatherings in person without some form of face covering. While there is no guarantee of a campus free of COVID-19, we will engage in regular asymptomatic testing this fall. Universal masking, physical distancing, regular cleaning of surfaces, limiting close contacts and gatherings, hand hygiene, symptomatic testing, contact tracing, and isolation/quarantine of exposed individuals are other pieces of the prevention of COVID-19.
The safety of everyone on campus, staff, faculty, and students alike, depends upon a shared commitment to follow the prevention measures the College has put in place. While Hampshire emphasizes personal responsibility and community education and hopes that students will observe these guidelines because they value the safety of our community, behavior or actions that place others at risk are accountable to policies in the Hampshire College Student Handbook and the “Norms for Community Living.”
All community members will sign the Community Care Agreement, committing to abiding by its contents.
We are fortunate to have entered into an agreement with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard to provide asymptomatic testing for COVID-19 throughout the semester. All students will be tested for COVID-19 with a RT-PCR test on the first day of arrival on campus. After the initial on-boarding testing, every resident and commuter student at Hampshire College must participate in the bi-weekly COVID-19 testing program. We will stagger testing so that students in each mod or dormitory area are tested each week. In addition, staff and faculty who are regularly interacting with students will also be tested.
Hampshire College students and employees who are tested on campus as part of the asymptomatic testing program will receive negative test results via an email within 24-36 hours after their test. The email will come from CareEvolve@lnotification.com and the subject line will say “Lab results available from your provider-register now.” The email will prompt you to register, then log onto another site to see your results.
For all community members who test “positive,” “inconclusive,” or “inadequate sample,” a Hampshire College nurse practitioner, Sara Aierstuck or Dawn Beckman, will call you personally to discuss results and next steps. This call will also come within 24-36 hours after testing. Employees will be instructed to follow up medically with their own personal health care providers and students will follow up with Hampshire Health Services. All who test positive will be given preliminary advice about isolation to protect others from infection. Hampshire nurse practitioners will notify Residential Life on-call professional staff, who will manage the move of any COVID-positive students to isolation housing. Residential Life professional staff will arrange for Dining Services meal delivery and follow-up support.
Hampshire community members who test positive for COVID-19 will be contacted by a contact tracer. Contact tracers are trained confidential public health investigators, working under specific guidelines of the State of Massachusetts. Hampshire employees and students who test positive will be contacted by the UMass Amherst Contact Tracing Team (UMCTT) to determine any on-campus close contacts in the workplace or residences. Employees and off-campus students may also be contacted by their own local board of health to determine other household or home community close contacts. The UMCTT will notify Hampshire College HR of any employee who tests positive, as well as the length of time they need to be out of work, and they will investigate any other employees who may need to quarantine.
If you test positive for COVID-19, it’s important that you answer the contact tracing calls and fully cooperate with contact tracers to identify others who may be at risk for COVID-19 infection. Contact tracers will interview you to ask questions about where you live, recent travel, your current symptoms, and all close contacts in the two days before the testing date. You’ll be asked for the names of close contacts in places such as your home, workplace, work, dorm, classes, social events, travel, family, gyms or health clubs, salons, or restaurants. Close contact means being within six feet of someone for 15 minutes or more, with or without a face covering. Close contacts will then be contacted and interviewed by the UMCTT or MA Contact Tracing Collaborative, but contact tracers will not disclose the name of the person who tests positive.
Yes. Every student will be registered in our database. Through our testing app, the college will be able to see that each student has registered and is up-to-date with testing requirements.
Hampshire has contracted with CoVerified, a scheduling and results notification app, which we will use to manage the testing process once all students have returned to campus this fall. The onboarding process and final version of the app will be available in the week of August 24—stay tuned for more information. Participating in the testing program includes registering with CoVerified. It will allow for scheduling of tests and reporting of results. The app can be installed on a smartphone or accessed using a web browser; if installed on a smartphone, the app does not track the location of students.
No. Regular testing of all students is part of reducing the risk of COVID-19 for our entire campus population. The testing will be self-administered and is as easy as showing up once every two weeks and putting a soft swab inside your nose for three seconds on each side.
Hampshire College has spent many months planning a campus environment with testing processes, community care standards, de-populated residential areas, take-out dining, and frequent cleaning to have a residential campus that is as safe as possible at this time. Everyone needs to make their own decision about what amount of risk is acceptable to them.
From the Broad Institute, our testing service: “When there are large numbers of positive individuals in a tested population, the main mode of test failure that we are concerned with is False Negatives (a negative test result for a person who does in fact have the virus). When the tested population has a low viral prevalence then we become more concerned with False Positives (a positive result in a person who does not have the virus). Since our validation cohorts did not show evidence of any false positives we have a high degree of confidence that false positives are not a significant source of error in our assay. Based on data from recent weeks in large cohorts where the prevalence is expected to be very low, we validate this observance. In one institution with >5000 tests run between mid-May and mid-June, we find only 3 positives. In each of the individuals who tested positive we have reason to believe that they were in fact exposed to the viral material being tested for (therefore in testing terms, we consider them True Positives). This empirical data would suggest that the assay False Positive Rate can be no higher than 1/5000 (or 0.02%) and may in fact be lower. Given the significant implications of False Positives, especially within a campus setting, we plan to routinely repeat testing of some proportion of positive results to further ensure the very high specificity of our test.”
High-touch surfaces and bathrooms in high-traffic areas will be cleaned multiple times daily. This includes the bathrooms and door handles in Merrill and Dakin. Mods remain the responsibility of student residents; spaces will be shared by many fewer students. Classrooms and other common spaces will be outfitted with cleaning kits; users are expected to clean high-touch surfaces before leaving.
Isolation is the separation of someone who is ill with or has tested positive for COVID-19 from people who are not sick. Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 typically isolate for at least 10 days from the time they are tested or symptoms first appear, but could be isolated for longer periods of time if symptoms persist.
Quarantine is the separation of someone who has been exposed to a COVID-positive individual from those that are not sick or exposed in case the exposed person becomes sick or tests positive for COVID-19. A typical quarantine period lasts 14 days, and, in most cases, the student remains in their own room.
We recommend students review the Isolation and Quarantine Planning Guide for Students to prepare needed items for isolation or quarantine.
Health and Counseling Services staff will be on campus Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-noon, and 1-4:30 p.m. Professional mental health support and medical/nursing advice will be available 24/7 through on-call services.
Stay out of work, class, and all public spaces, and if you are a student, call Hampshire Health Services at 413.559.5458 Monday–Friday or UMass Triage on weekends at 413.559.5458, option #2. Symptomatic testing is done on campus at Health Services.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever or chills, coughing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. Symptoms may appear as soon as within two days of exposure and vary in severity from person to person. Students are expected to complete a daily health status check before leaving their room each day.
Students who are required to quarantine because of close contact to a positive Covid case or to isolate because of a positive case may leave campus housing to move to an off campus location as long as they:
Any student who needs hospital-level care while at Hampshire will be sent to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, an affiliate of Mass General Hospital.
Hampshire Health Services staff includes two nurse practitioners with back-up medical coverage through UMass University Health Services (UHS). In the case of staff illness or medical surge, UHS will provide replacement staffing.
People with COVID-19 will need to be isolated for at least 10 days and possibly longer if symptoms linger. Once the infectious period is over, they can resume normal activities as tolerated.
Each student will be provided a digital thermometer this semester to help monitor their daily temperature. Students are expected to provide their own cloth face coverings or masks (they will be available for purchase at the Hampstore for $4. Gloves will be provided for any employee or student worker who has a job that requires disposable gloves as personal protective equipment for their work, but gloves are task-specific protection and should not be used in lieu of hand washing for typical daily activities.
Yes. When a student tests positive for COVID-19, the student, Health Services, and the UMass Contact Tracing Team (who will be working under the MA Dept of Public Health) will be notified. The UMass Contact Tracing team will provide seven days a week, 12-hour daily coverage, to reach out to anyone who tests positive, learn about close contacts during their infectious period, and then reach out to all close contacts.
Mental health staff will provide support to students in quarantine or isolation and all students through telehealth counseling and phone support. There is also after-hours professional mental health support available to extend mental health support beyond the office hours of Counseling Services.
As of November 6, 2020, at 12:01 a.m., Governor Baker's Executive Order 53 was implemented, which puts into place a new curfew. Minor changes to Hampshire's Covid-19 policies are in effect to accommodate this new executive order:
Residential students are expected to comply with the curfew by staying on the campus between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., with the exception of the following activities exempted in the advisory: “Only leave home to go to work or school, or for essential needs such as seeking emergency medical care, going to the grocery store or pharmacy, picking up take-out food, or receiving deliveries. If you do leave home, practice social distancing by staying six feet away from others and wearing a face covering.”
The campus of Hampshire College is considered home for our residential students. Therefore, no changes are being made to amenities (food service, campus store, athletic facilities) or access to spaces including, but not limited to, academic buildings. Students are encouraged to continue to make full use of the Hampshire College campus.
Staff, faculty, and approved commuter students whose commute requires travel between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. should understand that this commute is included in the activities allowable under the executive order. Hampshire College will provide documentation to support this if it becomes necessary, though it is not required at this time.
Effective as of March 16, 2020, and until further notice, no college-sponsored domestic or international travel is permitted, unless specifically authorized by the President.
Read the letter from July 29 here.
Due to the pandemic, the popular Valley Transporter is not in service. Other options include:
We recognize that international students face continuing difficulties acquiring visas and traveling to the United States. International students who are unable to arrive at Hampshire College before classes start may begin the semester remotely. International students may arrive on campus as late as the fall drop date, September 11, 2020. Any international student who cannot arrive by September 11, 2020 may continue the semester as a remote learning student (see above).
On July 14, 2020, the federal government withdrew the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) guidance that was issued by ICE on July 6, 2020. As a result of the withdrawal, the guidance issued in March 2020 allowing international students to study remotely if a college moves to fully remote offerings, remains in effect. If SEVP guidance changes, we will contact our international students immediately.
Due to changes in policies regarding visiting the other Five College campuses, and because students will be discouraged from leaving campus, the Pioneer Valley Transport Authority (PVTA) has reduced the frequency of buses on most Five College routes. Those changes are outlined here. Details can also be found at pvta.com.
While we discourage students living in residence from traveling, we recognize that there are legitimate reasons why students need to leave campus. We support students' ability to maintain off-campus employment, shop for essential items not available on campus, access health-related referrals, tend to urgent family matters, and other needs that may arise. While off campus, students must maintain the same safety precautions expected on campus.
Instructional trips within walking distance are enthusiastically encourages.
Instructional trips requiring driving are generally discouraged and require approval. Please contact Christoph Cox at ccox@hampshire.edu at least two weeks prior to the requested travel.
Trips should be local. Trips should not be taken to locations or facilities that don't require the same or more strict physical distancing and other control measures as Hampshire. Capacity of Hampshire College vehicles is one person per row. Masks must be worn, and windows should be open if weather permits. Participants need to understand that sharing a vehicle under most circumstances makes you a close contact in our contact tracing protocol.
The answers to the following questions are based on the fall 2020 Hampshire College and U.S. state and national government policies and procedures. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has not yet released F-1 visa guidance for the spring 2021 semester. Please direct all questions to missintl@hampshire.edu.
For your visa appointment, please refer to the visa letter and related documents that you received with your I-20 for necessary documentation. Students who deferred admission from fall 2020 were all issued new electronic I-20s for the spring semester. Students should bring new a I-20 along with the original they received in the mail, just in case officials ask for it.
Students who deferred their acceptance from fall 2020 to spring 2021 should use the financial guarantee that they completed for fall 2020. The tuition and fees for spring 2021 are the same as they were for fall 2020. Financial aid amounts will also remain the same. Students should print a new financial aid award letter for the spring semester and make sure they produce a recent bank statement that (at a minimum) matches the financial guarantee. The Global Education Office will also send students a letter certifying these amounts as needed.
We encourage you to see if you are able to reschedule your appointment for December or early January. You should not need to pay a new SEVIS or visa fee, but you may need to submit your documents again. Please be in touch with the international student advisors at missintl@hampshire.edu to inform them of the issue. If you are unable to reschedule your appointment, you may need to consider other options.
As of November 12, 2020, the U.S. Department of State announced a phased resumption of routine visa services that will occur on a post-by-post basis. Please visit Travel.State.gov for more information. Students should contact the nearest U.S. Embassy/Consulate for details as to when they may resume visa services.
Note: You should apply for a visa only through the nearest U.S. Embassy/Consulate. Do not apply through third party visa services.
Students should try their best to arrive in time for International Student Orientation on January 25, 2021. However, if you are unable to arrive in time because your visa appointment is not until January, you can still arrive late to campus. Students may arrive to campus as late as February 12, the last day to add courses. Please be in touch with the International Student Advisors.
Students should try their best to arrive in time for International Student Orientation on January 25, 2021. However, if you are unable to arrive in time because your visa appointment is not until January, you can still arrive late to campus. Students may arrive to campus as late as February 12th, the last day to add courses. Please be in touch with the International Student Advisors.
Nonimmigrant F-1 students who attend schools adopting a hybrid model (such as Hampshire College) of a mixture of online and in-person classes will be allowed to take more than one class or three credit hours online. It is up to the student to ensure that they are enrolled in at least one in-person course.
Students who have decided to enroll in Hampshire courses fully remotely from home may do so, but they will not be in F-1 visa status. We will defer the start date of the F-1 program until fall 2021 and will issue a new I-20 with the fall 2021 semester start dates later in the spring semester. The new program dates should NOT impact the SEVIS number. Simply use the newest I-20 with the correct dates when you have your visa interview.
We understand that there may be some unforeseeable circumstances that arise between now and the start of classes on February 2 that may necessitate changing your plans and deferring to fall 2021. If this is the case we ask that you let your international student advisors know no later than January 29 so we can change your enrollment status in time before the start of classes.
Yes, if you are participating fully remotely or coming later in the semester, then you participate in International Student Orientation (January 25) remotely. Details about orientation will follow in December.
Please contact the Center for Academic Support and Advising at advising@hampshire.edu for questions about course selection and academics. For questions about new student forms, please contact the Office of New Student Experience at newtohamp@hampshire.edu. If you’re not sure who to contact for other questions, please visit this webpage.
New incoming international students should arrive on Sunday, January 24 to allow for the required COVID-19 testing prior to the start of International Student Orientation on Monday, January 25. Students will NOT be allowed to come to campus prior to January 24.
International students should refer to the Center for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of State Travel.State.Gov websites for information on current travel restrictions to the U.S. Some travelers may be prohibited from entering the U.S. or require additional quarantining prior to or upon arrival. Students traveling from the Schengen area, UK, and Ireland may qualify for the National Interest Exception for Certain Travelers.
All students are required to have a Covid-19 RT-PCR test on-campus upon arrival. Most students will need to quarantine in their private rooms until the result of the test is back in 24-36 hours. All students will also be required to have a weekly Covid-19 RT-PCR on-campus throughout the semester. Please visit the HampForward page for up-to-date information about COVID guidelines and regulations as they are subject to change.
Students whose visas have been approved to come to the U.S. may start booking their travel to the U.S. However, before booking any air travel, all students should research the travel restrictions to the U.S. (above) AND confirm sure that the air tickets they purchase are cancellable and/or refundable in the event that students have to change or cancel their plans entirely due to changing circumstances both globally and within the U.S. due to COVID-19.
While international students should try to get their vaccinations in their home country, if students are unable to get some or all of their vaccines they can arrange to get them at Hampshire College Health Services upon arrival. Most international students will need at least a TB test and often other vaccines that are not available in their countries. When completing the Hampshire College Health Forms, students should attach a note about any missing vaccines and Health Services will follow up with them upon arrival.
Spring 2021 billing statements will be available on TheHub by the end of the first week of December. Spring 2021 bills are due January 2.
New international students enrolling remotely from home will be billed Hampshire tuition, transcript, new student orientation, and student activities fees.
For international students who are fully remote, financial aid may need to be adjusted. First year international students can expect to have their Hampshire Grant reduced by about approximately $7,600 to account for room, board, and other fees that they are not being billed for as a remote student. Merit scholarships will not be adjusted. Remote international students are also not eligible for work study. Students who have additional questions about their individual aid packages should email the Financial Aid Office at finaid@hampshire.edu.
International students who are remote for spring 2021 and reside outside the US will not have to pay the Spring 2021 health insurance coverage. For more information about Hampshire College health insurance, please visit the Student Accounts Health insurance webpage.
Yes, if you already deferred once to spring 2021 you still may defer again to fall 2021. The deadline to defer to fall 2021 is Friday, January 29. To defer your admission to fall 2021, please notify Dalton at dlewis@hampshire.edu.
Students who have deferred to the fall 2021 semester will be issued new electronic I-20’s later in Spring 2021. Dates will reflect the start of international student orientation and the start of the fall semester. The new program dates will NOT impact the SEVIS number. Simply use the newest I-20 with the correct dates when you have your visa interview.
If you’ve already deferred from fall 2020 to spring 2021 and now choose to defer to fall 2021, you will be given the same financial aid package that you originally received for fall 2020.
Students may enroll in courses on a part-time, non-degree-seeking basis at regionally-accredited U.S colleges and universities during their deferral period and transfer the credit towards their degree at Hampshire College with certain limitations. Students may transfer a maximum of three regular academic courses graded C or better, so long as each carry at least three college credits or the equivalent for institutions on a quarter-credit system. Courses taken outside of the U.S. may also be considered towards the degree contingent upon Hampshire's evaluation of the courses for transfer upon receipt of the final transcript. Because of financial aid implications, students should not enroll full-time at any other institution during their deferral period.
We will welcome new students to campus on Thursday, August 20, and continuing students on Saturday and Sunday, August 22 and 23. All students moving onto campus will be assigned staggered arrival times, to be communicated in late July. All students and guests will be required to provide and wear their own mask or facial covering for the duration of the move-in process.
The answer is based on where you are traveling from. Please see the letter, New Massachusetts Travel Order, for complete details.
The residence halls are open only to Hampshire College students in residence. No off-campus visitors are allowed. Hampshire College students living on campus are allowed to visit other students’ rooms so long as they follow physical distancing guidelines. A maximum of one guest is allowed at a time in a student's room. Given the one guest policy, for example, a mod housing four people, would be able to have four total guest in the mod at one time. Guests need to wear a mask in common areas of a mod or hallway.
Students approved to live off campus may participate in in-person classes and access academic and public spaces on campus. Off-campus students will not be allowed in the residence halls as guests.
The Hampshire College experience is a uniquely residential one. All students are required to live on campus, unless approved by CASA for remote instruction, or granted a residency exemption. Learn more about that process. If you’re looking for an exemption to the residency requirement, you must complete our application. The deadline for this application was in April, however, we are still granting exemptions for students who meet our automatic exemption criteria or for medical accommodations, which can be filed through the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services. If you are looking to move off campus, please do not sign a lease until you have been granted a residency exemption by the Residence Life and Housing department.
Isolation is the separation of someone who is ill with or has tested positive for COVID-19 from people who are not sick. Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 typically isolate for at least 10 days from the time they are tested or symptoms first appear, but could be isolated for longer periods of time if symptoms persist.
Quarantine is the separation of someone who has been exposed to a COVID-positive individual from those that are not sick or exposed in case the exposed person becomes sick or tests positive for COVID-19. A typical quarantine period lasts 14 days, and, in most cases, the student remains in their own room.
Students with service animals who test positive for COVID-19 will be immediately relocated along with their service animal to designated isolation housing in a different building, typically for 10 days.
This fall, due to COVID-19, residential students who need to quarantine remain in their assigned room with their support animals, typically up to 14 days. Students who test positive for COVID-19 are immediately relocated to designated isolation housing in a different building, typically for 10 days.
Students with ESAs must have an emergency contact on file with the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS) in order to ensure the safety of the animal should the owner test positive. Students with active COVID-19 may be too sick to care for the animal, and if hospitalization were necessary, there would be nobody to care for the animal. Staff cannot take on that responsibility, nor can staff enter the room of an infected person for three days. If a student cannot identify a hallmate, modmate, friend, or family member as the emergency care-taker for an ESA, the student would need to locate a local boarding facility and have prior arrangements in place for someone to transport the animal to that location.
Fall classes end on Friday, November 20. The fall semester ends on December 4, 2020, and campus residences close at noon on December 5, 2020. While students are allowed to remain in residence until December 5, they are not allowed to leave for Thanksgiving Break (beginning on November 20) and come back to campus residence. If students leave for Thanksgiving break, or anytime after November 20, they are not permitted to return to campus housing until the residences re-opens for the spring semester. Dining Services on campus will continue to operate as normal until the end of the semester on December 4.
The curriculum is being continuously updated on TheHub. It will be finalized by August 7.
August 10 (instructor must email permission to centralrecords@hampshire.edu)
Faculty are spending the summer planning their fall courses and determining the best mode of delivery for them. Hampshire staff are spending the summer trying to determine which courses can be safely held in which spaces. Once all this is determined, Central Records staff must enter this information into the database. It’s a complicated process that involves many people and takes a lot of time.
Three. New students may not register for courses with course numbers 250 and above.
Four, including Five College courses.
Check “approvals and holds” on TheHub by the end of July.
This information is available on TheHub now.
The week of August 3
August 24
Students should pre-register for courses that interest them, striving for breadth and variety. After discussion with their advisors, students will have the opportunity to add courses from August 24–September 4 and to drop courses from August 24–September 11.
August 24
The last day to add Hampshire and Five College courses is September 4. The last day to drop Hampshire and Five College courses is September 11.
Yes.
Within the first year at Hampshire, students must complete seven academic courses, including two Division I seminars. The other five elective courses may be a combination of faculty-evaluated Hampshire courses and Five-College courses carrying three or more credits and graded C or better. No more than three Five-College courses may be used toward Division I course requirements. Two dance technique courses designated as half courses may fulfill one of the five electives. OPRA, EPEC and other courses labeled co-curricular on TheHub may not be used to fulfill Division I course requirements. Concurrently, students also must complete 40 hours of Campus-Engaged Learning (CEL-1).
This is still being determined. When registration begins (August 12 for first-year students, August 15 for returning students), TheHub will indicate the mode in which the course will be taught.
Students living on campus may choose courses that allow entirely remote options. Students who have health concerns about being on campus may opt not to live on campus while taking courses that support entirely remote participation. Given their health concerns, students who opt for an entirely remote semester and choose not to be in residence at Hampshire may not come to campus during the semester. Some Hampshire courses (for example, some performing arts courses, some science courses with labs, and other courses with significant in-person expectations) may not be available to remote learning students. Five College courses will continue to be available to Hampshire students in a remote format; none of the Five Colleges are permitting students from the other campuses to take courses in person. Students choosing a remote semester are not part of the College COVID-19 testing program and will not be charged the Café Card fee, EMT fee, or Health Services fee.
Students who opt for a fully remote fall semester must notify the Center for Academic Support and Advising at casa@hampshire.edu by August 14, 2020.
Hampshire is also planning an intensive January term, during which all courses will be fully remote; this additional term is included in tuition and is available to all students.
Yes. Some Hampshire courses (for example, some performing arts courses, some science courses with labs, and other courses with significant in-person expectations) may not be available to remote learning students. Five College courses will continue to be available to Hampshire students in a remote format; none of the Five Colleges are permitting students from the other campuses to take courses in person.
Five College courses will only be available to Hampshire students in a remote mode. If Five College performing arts courses are able to accommodate remote access, Hampshire students may be able to enroll in them.
This will be indicated on TheHub by August 7. However, this information may continue to change until the beginning of the semester.
Yes. Some faculty are planning to teach in this mode, using a teaching assistant to facilitate the in-person elements.
We expect all academic spaces and facilities to be open for student use this fall, including the Art Barn, the library, computer and media labs, music and dance spaces, and other areas that support learning. There will be some restrictions on how spaces are used and by how many people at any one time. All students will be expected to observe face-covering and social distancing rules.
Most offices are too small to safely accommodate two people. Most faculty will (1) hold office hours remotely, (2) hold office hours outdoors, or (3) hold office hours in larger spaces.
Yes.
Yes, through the online library catalog, but not in person.
Fall classes will begin on Tuesday, August 25, and end on Friday, November 20, the Friday before Thanksgiving. The College will observe Yom Kippur, but there will not be an extended fall break. Students who leave campus for Thanksgiving will not return until the beginning of the spring term, but students may remain on campus until the official end of the term on December 4. This schedule aligns with those of Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts, and allows us to offer a full semester within a compressed time frame.
In January, we are planning an intensive 14-day term (January 4–22, 2021) with a small set of courses that will be taught remotely. This will de-densify the teaching schedule and allow flexibility for faculty and students, enabling first-year students to make further progress toward completing Division I, Division II students to add to their portfolios, and Division III students to fulfill Advanced Educational Activities. Jan Term courses are included in the tuition for the academic year.
Spring classes are set to start on Tuesday, February 2, and to run through Thursday, April 29. There will be no extended Spring Break. Commencement is still scheduled for May 15, 2021.
August 20: New Student Move-In
August 20–23: New Student Orientation Programming
August 22–23: Continuing Students Move-In
August 24: Community Orientation/Advising Day
August 25: Classes Start
November 20: Classes End
Fall classes end on Friday, November 20. The fall semester ends on December 4, 2020, and campus residences close at noon on December 5, 2020. While students are allowed to remain in residence until December 5, they are not allowed to leave for Thanksgiving Break (beginning on November 20) and come back to campus residence. If students leave for Thanksgiving break, or anytime after November 20, they are not permitted to return to campus housing until the residences re-opens for the spring semester. Dining Services on campus will continue to operate as normal until the end of the semester on December 4.
At this time, we anticipate having climbing wall hours, outdoor program semester-long classes, and some weekend experiences. Details about these offerings and experience will be updated in the coming weeks and throughout the semester.
We anticipate maintaining access to many of our recreational programs and resources, including hours at the weight room and fitness center as well as tennis courts and track housed in the Multi Sport Center. We will continue to offer a variety of martial arts classes as well. Access and open hours to recreational spaces in the Robert Crown Center are still being determined (including the playing floor, cardio equipment, pool, and sauna).
All athletic competitions have been postponed until the spring semester, aligning with adjustments the USCAA and our conference (YSCC) have made. At this time we are planning for spring competition for all sports, including those typically taking place in the fall. We are still dedicated to supporting and engaging with our student athletes through fitness and strength classes, potential group workouts, and general support during their academic journey at Hampshire.
A variety of wellness promotion resources and programming will continue this year while being adapted to meet the campus-wide health guidelines due to COVID.
For returning students APPROVED for early arrival, the plan will be in effect beginning August 19. New students' meal plans begin during orientation.
The Café Card has $250 per semester, a reduction from $400 last year.
The required 75 block meal plan for all students living in mods ensures all students will have the opportunity to have a full meal every day. This supports community building around shared meals and helps alleviate food insecurity.
Students can use a meal plan or Café Card in the Dining Commons for all meal periods, in the Kern Kafé for breakfast and lunch, and in the Prescott Tavern for dinner and late night food. You will also be able to use your plan to order pizza and “family style” meals through the Dining Commons.
Please note: due to safety regulations during COVID-19, all dining operations will offer only take-out food service until further notice. We have added two tents for limited physically distanced outdoor seating.
Kern Kafé
Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–2 p.m.
Dining Commons
Monday–Friday, Breakfast: 7:30–9 a.m.; Lunch: 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m.; Dinner: 5–9 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, Brunch: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.; Dinner: 5–8 p.m.
Prescott Tavern
Monday–Friday, 4–10:30 p.m.
No, the college student rule is if a meal plan provides two out of three daily meals, a student would not be ineligible for SNAP. The 75 meals per semester plan provides 25% of a student’s meals, which does not impact eligibility.
Dining Services will continue the online grocery service we offered last spring, with additional items. Students will be able to order online and pick up at either the Dining Commons or the Prescott Tavern, decreasing the risk of exposure of going in to crowded grocery stores.
The groceries can be paid with Café Card, cash, credit card, and we are working on a plan to allow students to use meal plans.
Absolutely! Dining Services will continue to offer accommodations for all dietary needs. Our executive Chef is celiac and specializes in gluten-free nutrition. We are happy to discuss your dietary needs. To schedule a meeting, please contact Andrew Fleischer, dining services director, at afleischer@hampshire.edu
For 2020–21, all student groups are encouraged to meet and host events virtually through Zoom, Facebook, Google Meet, Discord, or other free online platforms. If you require assistance in setting up virtual accounts for your student group please contact leadership@hampshire.edu.
All student group meetings, virtual or in person, must be registered and approved through HampEngage.
If your student group wishes to meet in person:
All student group rosters on HampEngage need to be updated to ensure proper group member numbers.
All student group HampEngage pages should be as up to date as possible to ensure a virtual presence to campus.
Events are encouraged to happen virtually, in person events will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
Some student groups, based on the nature of their activities, may not be able to function this semester or may have restrictions based on public health and safety recommendations. Campus Leadership & Activities will be in touch with your group about ways in which you may still be able to meet and work in a different way so you can still connect and create community.
Hampfest will be a virtual event this year hosted through a combination of digital platforms.
We are waiving the once a semester event requirement for student groups this year, however we encourage student groups to reach out to different campus centers and offices to try and collaborate with them on programming and events.